5 Days Guizhou Miao & Dong Minority Essence Tour

Day 1 Kaili Arrival

Pick up in Kaili

Welcome to Kaili, the capital of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture. Upon arrival, our local tour guide will meet you with a sign on which says your names at the arrival hall in the airport or train station. Then, our guide and driver will transfer you to Kaili downtown area by our comfortable private car (non-smoking), and the guide will help you check in to your hotel. The rest of today is on your own to explore this ethnic city.

Arrival Ideas: High speed trains are well connected Kaili with Guiyang (0.5-1hr), Anshun (1-1.5hrs), Tongren (1hr), Kunming (3-3.5hrs), Chengdu (4-4.5hrs), Chongqing (2.5-3hrs), Changsha (2.5-3hrs), Guangzhou (5.5-6hrs), Shanghai, Wuhan, Beijing and more cities. If by air, travelers can take flights from Xian, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Guiyang, Jinan to Kaili Huangping Airport. (Note: For travelers who take flights or trains arriving in Guiyang, we can arrange private car with pick-up service to escort you from Guiyang to Kaili.)

Day 2 Kaili (B, L)

Langde Upper Miao Village - Matang Gejia Village

After enjoying your breakfast, start today's excursion. The first destination for the day is Langde Upper Miao Village, renowned as "the Hometown of Chinese Folk Song and Dance Art," located approximately 28 kilometers away from Kaili. This charming village offers a refreshing escape from bustling crowds, embracing a tranquil natural ambiance while welcoming visitors with open arms and showcasing its rich cultural heritage. Upon reaching the village, you will be greeted with genuine warmth through a traditional welcome ceremony with the lovely ladies and girls, elegantly adorned in traditional Miao costumes offering "block-the-way" wine. Following the convivial toasts, immerse yourself further in the vibrant atmosphere as you witness an enthralling singing and dancing performance at the Lusheng Ground. Here, the talented men of the village will skillfully play the Lusheng, a traditional musical instrument, while the graceful ladies showcase their artistry through mesmerizing dances. Should you wish, feel free to join in the dance. To enrich your experience, you can enjoy the Cultural Program which usually includes catching fish in the field, picking fresh vegetable in the farm and learning to make embroidery. Please tell your travel consultant in advance to make appointment.

Later, you’ll be transferred to Matang Gejia Village, a primitive Miao village with over 400 Gejia people who are called the 57th ethnic group in China unofficially. According to the legend, Gejia people are the direct descendants of Hou Yi, a legendary hero who was said to shoot the nine scorching suns in order to save his people. Matang Village is famous for exotic attires, colorful festivals and countryside feelings. The women and girls here are specialized in batik that you can fully appreciate the uniqueness of the Gejia batik patterns and embroidery as well as the excellent craftsmanship of the villagers. If you are interested, you can learn how to make batik with wax from a local master and create your own batik work (optional experience with extra payment).

After the tour, be escorted back to Kaili City.

• Matang Gejia Village
• Upper Langde Miao Village Performance
• Upper Langde Miao Village
• Interesting fishing experience in the local rice paddy fields

Day 3 Kaili - Rongjiang (B, L)

Shiqiao Miao Village - Dali Dong Village

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at the hotel. The first stop today is Shiqiao Miao Village which is about 32 km southwest of Kaili city. Shiqiao Village is famous for the national intangible cultural heritage of traditional paper making with trees’ bark by Miao ethnic group. Traditionally, paper was first invented during the Eastern Han Dynasty around the year of 100 BC from hemp, tree barks and old rags, etc. While the paper making technology in Shiqiao can be dated back to 1,300 years and the skill is called Tang Dynasty paper making. Catch the great opportunity to see the traditional ways of making papers. If interested, you can learn paper making in the Chuan Cave (extra payment), from which the underground river water in quite clean and good for the paper quality.

After the tour, be driven about 2.5 hours (149 km) to Dali Dong Village in Rongjiang County. Dali Village is a quiet village with 400 ancient phoebes and over 40 are with a history over 500 years. Once you enter into the village through Wind and Rain Bridges, you’ll step on the ancient stone-paved path built in the reign of Qianlong in Qing Dynasty (1636-1912). All the buildings are built from wood and the most common of which are built as quadrangle dwellings. Don’t miss Yang Family Quadrangle Courtyard with over 200 years with 93 generations living here. Come to the center of the village to see the drum tower. And if you are lucky, enjoy the performances held at the square. If time permits, you can do a little hiking to the beautiful Sandie Waterfall about 2 kilometers away.

After the tour, be escorted to Rongjiang County for accommodation.

