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Tipu Sultan (November 1750, Devanahalli – 4 May 1799, Seringapatam), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa.<br/><br/> Tipu was given a number of honorific titles, and was referred to as Sultan Fateh Ali Khan Shahab, Tipu Saheb, Bahadur Khan Tipu Sultan or Fatih Ali Khan Tipu Sultan Bahadur.
The painting exemplifies Manet's commitment to Realism in its detailed representation of a contemporary scene. Many features have puzzled critics but almost all of them have been shown to have a rationale, and the painting has been the subject of numerous popular and scholarly articles.<br/><br/> The central figure stands before a mirror, although critics—accusing Manet of ignorance of perspective and alleging various impossibilities in the painting—have debated this point since the earliest reviews were published. In 2000, however, a photograph taken from a suitable point of view of a staged reconstruction was shown to reproduce the scene as painted by Manet.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941 (December 8 in Japan).<br/><br/> The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States.<br/><br/> The attack came as a profound shock to the American people and led directly to the American entry into World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters. The following day (December 8) the United States declared war on Japan. Domestic support for isolationism, which had been strong, disappeared. Clandestine support of Britain (for example the Neutrality Patrol) was replaced by active alliance. Subsequent operations by the U.S. prompted Germany and Italy to declare war on the U.S. on December 11, which was reciprocated by the U.S. the same day.<br/><br/> Despite numerous historical precedents for unannounced military action by Japan, the lack of any formal warning, particularly while negotiations were still apparently ongoing, led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to proclaim December 7, 1941, 'a date which will live in infamy'.
The 8888 Nationwide Popular Pro-Democracy Protests (also known as the People Power Uprising) were a series of marches, demonstrations, protests, and riots in the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma (today commonly known as Burma or Myanmar). Key events occurred on 8 August 1988, and therefore it is known as the 8888 Uprising.
During the colonial era, just south of Yan’an Donglu (then called Edward VII Avenue) ran the Rue du Consulat – today’s Jinling Donglu – leading from the waterfront to the French Concession. Somewhere off this road was a small lane called Rue Chu Pao San, renamed Xikou Lu after 1949, but since, apparently, swept away in the tide of redevelopment.<br/><br/> In its heyday Rue Chu Pao San rejoiced in the European nickname ‘Blood Alley’ – a lane of teeming vice, brothels and low bars frequented by sailors on shore leave from the Huangpu docks. Ralph Shaw, a Briton who lived in Shanghai during the 1930s, records that Blood Alley fairly swarmed with ‘a legion of Chinese, Korean, Annamite, White Russian, Filipino and Formosan women’, in search of a similar legion of ‘kilted Seaforth Highlanders, tall U.S. Navy men, seamen from the Liverpool tramps, and French Grenadiers’, who ‘had ears only for the girls clinging to them in the half light of dance-floor alcoves’.<br/><br/> Blood Alley, as the name suggests, was a rough and violent place ‘entirely dedicated to wine, women, song and all-night lechery’.
South Arabia as a general term refers to several regions as currently recognized, in chief the Republic of Yemen; yet it has historically also included Najran, Jizan, and 'Asir which are presently in Saudi Arabia, and Dhofar presently in Oman. The frontiers of South Arabia as linguistically conceived would include the historic peoples speaking the related South Arabian languages as well as neighboring dialects of Arabic, and their descendants. Anciently there was a South Arabian alphabet, which was borrowed by Ethiopia. South Arabia as generally conceived would include the lands inhabited by peoples partaking of its distinctive traditions and culture, which overlap recently demarcated political boundaries.<br/><br/> Yemen or al-yaman means 'the south'. One etymology derives Yemen from yamin the 'right side' as the south is on the right when facing the sunrise; yet this etymology is considered suspect. Another derives Yemen from yumn meaning 'felicity' as the region is fertile; indeed the Romans called it Arabia Felix. In an ancient, traditional Arabian genealogy, the people of the peninsula are divided between north and south, those of the north descending from Ishmael and Adnan (from whom Muhammad descended), and those of South Arabia being the descendants of Qahtan or Joktan (Yoqtan) and Jokshan.<br/><br/> Three thousand years ago several different state entities occupied the region of South Arabia, including M'ain, Qataban, Hadhramaut and Saba.In those ancient times South Arabia claimed several notable features, e.g., the famous dam at Marib, the cosmopolitan incense trade, as well as the legendary Queen of Sheba. Two thousand years ago the Himyarites became the masters of South Arabia, remaining for several centuries until displaced by the armies of Axum which landed from nearby Ethiopia; rule by the Ethiopians was followed by that of Persia under the Sassanids, who also arrived by sea. A half-century later, in the year 638 C.E., the region became Muslim.
