Discovering Southwest China: Ethnical Culture and Karst Scenery

Guiyang > Kaili > Zhaoxing > Sanjiang > Longsheng > Guilin
Recommended tour length: 8 days
Recommended entry cities: Guangzhou, Hong Kong
Recommended departure cities: Guangzhou, Hong Kong
Best time to visit: April to November

Discovering Southwest China: Ethnical Culture and Karst Scenery

Day 1-2: Guiyang

The mountain capital of Guizhou Province, Guiyang was the first city in China to be designated a national forest city. Guiyang's climate is often mild, neither extremely hot nor bitterly cold. It once topped the list of China's top ten summer resort cities.

Recommended excursions and experiences:

Guizhou Provincial Museum

Located in the centre of Guiyang, this museum is an excellent place to get an insight into the history and culture of Guizhou Province. The exhibitions display a large number of precious cultural artefacts, including human fossils dating back to the Palaeolithic age, master works from the Yelang bronze culture, and a lacquer "ear cup" excavated from a Han Dynasty tomb in western Guizhou. Another highlight is the exhibition of artefacts representing the area's ethnic minorities, with the museum playing host to the largest collection of Miao costumes and jewellery in the country.
Official website: http://www.gzmuseum.com/en/

Geological Museum of Guizhou

The Geological Museum houses more than 100,000 items in its collection, including paleontological fossils, minerals, crystals, and ore specimens. The museum reflects Guizhou's important place in palaeontology and the study of sedimentary rocks and karst landforms.

Jiaxiu Pavilion

The Jiaxiu Pavilion is the city's most iconic landmark and a must-see attraction for visitors to Guiyang. Initially built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), this magnificent tower looks especially beautiful at night, and provides great views of the city for those who climb to the top.

Erqi Road Snack Street

Close to Guiyang Railway Station, Erqi Road Snack Street has a high roof above to facilitate feasting no matter the weather. This market is the place to go to try the best of Guizhou's gastronomy.

Qingyan Ancient Town (national 5A-level tourist attraction)

Qingyan Ancient Town lies in the southern suburbs of Guiyang. The settlement was founded in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and used to be a military fortress. The architecture of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) is well preserved here, allowing visitors to admire the exquisite stone and wooden carvings of the period.

Travel between Guiyang and Kaili:

Distance: 180 kilometres
Time: About 34 minutes by high-speed train and 2.5 hours by bus

Day 3: Kaili

Located in eastern Guizhou, Kaili is the capital of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture. The area around the city is home to 33 minority groups, of which the Miao is the largest. The local villages are the ideal place to learn about the culture and customs of the Miao people.

Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village (national 4A-level tourist attraction)

Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village is about 43 kilometres away from the centre of Kaili. The largest Miao settlement in China, the area is made up of about ten well-preserved hillside Miao villages that are even prettier when lit up by lanterns at night. While roaming the twisting lanes between wooden stilt houses, visitors can get a taste for the lifestyles and customs of the Miao people, as well as the stunning scenery. If arriving during a festival, visitors will also get the chance to taste the traditional "long table banquet". If not, there will still be plenty of spicy-sour Miao foods on offer.

Langde Miao Village

Located 29 kilometres outside of the centre of Kaili, Langde Miao Village has about a hundred households and is known as the home of Chinese folk song and dance. Miao people are often split into various subgroups depending on their dialect, dress, location, and other customs. In Langde Miao village, the custom is to wear long skirts, so the local group are called the "Long Skirt Miao".

Shiqiao Miao Village: Thirty-five kilometres from the centre of Kaili, Shiqiao Miao Village is famous for its ancient papermaking culture, which has been listed as a national intangible cultural heritage. Visitors to the village can learn about the papermaking process and witness the ancient craft being handed down from generation to generation.

Xiasi Ancient Town:

Xiasi Ancient Town has a history of more than 600 years and is about 20 kilometres away from Kaili. The population here is mostly made up of ethnic minorities such as the Miao, Mulao, and She. The buildings blend elements of various architectural styles, including Jiangnan courtyards, Hui architecture, southern Fujian architecture, and Miao and Dong architecture.

Travel between Kaili and Zhaoxing:

Distance: 220 kilometres
Time: About 3 hours by bus

Day 4: Zhaoxing

Zhaoxing Town is located in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture. The Zhaoxing Dong Village is one of the largest Dong ethnicity villages in China.

