China Travel

Long considered an impoverished backwater by China's successive dynasties, Guizhou's rugged peaks and resulting isolation have historically afforded distinct ethnic groups like the Miao, Dong, Yi and Zhuang high degrees of cultural autonomy.

And while it has been a difficult land to live on—poor soil and unfarmable slopes have kept it among China's poorest provinces—its jutting karst formations, rushing rivers, vast caverns and deep forests make it a fantastic destination for travelers looking to get off the beaten path, on a hiking trail, away from high prices and into a very different kind of China travel experience.

Eastern Guizhou features quintessential Southeast Asian landscapes, with limestone pinnacles towering above river valleys and water buffaloes plodding their way through steamy rice terraces. Arguably the best place in China to meet "ethnic" peoples (i.e., non-Han Chinese) on their own terms, Guizhou is home to Miao villages like Xijiang, Chong'an, Langde, Matang and Zhaoxing in the vicinity of Kaili, all of which are noted for over one hundred annual festivals.

One festival popular with visitors is the colorful Sister's Meal Festival in Taijiang where Miao teenage girls select their partners in ceremonies involving dancing, bamboo-pipe lusheng playing, bull fights and exchanges of colored sticky rice on the fifteenth day of the 3rd lunar month (not necessarily March 15th). If you're in the area, it's not to be missed.

Other festivals include a Miao Dragon Boat Festival on the Qingshui River, various versions of Spring Festival, and the Miao Lusheng Festival celebrating the unique instrument. Festivals typically involve dancing, colorful and ornate costumes, and lots of food. Many festivals also feature horse races and other sporting competitions. Long a Buddhist holy site, Fanjing Shan near Tongren is a magnificent mountain turned nature reserve. Trails will test your hiking mettle while giving you a chance to see the elusive golden monkey, one of China's prettiest endangered species.

In the north, Zunyi, steeped in Long March lore, is a patriotic pilgrimage site thanks to the 1935 Zunyi Conference where Mao Zedong assumed the mantle of Communist party leadership. The area is also renowned for producing Maotai, China's best-known liquor, named after the town of Maotai where it's produced.

During July and August, liquor festivals are held throughout the area, events that can be tacked onto itineraries including visits to Chishui and its red sandstone formations, waterfalls and bamboo forests. Southwestern Guizhou, still a very poor area damaged in many places by extractive industries, is also the home of China's largest waterfalls, including the stunning Huangguoshu Falls, as well as incredible cave formations like Longgong Caves and Zhijin Cave.

For those looking for deeper tranquility, a journey to the westernmost fringes of the province is in order. Caohai Lake and the "Grass Sea" form the core of a nature reserve home to black-necked cranes, white-tailed sea eagles and other rare birds. To shake things up, head to Maling Gorge and raft the whitewaters rushing down its tortuous lengths.

Though Guizhou was not settled to a significant degree by Han Chinese until the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), the province has long been inhabited by Hmong, known as "Miao" by the Chinese, for at least 2,000 years, as well as by Dong, Yi and Zhuang peoples. As agricultural techniques improved and China's eastern seaboard experienced rapid population growth, the influx of Han steadily increased until the province's numerous tribes became minorities in their own lands, often integrating with the Han but just as often not—the history of Guizhou is often a bloody one of conflict and resistance.

Culturally and linguistically closer to ethnic enclaves in Laos, Vietnam and Thailand to the south, the non-Han inhabitants retreated deeper into remote regions of Guizhou over the years, preserving much that distinguishes them from mainstream Chinese society. During the Qing Dynasty uprisings became more frequent.

A continuous series of rebellions rocked Guizhou between 1854 and 1872 in response to Qing policies which shifted between assimilation, containment, dispersal, removal and, sometimes, outright extermination. The uprisings were fierce and at one point, the Miao controlled nearly the entire province. However, imperial retribution expedited by large Han and Manchu armies decimated Miao populations so thoroughly they did not fully recover until the late 20th century. Today, ethnic minorities comprise about 18% of Guizhou's overall population.

In 1935, during the Long March, Mao Zedong became leader of the CCP in Zunyi and the Dong helped him by serving as guides and suppliers for the Red Army. In 1949, guerrilla units organized by the Dong, Miao, Han, Zhuang and Yao fought alongside regular People's Liberation Army forces to take Longsheng.

Prepare to sweat, especially if you're hiking or doing anything else remotely strenuous outdoors. Guizhou's monsoon-driven subtropical climate combined with its forested, well-watered mountainous topography adds up to year-round humidity.

And though it's relatively warm all year, the moisture can make things a bit chilly in winter, especially at night, with January temperatures running between 1-10°C, so layers are advisable. Summers are considerably warmer, with average July temperatures ranging from 17 to 28°C.