6-Day Time Travel in Guizhou

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.

Day 1 Arrival in Guiyang
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.

Day 2 Stone Town Discovery and In-Depth City Walk
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.

Day 3  The World’s Largest Radio Telescope
breakfast & 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.

Day 4  Miao Villages and Ancient Handmade Paper Experience
breakfast & 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.

Day 5  Batik-Making and Mini-Skirted Miao
breakfast & 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.

Day 6  Departure from Guiyang
breakfast

You guide and driver will transfer you to Guiyang airport and help you to check in.