Time Travel in Guizhou
6-Day Guizhou City and Village Tour
Highlights
- Review some of the forgotten history of the province.
- Shuttle between local alleys with your walking map to discover authentic street food.
- See the world’s largest radio telescope and understand how it is a world-leader.
- Explore the mysterious villages of minority groups hidden deep in the mountains.
Itinerary Details
There can hardly be a province in China as magical as Guizhou, where centuries-old ethnic civilization and world-leading technical miracles have dramatically fused together.
This tour is a time-travel, switching between old and new in Guizhou, for curious people like you.
Welcome to Guiyang! Your private guide will meet you at the airport/train station arrivals hall and transfer you to your hotel in a private car.
Hotel options:
Howard Johnson Plaza Guiyang
Sofitel Guiyang Hunter
breakfast & lunch
Qingyan ancient town, with its strong stone walls and isolated location, was a refuge for revolutionaries and their families during the Anti-Japanese War (1937-45).
The town is guarded by a miniature “Great Wall”. If you are energetic, climb up and enjoy a bird’s-eye view.
Villagers live at the rear of the town. Go further in so that you can taste their lovely snacks. Wander along the hidden paths at your own pace, and enjoy peace of mind under the shade of ancient trees in what is otherwise a world of stone.
In the afternoon, start your city walk from Jiaxiu Pavilion, a landmark of old Guiyang. Hidden in the concrete jungle, the pavilion delicately straddles the unruffled river. It used to be a muse of poets. Many treasured masterpieces from different ages are collected there, for you to appreciate some of them.
After waving goodbye to ancient exquisite temples, travel forward to a building from the Republic of China period (1912-49), mixing Chinese and Western architectural styles. Who owned this grand villa and what happened?
Just listen to the forgotten stories told by your guide, while sipping a cup of coffee.
Jiaxiu Pavilionbreakfast & lunch
Skyscrapers are just the tip of the iceberg in China’s big new data center. You may fail to feel how advanced Guizhou is until you pay a visit to FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope).
Looking from above like a massive iron pot, FAST features the world's largest aperture, at 500 meters, with an area equal to 30 soccer fields.
It is believed that FAST is more sensitive and better quality than the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico; not only bigger. It reaches further and transfers more. Intelligent beings’ transmissions can be tracked within its detection zone.
There are still not many English signs and illustrations there, however, as it just opened for tourists in 2016. Your guide will introduce more about FAST to you at the museum.
FASTbreakfast & lunch
Had enough of modern city sightseeing? Maybe it’s time to escape to wild villages hidden among deep mountains. Guizhou is home to dozens of China’s 55 official minorities. The Miao are a large group with many sub-groups, and thus a myriad of cultures.
Most Miao people are hospitable and handy. So don’t be surprised if they welcome you at the entrance to the village with a bowl of special rice wine. They are proud of their homemade brewing skills and would love to share the produce with you. If you are not really in “drinking mood”, your guide will help you deal with it.
Settled deep in the mountains and provided with limited resources, rural people are good at making the most of whatever they have: for example, making paper from wood pulp. There is a village where people today are still following in their forbears’ footsteps and making paper by hand.
You are encouraged to create a unique paper craft with your own hands, under the guidance of an experienced natural-paper maker.
Hotel options:
Heaven Sent Dragon Hotel
Paper is AiredHomemade Rice Winebreakfast & lunch
The village you are going to visit today is famous for its batiks and army-uniform-style costumes.
It is obvious that batik is much-valued by locals when you see the dyed fabrics hanging at the doorways, instead of the usual red-paper antithetical couplets. People here dye white cloth using indigo plants and paint their totems with wax to express awe and worship.
You will have an opportunity to step into the dye-house and see how to make a fine batik step by step; then participate in the process.
After lunch, visit another special Miao village, famous for its mini-skirt costumes and its unique creative way of storing food, which has been used for centuries.
Ethnic Girl and Her DressTrip Notes
Every element of the tour above can be tailored. Feel free to tell us your ideas and we will be happy to make adjustments for you.
1. Extend the Tour
- Zhenyuan: Add a day to take a relax gorge cruise and peaceful ancient town.
- Anshun: Add a day for China’s biggest waterfall and karst park.
- Guilin and Yangshuo: Add 2-3 days for Li River Cruise and Yangshuo countryside.
- Zhangjiajie: Add 2-3 days to Zhangjiajie.
2. Hotels and Meals in Remote Areas
China Highlights has carefully selected the best restaurant and hotel available, based on criteria like location and environment. Your private guide will assist you in ordering the dishes you like and will accompany you to check in to your room.
3. Transportation
As China's new big data valley, the network of Guizhou high-speed rail now links to many directions over the country.
Guizhou is a mountainous province but roads to every villages are accessible. So car is a ideal vehicle when transferring between villages. To provide you with a comfortable experience, private car is provided.
Tour Price
Price includes:
- Private air-conditioned business car with big windows and ample space
- English speaking local guide
- Activities, hotels, and meals listed in the itinerary
- 24/7 helpline for while you are traveling
Tour code: gy-3
About China Highlights
Since 1998 we've guided everyone ranging from US presidents, Australian Geographic and retired backpackers. Our goal is to create unique trips that take you off-the-beaten path, helping you discover China in a more authentic way. Our motto: "Discovery Your Way!"
A great tour
Our trip to Beijing was brilliantly organised and stress free. As usual with China Highlights our guide Ivy was really well prepared, knowledgeable and dealt with all the security, covid checks and tests etc. It made the trip really easy. more
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