Dehang 德夯 is a small village in the outskirts of Jishou city in Hunan province in China. It was one of the places recommended by Lonely Planet China, so since it was already in the way, I decided to give it a try. The village is quite idyllic. It is set in a small valley surrounded by towering karst peaks. The most prominent feature of this town is most likely the soaring peaks of Four Horses Mountain 四马山 which is named because the peaks resemble the heads of four horses. This mountain serves as an amazing backdrop to this quaint little village.
The main square is surrounded by small restaurants and accomodations. Just beyond the main square are some streams which pass through the village. It was the first time I saw working water wheels. Here it doesn’t really serve much purpose other than being ornamental but it was really amusing to see them for the first time. The water wheels where made primarily of bamboo tied together with strips of bamboo and they actually work!
The streams were enhanced such that vistors can cross the river without getting wet by placing blocks of cement on the shallower portions of the river. At this point the stream becomes more like a dam with the water flowing down a slope down to the spinning water wheels.
And what is a tourist spot without any tourist shops? This village, however remote it may seem, still has its share of souvenir shops. This shops are nowhere near as pushy as the other tourist shops I’ve been to, so it was a nice experience to walk by these shops and have a look around. I guess tourists do not really come by here that often that they don’t really try to drag customers anymore. Hopefully they know that it was actually more pleasant for visitors not to get nagged by store owners every now and then.
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