Guizhou Travel: Guizhou Minority People

Guizhou Province, with a humid sub-tropical monsoonal climate, exposes the traveler to the variety of ethnic minorities in China. In most travelers’ eyes, Guizhou travel can be described as an experience of the unknown China, especially its diverse ethnic cultures and rural lives.

In Guizhou you can experience the culture and traditions of the Miao, Bouyei, Dong, Yi, Shui, Hui, Zhuang, Bai, Tujiao, Gelao minorities, etc. totally about 15 minorities. Most prominent in the south-east of this province are the Miao, traditionally cave-dwellers who have been slow to adapt to modern life. With such a variety of ethnicities, Guizhou counts over 1,000 traditional festivals each year.

With its numerous minorities, Guizhou offers the tourists a different and exotic experience of festival as well. There are over 100 ethnic festivals throughout a year. These include bull fights, dragon boat races, horse races, and Lusheng dancing. Some villages are untouched by tourists. The minorities retain most of their unique customs and are hospitable and warm, wearing brilliant and beautiful ethnic clothing. They hold elaborate welcoming ceremonies, worship their totems, and play intriguing music while dancing graceful dances. All of these make tourists feel everything new and fresh. Here below just name some of the most famous festivals and special events.

March - Miao Flower Festival
April - Dujuan Flower Festival
May - Anshun Batik Art Festival
June - Taijang Dragon Boat Festival
July - Bouyei Chabai Musical Festival
August - Tongren Miao Culture Festival
October - Zunyi Liquor Exposition
November - Kaili Lusheng Musical Festival
December - Caohai Bird-watching Day

Since these minorities are scattered among the hills everywhere in Guilin, each of the Guizhou minority tours will bring you to rural villages where you can enjoy the colorful life and artistic traditions of these various peoples as well as their untouched living surroundings. A normal festival tour to Guizhou as follows is recommended.

Guizhou Minority Tour

Day 01 Guiyang Arrvial

Day 02 Guiyang / Kaili
Morning drive to Qingyan Ancient Town for a visit. Qingyan is a small township in the outskirt of Guiyang. Then drive to Kaili, the centre of Miao and Dong Minorities Autonomous Prefecture in southeast Guizhou. Visit Kaili Museum and Ms. Yang Jianhong’s workshop. Ms. Yang set up this workshop for minorities' textiles collection. At there you can find lots of excellent textile pieces.

Day 03 Kaili / Shidong / Zhenyuan
Drive to Shidong in the morning. Shidong is a small town in Taijiang County. However, it is very famous for its silver ornaments-making. You will visit the most famous silversmith and have a demonstration of silver ornaments making. If you travel during Mar. 15-17 in Chinese Lunar Calendar, you will also have an opportunity to see the Sister's Meal Festival, when unmarried women harvest rice from the terraced fields and gather together by the river to prepare it. During the festival, women have the family favor, especially the unmarried ones. The family prepares the selected meat, drinks and eats the Sister's Meal for them while entertaining her lover and friends. Continue driving to Zhenyuan.

Day 04 Zhenyuan
Morning visit Black Dragon Cave which is the complex building built on the mountain cliff and the combination of Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. Enjoy cruise on Wuyang River. Then visit Tianhou Palace, a four-hundred-year-old Taoist complex housing Buddhist statuary at the west end of town. In the evening, enjoy leisure walk at Zhenyuan Ancient Town.

Day 05 Zhenyuan / Shibing / Kaili / Guiyang
Drive back to Kaili. En route, visit Wengxiang Miao village. Wengxiang Miao village's folded-embroidery makes them a distinguished tribe in Kaili area. People can find how Miao women make the complicated folded-embroidery by their presentation. This afternoon visit Shiqiao Miao village which is still keep the ancient way of paper making. Continue driving back to Guiyang and check into the four-star Ramada Plaza Hotel.

Day 06 Guiyang departure