On May 27, 1949, Shanghai came under Communist control. Despite Communist claims that the city was taken over in a peaceful manner, one of the first actions taken by the Communist Party was to clean up the portion of the population that were considered counter-revolutionaries, including bar girls and prostitutes.<br/><br/> Most foreign firms moved their offices from Shanghai to Hong Kong, specifically North Point, whose Eastern District became known as 'Little Shanghai.
The First Anglo-Chinese War (1839–42), known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice.<br/><br/> Chinese officials wished to stop what was perceived as an outflow of silver and to control the spread of opium, and confiscated supplies of opium from British traders. The British government, although not officially denying China's right to control imports, objected to this seizure and used its newly developed military power to enforce violent redress.<br/><br/> In 1842, the Treaty of Nanking—the first of what the Chinese later called the unequal treaties—granted an indemnity to Britain, the opening of five treaty ports, and the cession of Hong Kong Island, thereby ending the trade monopoly of the Canton System. The failure of the treaty to satisfy British goals of improved trade and diplomatic relations led to the Second Opium War (1856–60). The war is now considered in China as the beginning of modern Chinese history.
During the colonial era, just south of Yan’an Donglu (then called Edward VII Avenue) ran the Rue du Consulat – today’s Jinling Donglu – leading from the waterfront to the French Concession. Somewhere off this road was a small lane called Rue Chu Pao San, renamed Xikou Lu after 1949, but since, apparently, swept away in the tide of redevelopment.<br/><br/> In its heyday Rue Chu Pao San rejoiced in the European nickname ‘Blood Alley’ – a lane of teeming vice, brothels and low bars frequented by sailors on shore leave from the Huangpu docks. Ralph Shaw, a Briton who lived in Shanghai during the 1930s, records that Blood Alley fairly swarmed with ‘a legion of Chinese, Korean, Annamite, White Russian, Filipino and Formosan women’, in search of a similar legion of ‘kilted Seaforth Highlanders, tall U.S. Navy men, seamen from the Liverpool tramps, and French Grenadiers’, who ‘had ears only for the girls clinging to them in the half light of dance-floor alcoves’.<br/><br/> Blood Alley, as the name suggests, was a rough and violent place ‘entirely dedicated to wine, women, song and all-night lechery’.
The Tacuinum (sometimes Taccuinum) Sanitatis is a medieval handbook on health and wellbeing, based on the Taqwim al‑sihha تقويم الصحة ('Maintenance of Health'), an eleventh-century Arab medical treatise by Ibn Butlan of Baghdad.<br/><br/> Ibn Butlân was a Christian physician born in Baghdad and who died in 1068. He sets forth the six elements necessary to maintain daily health: food and drink, air and the environment, activity and rest, sleep and wakefulness, secretions and excretions of humours, changes or states of mind (happiness, anger, shame, etc). According to Ibn Butlân, illnesses are the result of changes in the balance of some of these elements, therefore he recommended a life in harmony with nature in order to maintain or recover one’s health.<br/><br/> Ibn Butlân also teaches us to enjoy each season of the year, the consequences of each type of climate, wind and snow. He points out the importance of spiritual wellbeing and mentions, for example, the benefits of listening to music, dancing or having a pleasant conversation.<br/><br/> Aimed at a cultured lay audience, the text exists in several variant Latin versions, the manuscripts of which are characteristically profusely illustrated. The short paragraphs of the treatise were freely translated into Latin in mid-thirteenth-century Palermo or Naples, continuing an Italo-Norman tradition as one of the prime sites for peaceable inter-cultural contact between the Islamic and European worlds.<br/><br/> Four handsomely illustrated complete late fourteenth-century manuscripts of the Taccuinum, all produced in Lombardy, survive, in Vienna, Paris, Liège and Rome, as well as scattered illustrations from others, as well as fifteenth-century codices.
