Experience the Splendid Culture of Minority Festival
6-Day Minority Festival Tour
Highlights
- Join in festival gatherings and watch a series of special events.
- Admire and try on stunning Miao costumes, with intricate embroidery and bright colors.
- Learn how to make paper in the original way, in a special village
- Take a closer look at China’s 57th nationality
Recommended Festival in 2023
With a variety of celebrations almost every month of the year, we've selected four important festivals for you. Let us know if the festival you have in mind is not featured below.
Lusheng Festival (Feb.11th-15th/Oct.21st-22nd)- Folk singing and dancing contest. Has a history of more than 400 years.
- Activities include: lusheng (a Chinese reed instrument) dance competition, folk-singing contest, bull-fighting and horse-racing.
- Usually lasts 3 days, the second and third of which include the main highlights.
Sister's Meal Festival (Apr.15th-17th)- Renowned as the Oriental Valentine's Day. It is the most important festival when young people woo their lovers by a series of interesting acts.
- Activities include: dragon-boat races, bull-fighting, wooden-drum dancing and a local market.
- Usually lasts 3 days, the second and third of which include the main highlights.
Miao New Year Festival (late Oct)- The most celebrated festival to celebrate the rice harvest and wish for good luck.
- Activities include: dressing-up and parading to a neighboring village, worshiping ancestors and antiphonal singing.
- The festival is celebrated at different times of the year in different regions, usually from October to November, and usually lasting 3 to 5 days.
Itinerary Details
Minority people's festivals today evolved from solemn ancient rituals, so they tend to take the ceremonies seriously. They put on their best costumes and gather most of the villagers together to demonstrate the village's vitality and prosperity, and to honor long-held beliefs.There is no better way to immerse oneself in the rich cultural heritage of a destination than by joining in one of its important local festivals.
This tour offers rare opportunities for photographs and for visitors to dive into minority tradition and enjoy colorful minority customs.
Welcome to Guiyang! Your private guide will meet you in the arrivals hall and transfer you to your hotel in a private car.
Tailor-Made Idea:
We offer a half-day tour of city highlights, including a brief introduction to Guiyang's history, with a walk through the city observing different architecture and tasting classic local snacks. If you arrive before noon and might be interested, let us know.
Hotel options:
Howard Johnson Plaza Guiyang
Sofitel Guiyang Hunter
breakfast & lunch
Guizhou Province is home to dozens of China's 55 official ethnic minorities. The Miao are a large ancient group with many subgroups, embracing a myriad of cultures. Today you will explore the charms of the Miao.
Settled deep in the mountains and with access to limited resources, rural people tend to be good at improvising: for example, making paper from wood pulp. Visit a village where people are still today making paper like their ancestors.
Together with your guide, find the local expert at traditional papermaking and learn how intelligent his ancestors were thousands of years ago, making paper from wood, without any smart machines.
Use your imagination and make a unique paper craft with your own hands, under the guidance of an experienced natural-paper maker.
Have lunch in a farmer's house, cooked with fresh ingredients. Then visit a small yet unspoiled village famous for its dustpan-like shape. Stroll along the bluestone path, allowing you to have a closer look at the daily lives of minority people.
Hotel options:
Heaven Sent Dragon Hotel
Handmade Paperbreakfast & lunch
Apart from Han and the 55 official ethnic minorities, there is another sub-group of Miao, claiming that they don't belong to any tribe, but instead, should be recognized as the 56th ethnic minority. They feel they are too different from everyone else, but they have been fighting for recognition of this for years.
If you are interested in the facts behind this divergence of views and would like to interact with the villagers, your guide can arrange a short visit to a local family.
Unlike most Chinese antithetical couplets written on red paper, these people hang a pair of dyed cloths on the door. It is thus obvious that batik is valued by the people, who dye white cloth using indigo plant and paint their totems with wax in order to demonstrate awe and worship.
You will have a chance to step into their dye-house and see how to make a fine batik.
After lunch, visit another special Miao village, famous for its gorgeous mini-skirt costumes and unique creative centuries-old way of storing food.
Dyed Cloths as Antithetical Coupletsbreakfast & lunch
Festivals selected are convened in towns not far from Kaili. Our guide and driver will escort you from Kaili to attend the festival you have chosen.
With many activities to see, two days are usually required to witness the variety of the celebrations. At the end of each day you'll be escorted back to your hotel in Kaili.
Tailor-Made Idea:
Almost at every month of the year somewhere in Guizhou is throwing a celebration, so inquire for other festivals to fit your travel plan.
breakfast & lunch
Your guide and driver will transfer you to Guiyang airport and help you to check in.
Trip 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-8-gp
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I’m so happy we booked with China Highlights. They made a complete itinerary for our trip that was perfect. Ivy was our guide and she was fantastic!! Very personable, knowledgeable and helpful with taking pictures in all the “perfect” spots. She had a great knowledge of Chinese history and her English was very easy to understand. I would definitely recommend China Highlights and Ivy for a great tour! moreMar 2023, Maria
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What an epic day we had with or guide “Ivy” from the tour company “China Highlights” visiting Tianamen Square, Forbidden City, having a local Chinese meal and walking on the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu!! Ivy was informative, personable, fun, caring and delivered a great experience for us. Her guide experience was evident in her management and pace of our day and making sure we went to great picture locations that created lasting memories of our trip!! Highly recommend you asking for Ivy. moreMar 2023, Drew Walker
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Such an amazing time spent together with my husband and our guide Nancy in Beijing. We recommend booking the tour with China Highlights as that was an incredibly smart idea and trip we have had over past few days. Visiting the Great Wall of China, the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven etc., getting more close to the history of China, having the delicious food - that was all done by the CH. We won’t be having such wonderful time without you guys. Still being so amazed and impressed by the historical progress of the country. Much appreciated for your support, help and time, Dear Nancy and China Highlights. Kind Regards, Kenneth&Assel Gillan moreMar 2023, Assel G
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She answered our questions thoroughly and she also provided us with recommendations for food and things to see outside of our Great Wall day trip. The driver was also a very safe driver and made it a comfortable drive from the city center. We hope to use China Highlights again for future trips. And if you’re in Beijing, you can request for Ivy as your guide. moreFeb 2023, kattaubry
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Ivy was a wonderful guide! We took a day trip to the Great Wall and she made our time enjoyable and customized to what we wanted. She was obviously very knowledgeable and passionate about the city. We also avoided tourist traps and she took group photos for us! moreFeb 2023, Customer
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Great Wall Tour with Ivy
We recommend booking with China Highlights! They were able to create a custom trip for us with just a day’s notice. They’re very responsive on WeChat and very professional. moreFeb 2023, Customer
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