Zhaoxing Dong Village (national 4A-level tourist attraction):

Zhaoxing Dong Village is renowned for its traditional Dong drum towers and bridges. It is a picturesque village with beautiful natural scenery and unique ethnic customs. The village was voted one of the 33 most attractive tourist destinations in the world by Fashion Travel and National Geographic in 2007. The century-old drum towers and traditional Dong songs are highlights.

Travel between Zhaoxing in Guizhou and Sanjiang in Guangxi:

Distance: 80 kilometres
Time: About 20 minutes by bullet train and 1.5 hours by bus

Day 5: Sanjiang

Located in the north of Guangxi Province, Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County is 167 kilometres away from Guilin. The county boasts the largest, best-preserved, and densest cluster of wooden Dong buildings in China.

Sanjiang Drum Tower

Sanjiang Drum Tower is one of Sanjiang's landmarks. The entire tower structure is joined together using redwood, without a single nail. The viewing platform at the top of the tower provides fantastic views of the surrounding scenery.

Chengyang Eight Villages

This scenic spot is made up of eight Dong villages and is a great choice for sightseeing, photography and experiencing the Dong way of life. The Chengyang Wind-and-Rain Bridge, ancient waterwheels, stilt houses, numerous drum towers and Dong performances all make this an unforgettable place to visit.
Website： http://www.sjcybz.com/en/

Travel between Sanjiang and Longsheng:

Distance: 75 kilometres
Time: About 1 hour and 15 minutes by bus

Day 6: Longsheng

Located 80 kilometres from Guilin, Longsheng offers both nature and culture. It has the highest concentration of ethnic minorities in northern Guangxi and features stunning rice terraces that circle the hills like huge spiral shells.

Jinkeng Rice Terraces

Jinkeng (which literally means "golden crater" and refers to its rich deposits of gold) covers an area of more than 10 square kilometres and is home to the Red Yao (a branch of the Yao ethnic minority). Here, the rice terraces coil round from the hills from top to bottom, creating a beautiful, open landscape that is especially pretty when seen from an elevated viewing spot during sunrise and sunset.

Longji Rice Terraces

The rice terraces in Longji resemble scales on the backs of huge dragons (longji means "dragon's backbone"), fans of hiking or photography will find plenty to enjoy here. Some lucky visitors may arrive during the annual Clothes Drying Festival held by the local Yao people, in which each household hangs their red clothes outside their windows on a string to dry in the sun. The colourful clothes symbolize good fortune for the Yao people.

Travel between Longsheng and Guilin:

Distance: 75 kilometres
Time: About 1 hour

Day 7-8: Guilin

"East or west, Guilin's landscape is best!" Located in the northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China, Guilin epitomises natural rural beauty in China. The region is also home to south China's distinctive karst landscapes.

Li River Scenic Area (national 5A-level tourist attraction) `

The renowned Li River was once called one of "the world's top 10 watery wonders" by the National Geographic. The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo boasts some of the most spectacular scenery in the region. Along the river you can see Nine Horses Fresco Hill, a large and steep stone cliff which looks like a huge painted screen with images of nine horses in various poses. Another highlight is Yellow Cloth Shoal, a photo of which is printed on China's 20-yuan note. The sight is so named because of a large beige flagstone under the water's surface that resembles a piece of yellow cloth laid flat on the riverbed.

Yangshuo West Street

West Street is the oldest street in Yangshuo and has a history of more than 1,400 years. This incredibly lively street has become a window to eastern and western culture since the 1980's and is full of bars, cafes, restaurants, and shops. Because foreign visitors outnumber Chinese visitors at times and many places have English signs, locals also call it "foreigner street".

Elephant Hill Scenic Area (national 5A-level tourist attraction)

Elephant Trunk Hill is a Guilin landmark and looks like a giant elephant drinking water from the river. Representative of Guilin's landscape and symbolic of Guilin city, it is the central pattern on Guilin's city emblem

Reed Flute Cave (national 4A-level tourist attraction)

Named after the verdant reeds that grow outside and can be used to make flutes, Reed Flute Cave is a spectacular world of stalactites, stone pillars, and rock formations. Illuminated by coloured lights, the cave is a magical place for an underground tour

New ways to play

New ways to play in Guiyang

New Ways to Play in Kaili, Longsheng and Guilin