Southeast Guizhou travel guide
黔东南
Southeast Guizhou travel guide with a day by day itinerary, 8 places with tickets and opening hours, where to eat and stay, and how to get there.
8 places · In the guidebook: pages 501–508
Southeast Guizhou, Guizhou Province · AI illustration for China Trip
Quick itinerary
Southeast Guizhou in 4 days
- Day 1
- Kaili→
- Xijiang Thousand-Household Miao Village→
- Kaili
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
- Kaili→
- Zhaoxing Tong Village→
- Tang'an Dong Village
Things to see
Basha Miao Village
Basha Miao Village is built into the mountainside. Its houses are all ancient stilted dwellings with roofs covered in fir bark, surrounded by dense forest in an elegant setting. Due to its remote location, it still preserves an ancient and primitive way of life. What makes Basha truly distinctive is the hairstyle of its Miao men. Basha men take great pride in their topknot, the most important marker of male dress: they shave most of the hair around the head, leaving only a central portion that is coiled into a bun, which they wear for life. It is said that this hairstyle dates back to the era of Chiyou, and it is the oldest male hairstyle still seen in China today. They wear hand-woven, hand-dyed blue cloth jackets and trousers, which evoke the warriors of ancient times. The Basha people worship the sun god. At every gathering, they play the lusheng (reed pipe) and dance: men and women line up facing the direction of the rising sun, step back seven paces, and only then begin to play. Gatherings take place at the Lusheng Hall, the sacred ground of Basha, where all major village ceremonies are held.
3 hours · ¥60 (entrance ticket + sightseeing bus)
Chejiang Dong Village
Chejiang Dong Village is known as ‘the No. 1 Dong Village under heaven.’ It is home to 38 ancient banyan trees, all more than 300 years old. Their roots are interconnected and their branches intertwine, forming a living green canopy.
2–4 hours · Free
Langde Upper Village
Langde Upper Village is one of the key Miao villages on the Eastern Ethnic Folk Tour route. Its Miao residents wear mainly long skirts, which is why they are also known as the ‘Long-Skirt Miao.’ The village is renowned at home and abroad as the ‘Hometown of Chinese Folk Song and Dance Art,’ one of China’s ‘Hundred Open-Air Museums’ and the ‘Hometown of the Lusheng.’ Visitors can experience the 12 barrier-toast ceremonies (lanlu jiu) that were traditionally held to welcome honored guests.
0.5–1 day · ¥50
Zhaoxing Dong Village
With a history of more than 840 years, Zhaoxing is the largest Dong village in Liping County and one of the oldest Dong villages. It is the largest Dong settlement in the world, with a rich ethnic atmosphere. Known as the ‘No. 1 Dong Village in the Dong Homeland,’ it has five drum tower clusters, five opera stages and five wind-and-rain bridges. Its drum tower clusters are recognized as a world record.
1–2 days · Free
Jiabang Rice Terraces
The Jiabang Rice Terraces are a masterpiece created by Miao villagers over generations. Vast and magnificent, they embody the very best of the world’s terraced fields. Every morning, layers of mist rise slowly from the river, enveloping the terraces and the Miao stilt houses beside them. The mountain villages and small hamlets among the fields complement the scene, merging with nature so harmoniously that you may feel as though you have stepped into a dreamlike world.
2–3 hours · Free
Xiasi Ancient Town
Xiasi Ancient Town was an important post station on the Tea Horse Ancient Road and has a rich ethnic cultural heritage. Its unique ancient wharf adds a touch of waterside charm to this river town. The town’s serene setting blends Jiangnan courtyard houses, Huizhou-style buildings, Minnan architecture and Miao and Dong styles of construction.
2–3 hours · Free
Nanhua Miao Village
Relatively far removed from commercialization, this original, ecologically intact Miao village is built into the hillside and hidden deep within dense forest. With just over a hundred households, it is peaceful and relaxed. Its costumes are so distinctive that they are often called ‘a written history you wear,’ and they can be rented for photos. The village’s Gospel Hall, built by missionaries in earlier years, blends Miao and Western architectural styles and is well worth a look.
Old Towns & Villages · Ethnic Culture
Getting there & around
Getting There
Getting around southeastern Guizhou is mainly by road, while arriving and departing is mainly by rail.
Air
Liping Airport is located in Gaotun Town, Liping County, Qiandongnan Prefecture. It is a regional airport in Guizhou, currently offering flights from Liping to Guiyang, Guilin, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Changsha.
Railway
Trains from Shanghai or Beijing bound for Kunming or Guiyang, and trains from Guangzhou to Chengdu or Chongqing, all stop at Kaili.
Road
From Kaili, roads connect to Rongjiang, Congjiang, Liping and other places.
Kaili Railway Station Information Desk
Kaili Railway Station Information Desk- Phone:
- 0855-3812222
Kaili Bus Station
Kaili Bus Station- Address:
- Wenhua North Road, northeast Kaili
- Phone:
- 0855-82380350855-8257089
Kaili Bonan Bus Station
Kaili Bonan Bus Station- Address:
- Opposite the municipal government
- Phone:
- 0855-22091580855-2209168
- Kaili is the capital of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture and is known as the “Home of a Hundred Festivals,” with as many as 135 traditional ethnic festivals. Besides its old-style houses and distinctive cultural relics, Kaili has beautiful natural scenery. Leave Kaili early in the morning, stop in Leishan at noon, and you can reach Rongjiang by evening, the first stop in Dong country.
- 1. Good food and accommodation: Kaili is much more developed than other parts of Qiandongnan, with better dining and lodging. 2. Shopping: The Da Shizi area has a lively night market. Near the ethnic hotel on Yingpan Road, markets are held on weekends, mainly selling Miao embroidery panels, silver jewellery and small items with ethnic character.
- 1. Xijiang Miao Village has already become commercialised, so if you want to experience its genuine local character, go early. 2. Local specialties include all kinds of Miao silver jewellery, so don't forget to pick out a few favourites. 3. It's recommended to eat authentic home-style meals in Miao households, at around ¥15 per person per meal.
Eat & drink
Local food centres on sour soup dishes, the most famous being sour soup fish. Smoked cured bacon, prepared before Spring Festival, is the main winter food. The most distinctive is roast fragrant pig: the fragrant pig is a small black breed that never grows large, and its meat is delicious.
Where to stay
Kaili, the capital of southeastern Guizhou, offers relatively good accommodation, while most county towns along the route provide guesthouse-level lodging.
Shopping
Local specialties: Rongjiang honey tangerines, pomelo, ponkan, and Guiyang fermented chilli.
tip: Miao Embroidery
Visitors interested in Miao embroidery can look for it in Kaili or in ethnic villages along the route. You can also ask about the price of the silver headpieces worn by villagers and the embroidered sleeve panels on their clothing, though most of the selling is concentrated in Kaili.
Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 501–508. Translated from the Chinese edition; names and prices follow the guidebook. · Plain text version