Bia hoi, or ‘fresh beer’ is a Vietnamese institution. The concept was first introduced by the Czechs but now beloved of beer-drinkers all over the country. Beer without preservatives is delivered fresh daily in small tanker-trucks. Bia hoi establishments are usually very basic.<br/><br/> The streets of the capital, Hanoi, and especially the largest city, Ho Chi Minh City bustle with enthusiasm and business energy. The abandonment of socialist economics and its gradual replacement by limited market-oriented capitalism has been welcomed by the populace. People everywhere are angling to make money, and the streets are filled with small-scale private enterprises selling all manner of items.
The Tonlé Sap (Large Fresh Water River or Great Lake) is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons: its flow changes direction twice a year, and the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. From November to May, Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake.<br/><br/> The Tonlé Sap is home to many ethnic Vietnamese and Cham communities, living in floating villages around the lake.
An image from the book 'Maskee' by the Austrian artist Friedrich Schiff, who lived in Shanghai during the 1930s. His images exemplify the 'anything goes' atmosphere and indulgence amidst poverty that characterised Old Shanghai and which would soon be brought to an abrupt end by Japanese invasion (1937) and Communist revolution (1949).
Shanghai Club 'Long Bar' in the 1920s - reputedly the longest bar in the world. The club on the Bund was a British men's club and was the most exclusive club in Shanghai during the heyday of the 1920s and 1930s.The second-floor was famous for the 'Long Bar'. This was an unpolished mahogany, L-shaped bar that measured 34 m by 12 m. On one side of the bar was a smoking room and library, while on the other side was a billiards room. It was famous for being the world's longest bar at one time. Noel Coward said, laying his cheek on it, that he could see the curvature of the earth. The restored building as of October 2010 is the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai, a luxury hotel.
Racism consists of both prejudice and discrimination based in social perceptions of biological differences between peoples.<br/><br/> It often takes the form of social actions, practices or beliefs, or political systems that consider different races to be ranked as inherently superior or inferior to each other, based on presumed shared inheritable traits, abilities, or qualities. It may also hold that members of different races should be treated differently.
Pondicherry was the capital of the former French territories in India. Besides Pondi itself – acquired from a local ruler in 1674 – these included Chandernagore in Bengal (1690); Mahé in Kerala (1725); Yanam in Andhra Pradesh (1731); and Karaikal in Tamil Nadu (1739). Chandernagore was returned to India three years after independence, in 1951, and was absorbed into West Bengal. Returned to India in 1956, the remaining four territories were constituted as the Union Territory of Pondicherry in 1962.<br/><br/> Today Karaikal, Yanam and Mahé are all small seaside resort towns, known chiefly for their cheap beer made possible by Pondicherry's light alcohol taxes. Karaikal, on the Coromandel Coast 100 kilometres south of Pondicherry, is similar to rural Pondi – a prosperous, Tamil-speaking enclave renowned for the abundance of its rice harvests. Yanam, located on the coast of Andhra Pradesh more than 600 kilometres north of Madras, is a tiny, Telugu-speaking town on a branch of the Godavari River. Mahé, on the Malabar Coast of northern Kerala is a quaint, picturesque town, named for its founder, Count Mahé de La Bourdonnais.<br/><br/> In September 2006, the territory changed its official name from Pondicherry to the vernacular original, Puducherry, which means 'New village'.
