Guizhou Introduction

Guizhou Province is situated in the southwest of China, and it borders Hunan, Yunnan, Guangxi and Sichuan on the four sides. It always allures visitors from near and afar with its primitive, fantastic and mysterious landscapes and cultures.

Guizhou province administers 4 cities of Guiyang, the capital, Liupanshui, Zunyi and Anshun, and 2 regions of Bijie and Tongren, other than 3 minority autonomous regions of Southeastern Region, Southern Region and Southwestern Region. The province has a history of over 2 thousand years and it plays a pivotal role in the communication of Southwestern China. For its strategic location, Guizhou had acted as a fortress in the Long March of the Red Army in the 1930s; the Zunyi Meeting which was held in Zunyi City, was a life-and-death turning point for the CCP.

Guizhou covers an area of about 176,000 sq. km (43.5 million acres), equivalent to 1.8% of the whole of China. The terrains of Guizhou are rather undulated and complicated. Situated on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, over 90% of the land is covered by  mountains and hills. Between these mountains are the numerous swift flowing rivers, waterfalls, valleys and caverns. China's two great rivers, Yangtze River and Pearl River, just originate from here. There are 69 counties in the province that have carried out the Yangtze River Protection Forest System in China, which acts as a shield for these two rivers. Rivers that are longer than 10 km. (6.2 miles) within the province numbers nearly one thousand. Guizhou is also one of the zones that are typical of Karst formation.

With its complex land formation, the climate here varies very much from one region to another. Guizhou is the cloudiest province across China; on average, there are only 3 to 4 hours in a day that are sunny. Hence, it is rather mild on the whole throughout the year and it rains mainly in May to October.

Minority Nationalities
For those who are interested in the Chinese minority ethnic groups, Guizhou is also a perfect destination. There are 49 nationalities living here, including Han, Hui, Miao, Dong, Yi, Bai, Yao, Zhuang, Mongol, Manchu, Bouyei and others. A total of 16 minority groups have inhabited this province for generations. These minorities made up about 38% of the population and their compositions rank third in China after Yunnan and Xinjiang. These ethnic groups have given rise to pretty colorful cultures throughout its history. The various local operas are probably the most attractive; the popular ones are the Han's Qian (Short form of Guizhou) Opera, Lantern Opera and Di Opera as well as the minorities'Dong Opera and Bouyei Opera. Other entertainments, such as antiphonal singing, dancing, Lusheng (a Chinese reed-pipe wind instrument) playing and various festivals of the minorities are also brilliant sights not to be missed.

Things to Do
The famous natural scenic spots of Guizhou include Huangguoshu Waterfall with its spectacular waterfalls and the mysterious Dragon Palace Scenic Area in Anshun City; Zhijin Cave of Bijie Region; Maling River Canyon of Xingyi City in the Southwestern Region of Guizhou; Hongfeng Lake of Guiyang City; Leigongshan Nature Reserve and Wuyang River of Kaili City in the Southeastern Region of Guizhou and finally, the Mt. Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve of Tongren Region.

For an insight into the cultures of Guizhou, Zunyi City and Zhenyuan County in the Southeastern Region of Guizhou are the places to be. There are many famous historical and cultural attractions to see, as well as the various minority ethnic villages to witness their way of life.

 How to Get to/around Guizhou
Guiyang Longdongbao Airport is located in the eastern suburb of the capital city, Guiyang. It has connections with Bankok, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Kunming, Wuhan and other cities in China. Another option is to fly from Guiyang, Chongqing, Changsha, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and other cities in China to Tongren Daxing Airport, Tongren City.

It is possible to travel to many regions in and out of the province by train. Four national highways and three provincial highways at the centre of Guiyang also make traveling to Guizhou very convenient.

Traveling within the province is easily accessible with services of trains, coaches and regular buses.


 Guizhou Travel Tips: What to Buy & What to Eat