Fenghuang County, the hometown of late Chinese writer Shen Congwen (1902-1988), was recently approved by the State Council as one of China's noted historical and cultural sites.

The county is located in the west region of central China's Hunan Province. Tuojiang Town of the county has a 1,000-year history and was political, military, economic and cultural center in western Hunan since ancient times.

The county's layout and architecture have preserved the traditional style of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911)dynasties, possessing high historic and cultural value. Shen is esteemed both at home and overseas for his literary works which include A City on the Border, Sketches During Travel in Western Hunan and A History of Chinese Garment Culture.

An international research center has been set up in Jishou University in the province to study Shen's work.

Shen Congwen Research Institutes can be found in many other countries, including the United States, Japan and Singapore, and his writings have appeared in translation in the United States, Britain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Japan.

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2002)