The original Shanghai Club was a three-storey red-brick building constructed by the British in 1861. The original Club was torn down and rebuilt in 1910 with reinforced concrete in a neo-classical design. The large first floor dining room had black and white marble flooring, while the entrance staircase used imported white Sicilian marble.<br/><br/> The club was a British men's club and was the most exclusive club in Shanghai during the heyday of the 1920s and 1930s. The membership fee was $125 and monthly dues were $9. The second-floor was famous for the 'Long Bar.' This was an unpolished mahogany, L-shaped bar that measured 110.7 feet by 39 feet. On one side of the bar was a smoking room and library, while on the other side was a billiards room. It was famous for being the world's longest bar at one time. Noel Coward said, laying his cheek on it, that he could see the curvature of the earth.<br/><br/> There were also forty guest rooms on the second and third floors. It later became the Dongfeng Hotel, and even housed a KFC restaurant from 1990 to 1996. The restored building as of October 2010 is the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai, a luxury hotel.
Ko Lanta consists of two major islands, the larger, more populated Ko Lanta Yai (commonly known as simply Ko Lanta) and the smaller Ko Lanta Noi, as well as several minor islands.<br/><br/> The coastlines have more than 70 small islands and plenty with forest, coral reefs and underwater life. The geography of the islands is typically mangroves, coral rimmed beaches and rugged tree covered hills. A popular tourist destination, the islands are known for their long, sandy beaches and scuba diving.
Ko Lanta consists of two major islands, the larger, more populated Ko Lanta Yai (commonly known as simply Ko Lanta) and the smaller Ko Lanta Noi, as well as several minor islands.<br/><br/> The coastlines have more than 70 small islands and plenty with forest, coral reefs and underwater life. The geography of the islands is typically mangroves, coral rimmed beaches and rugged tree covered hills. A popular tourist destination, the islands are known for their long, sandy beaches and scuba diving.
Ko Lanta consists of two major islands, the larger, more populated Ko Lanta Yai (commonly known as simply Ko Lanta) and the smaller Ko Lanta Noi, as well as several minor islands.<br/><br/> The coastlines have more than 70 small islands and plenty with forest, coral reefs and underwater life. The geography of the islands is typically mangroves, coral rimmed beaches and rugged tree covered hills. A popular tourist destination, the islands are known for their long, sandy beaches and scuba diving.
Ko Lanta consists of two major islands, the larger, more populated Ko Lanta Yai (commonly known as simply Ko Lanta) and the smaller Ko Lanta Noi, as well as several minor islands.<br/><br/> The coastlines have more than 70 small islands and plenty with forest, coral reefs and underwater life. The geography of the islands is typically mangroves, coral rimmed beaches and rugged tree covered hills. A popular tourist destination, the islands are known for their long, sandy beaches and scuba diving.
Ko Lanta consists of two major islands, the larger, more populated Ko Lanta Yai (commonly known as simply Ko Lanta) and the smaller Ko Lanta Noi, as well as several minor islands.<br/><br/> The coastlines have more than 70 small islands and plenty with forest, coral reefs and underwater life. The geography of the islands is typically mangroves, coral rimmed beaches and rugged tree covered hills. A popular tourist destination, the islands are known for their long, sandy beaches and scuba diving.
Ko Lanta consists of two major islands, the larger, more populated Ko Lanta Yai (commonly known as simply Ko Lanta) and the smaller Ko Lanta Noi, as well as several minor islands.<br/><br/> The coastlines have more than 70 small islands and plenty with forest, coral reefs and underwater life. The geography of the islands is typically mangroves, coral rimmed beaches and rugged tree covered hills. A popular tourist destination, the islands are known for their long, sandy beaches and scuba diving.
Ko Lanta consists of two major islands, the larger, more populated Ko Lanta Yai (commonly known as simply Ko Lanta) and the smaller Ko Lanta Noi, as well as several minor islands.<br/><br/> The coastlines have more than 70 small islands and plenty with forest, coral reefs and underwater life. The geography of the islands is typically mangroves, coral rimmed beaches and rugged tree covered hills. A popular tourist destination, the islands are known for their long, sandy beaches and scuba diving.
Ko Lanta consists of two major islands, the larger, more populated Ko Lanta Yai (commonly known as simply Ko Lanta) and the smaller Ko Lanta Noi, as well as several minor islands.<br/><br/> The coastlines have more than 70 small islands and plenty with forest, coral reefs and underwater life. The geography of the islands is typically mangroves, coral rimmed beaches and rugged tree covered hills. A popular tourist destination, the islands are known for their long, sandy beaches and scuba diving.