• Shiqiao Village is good at making flower paper in traditional way
• Dali Dong Village

Day 4 Rongjiang - Congjiang - Zhaoxing (B, L)

Biasha Miao Village - Zhanli Dong Village - Huanggang Village - Zhaoxing Dong Village

After breakfast, you’ll start an exciting exploration for a visit to Biasha Miao Village with 84 kilometers’ drive from Rongjiang to Congjiang. Biasha Miao Village is called as “the Last Gunslinger Village in China”. This is the only place in China where residents are still legally allowed to own and carry guns. The Biasha people are said to be the descendants of Chi You, a mythological warrior in ancient China, and have traditions dating back 2000 years. Men of Biasha dress as ancient warriors with black waistcoats and straight black trousers as well as swords, hunting dogs, and firelocks. Women of Biasha wear black pair shirts and pleated skirts, which are simple but embroidered with bright colors. Once getting into the village, you will witness the welcome ceremony - Biasha men line up and fire 3 shots to welcome guests! Later, enjoy the folk performance to learn more about Biasha culture, including customs of farming, hunting, ancestor-worshiping, gaming and marriage. You can even watch an amazing haircut ritual - a live shave with a sickle. If you have more time, you can take a walk around this beautiful village.

In this afternoon, drive to Zhanli Dong Village to listen to the mysterious legend with “one boy and one girl” tradition. Ancestors of Zhanli made a rule during the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to achieve balance between the population and the amount of cultivated land. According to the legend, there is a herbalist in the village who uses the mythical herbs to control the population. Before couples try to have a second child, they come to the herbalist. She will take water out of one of two wells - a “boy well” and a “girl well” - and brews a soup with a local herb with it. By drinking the mixture, the couple can allegedly decide the sex of their next baby. This happens real in the village, and most of families in Zhanli have two children, with 98% having one girl and one boy. Take a simple walk along the brook and view the boy well and girl well here.

Next, head to Huanggang Dong Village, a village considered as one of the most beautiful and traditional Dong villages in Guizhou. Huanggang, hidden in the mountains, built in ancient Song Dynasty (960-1297), has preserved the most authentic Dong culture. The villagers have had simple and unsophisticated ethnic life for hundreds of years. You can explore their local life and enjoy the unique architecture in the village. There are five drum towers standing in different directions and you can see the elders chatting in the tower or weaving their cloth. Festivals are special here - “Goddess of Thunder Worship Festival” and “Tai Guanren Festival”. If time is right, you can witness such a unique scene. (Note: For the exact time of the festivals, you can contact our travel consultants for more info.)

After the tour, be transferred to Zhaoxing Dong Village for accommodation.

• Huanggang Dong Village
• Haircut Ritual at Biasha Miao Village - a Live Shave with a Sickle
• Zhanli Dong Village

Day 5 Zhaoxing - Congjiang Departure (B)

Zhaoxing Dong Village - Tangan Dong Village - Train off Congjiang

After breakfast, you’ll explore the largest Dong village in Guizhou - Zhaoxing Dong Village. Zhaoxing Village has been selected as “one of the six most beautiful countryside in China” and together with its drum towers were listed into the Guinness World Records in 2001. It is divided into 5 natural small villages, living in five different areas - which are called “Tuan” locally. Besides, there are five drum towers, five Wind and Rain Bridges and five stages setting in the village. Start your exploration from the village gate and get atop of the viewing platform to enjoy the panorama, where you can also clearly appreciate the five drum towers standing beautifully in the village. Afterwards, pay a visit to the Zhaoxing Dong Culture Museum to have a better understanding about Dong people and its culture in all aspects. Follow the route to visit Xin Tuan (means faith) with the highest drum tower at 25.9 meters, Zhi Tuan (means wisdom), Yi Tuan (means righteousness), Li Tuan (means Rritual) with the first drum tower in Zhaoxing built in 17th century and Ren Tuan (means benevolence).

After that, you can choose to hike from Zhaoxing Dong Village to Tang’an Dong Village which needs about 2 hours or you can take the sightseeing bus there. If by hiking, you’ll pass by the intoxicating rice paddies and primitive Dong villages. In spring, the rice terraces are filled with water; in summer, green seedling grows well at the terraces; in autumn, the rice terraces are decorated with golden rice. Tang’an Dong Village is perched on hillside terraces and it is called the “living museum of Dong minority” with authentic feelings and beautiful landscape around. Visit the Eco Museum and enjoy more peaceful time in the village.

After the tour, get back to Zhaoxing and your guide and driver will escort you to Congjiang Railway Station to catch your train to next destination.

Departure Ideas: High speed trains are well connected Congjiang with Guiyang (1.5-2hrs), Guilin (about 1hr), Yangshuo (1-1.5hrs), Guangzhou (3.5-4 hours), Chengdu (about 5hrs), Chongqing (3.5-4hrs) and more destinations.

• Zhaoxing Dong Village
• Tang'an Dong Village