Phoenix is as commercialized as other tourist towns in China. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Duan Xuelian]

Kind reminders to travelers planning to visit Phoenix:

1. No English-speaking tour guides are available at the scenic spots, so foreign visitors should bring their own translator or learn some basic Chinese.

2. Domestic dogs idle freely in the small town; it's also their home after all. But they won't bother tourists unless they are provoked.

3. Many households along the valley open their private lavatories to tourists, but they charge one yuan per visit - that's the market price in Phoenix.

4. Don't take photos of the vendors without asking their permission first. Although they may be dressed in exquisite traditional Miao costumes, locals will likely charge you for taking a photo of them.

5. Transportation and entrance tickets: There are three airports near Phoenix - in Zhangjiajie, Changsha and Tongren city of Guizhou Province. You can take bus there - about a four or five hours' ride to Phoenix.

Entering the old town area is free, but an admission ticket covering the scenic spots such as the Former Residence of Shen Congwen and the ancestral hall of the Yang family, is 148 yuan.

6. Directions: If you have a lousy sense of direction as I do, there is an easy way to keep from getting lost??follow the Tuojiang River which runs through the town.