Ko Lanta consists of two major islands, the larger, more populated Ko Lanta Yai (commonly known as simply Ko Lanta) and the smaller Ko Lanta Noi, as well as several minor islands.<br/><br/> The coastlines have more than 70 small islands and plenty with forest, coral reefs and underwater life. The geography of the islands is typically mangroves, coral rimmed beaches and rugged tree covered hills. A popular tourist destination, the islands are known for their long, sandy beaches and scuba diving.
Ko Tao or Turtle Island, located in the midst of the Gulf of Thailand, was named by early settlers for the island’s hump-backed, turtle-like shape, though it is also a significant breeding ground for both Hawksbill and Green Turtles.<br/><br/> The economy of the island, which was once uninhabited except for transient fishermen, now revolves almost exclusively around tourism and scuba diving. The rapid development of tourism in recent years has had a negative impact on turtle breeding, but since 2004 the Royal Thai Navy in conjunction with a cooperative of local dive centers has sponsored the reintroduction of hundreds of juvenile turtles to Ko Tao’s ecosystem.<br/><br/> The island is about 21 sq km (8 sq miles) in area, and the main settlement, on the western side of the island, is Ban Mae Hat. Most of the island is rugged, with dense forest inland, quiet coves along the relatively difficult-to-reach east coast, and a fine sweep of sandy beach along the western shore.
Ko Tao or Turtle Island, located in the midst of the Gulf of Thailand, was named by early settlers for the island’s hump-backed, turtle-like shape, though it is also a significant breeding ground for both Hawksbill and Green Turtles.<br/><br/> The economy of the island, which was once uninhabited except for transient fishermen, now revolves almost exclusively around tourism and scuba diving. The rapid development of tourism in recent years has had a negative impact on turtle breeding, but since 2004 the Royal Thai Navy in conjunction with a cooperative of local dive centers has sponsored the reintroduction of hundreds of juvenile turtles to Ko Tao’s ecosystem.<br/><br/> The island is about 21 sq km (8 sq miles) in area, and the main settlement, on the western side of the island, is Ban Mae Hat. Most of the island is rugged, with dense forest inland, quiet coves along the relatively difficult-to-reach east coast, and a fine sweep of sandy beach along the western shore.
Ko Tao or Turtle Island, located in the midst of the Gulf of Thailand, was named by early settlers for the island’s hump-backed, turtle-like shape, though it is also a significant breeding ground for both Hawksbill and Green Turtles.<br/><br/> The economy of the island, which was once uninhabited except for transient fishermen, now revolves almost exclusively around tourism and scuba diving. The rapid development of tourism in recent years has had a negative impact on turtle breeding, but since 2004 the Royal Thai Navy in conjunction with a cooperative of local dive centers has sponsored the reintroduction of hundreds of juvenile turtles to Ko Tao’s ecosystem.<br/><br/> The island is about 21 sq km (8 sq miles) in area, and the main settlement, on the western side of the island, is Ban Mae Hat. Most of the island is rugged, with dense forest inland, quiet coves along the relatively difficult-to-reach east coast, and a fine sweep of sandy beach along the western shore.
The traditional architecture of Phuket Town is distinctively Sino-Thai and Sino-Portuguese. Having been influenced by migrant Chinese settlers from southern China, it shares a great deal with neighboring Straits Chinese settlements architecture in both the Malaysian cities of Penang and Melaka, and with Singapore.
The traditional architecture of Phuket Town is distinctively Sino-Thai and Sino-Portuguese. Having been influenced by migrant Chinese settlers from southern China, it shares a great deal with neighboring Straits Chinese settlements architecture in both the Malaysian cities of Penang and Melaka, and with Singapore.
Yangshuo is rightly famous for its dramatic scenery. It lies on the west bank of the Li River (Lijiang) and is just 60 kilometres downstream from Guilin. Over recent years it has become a popular destination with tourists whilst also retaining its small river town feel.<br/><br/> The name Guilin means ‘Cassia Woods’ and is named after the osmanthus (cassia) blossoms that bloom throughout the autumn period.<br/><br/> Guilin is the scene of China’s most famous landscapes, inspiring thousands of paintings over many centuries. The ‘finest mountains and rivers under heaven’ are so inspiring that poets, artists and tourists have made this China’s number one natural attraction.
Yangshuo is rightly famous for its dramatic scenery. It lies on the west bank of the Li River (Lijiang) and is just 60 kilometres downstream from Guilin. Over recent years it has become a popular destination with tourists whilst also retaining its small river town feel.<br/><br/> The name Guilin means ‘Cassia Woods’ and is named after the osmanthus (cassia) blossoms that bloom throughout the autumn period.<br/><br/> Guilin is the scene of China’s most famous landscapes, inspiring thousands of paintings over many centuries. The ‘finest mountains and rivers under heaven’ are so inspiring that poets, artists and tourists have made this China’s number one natural attraction.
Yangshuo is rightly famous for its dramatic scenery. It lies on the west bank of the Li River (Lijiang) and is just 60 kilometres downstream from Guilin. Over recent years it has become a popular destination with tourists whilst also retaining its small river town feel.<br/><br/> The name Guilin means ‘Cassia Woods’ and is named after the osmanthus (cassia) blossoms that bloom throughout the autumn period.<br/><br/> Guilin is the scene of China’s most famous landscapes, inspiring thousands of paintings over many centuries. The ‘finest mountains and rivers under heaven’ are so inspiring that poets, artists and tourists have made this China’s number one natural attraction.
Yangshuo is rightly famous for its dramatic scenery. It lies on the west bank of the Li River (Lijiang) and is just 60 kilometres downstream from Guilin. Over recent years it has become a popular destination with tourists whilst also retaining its small river town feel.<br/><br/> The name Guilin means ‘Cassia Woods’ and is named after the osmanthus (cassia) blossoms that bloom throughout the autumn period.<br/><br/> Guilin is the scene of China’s most famous landscapes, inspiring thousands of paintings over many centuries. The ‘finest mountains and rivers under heaven’ are so inspiring that poets, artists and tourists have made this China’s number one natural attraction.
Yangshuo is rightly famous for its dramatic scenery. It lies on the west bank of the Li River (Lijiang) and is just 60 kilometres downstream from Guilin. Over recent years it has become a popular destination with tourists whilst also retaining its small river town feel.<br/><br/> The name Guilin means ‘Cassia Woods’ and is named after the osmanthus (cassia) blossoms that bloom throughout the autumn period.<br/><br/> Guilin is the scene of China’s most famous landscapes, inspiring thousands of paintings over many centuries. The ‘finest mountains and rivers under heaven’ are so inspiring that poets, artists and tourists have made this China’s number one natural attraction.
Yangshuo is rightly famous for its dramatic scenery. It lies on the west bank of the Li River (Lijiang) and is just 60 kilometres downstream from Guilin. Over recent years it has become a popular destination with tourists whilst also retaining its small river town feel.<br/><br/> The name Guilin means ‘Cassia Woods’ and is named after the osmanthus (cassia) blossoms that bloom throughout the autumn period.<br/><br/> Guilin is the scene of China’s most famous landscapes, inspiring thousands of paintings over many centuries. The ‘finest mountains and rivers under heaven’ are so inspiring that poets, artists and tourists have made this China’s number one natural attraction.
Fenghuang is Chinese for Phoenix and refers to the mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, and (according to Sanchuniathon) the Phoenicians.<br/><br/> Legend suggests that two phoenixes on discovering the town hovered overhead for some considerable time before reluctantly flying away.<br/><br/> Fenghuang town is a well-preserved ancient town supposedly dating back to 248 BC. It is home to the Miao and Tujia minorities. The distinctive architecture includes Ming and Qing styles.
Fenghuang is Chinese for Phoenix and refers to the mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, and (according to Sanchuniathon) the Phoenicians.<br/><br/> Legend suggests that two phoenixes on discovering the town hovered overhead for some considerable time before reluctantly flying away.<br/><br/> Fenghuang town is a well-preserved ancient town supposedly dating back to 248 BC. It is home to the Miao and Tujia minorities. The distinctive architecture includes Ming and Qing styles.