Mountain City Guizhou Journey | 6-Day Highlights of Chongqing + Guizhou Tour (Cyberpunk Scenery + Miao and Dong Village Charm)

Welcome to Chongqing, China's magical 8D mountain city! Our driver will greet you at the exit of the airport/train station/Chaotianmen Port and escort you to a hotel in Chongqing to check in and rest! You can arrange the remaining time freely. Chongqing is famous for its magical 8D urban layout and fascinating cyberpunk night views, and is known as the "City of Cyberpunk." As one of the birthplaces of Chinese hot pot, here you can fully enjoy the most authentic spicy and fragrant hot pot. In addition, Chongqing is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and Jialing River, and is an important starting point for traveling to the Three Gorges, where you can enjoy stunning natural wonders.

This morning, you will begin your journey at Ciqikou Ancient Town. Ciqikou Ancient Town was first built during the Xianping era of the Northern Song Dynasty (998 AD) and has a history of more than a thousand years. In the Qing Dynasty it was named "Ciqikou" because of the flourishing porcelain trade. It has fully preserved traditional Bayu architecture, street life and wharf culture, condensing Chongqing's historical character, and is known as "Little Chongqing" and "the first ancient town of Bayu". You can stroll along the simple stone-paved streets, check in at quaint historical sites, watch special performances such as Sichuan opera, and taste delicious street snacks such as fried dough twists. This afternoon, you will visit the Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum. The museum houses more than 280,000 precious historical relics and is an excellent place to learn about the history and culture of the Yangtze River and the Three Gorges and to feel the charm of three thousand years of Bayu civilization. After visiting the museum, do not miss the chance to take photos in front of the Chongqing Great Hall of the People opposite the museum. This is a landmark building of Chongqing, a complex of antique-style architecture blending Chinese and Western elements, and it is very photogenic. Next, you will witness the world-famous "train passing through a building" spectacle at Liziba Station. This is China's first rail transit station co-built and coexisting with a commercial and residential building, located on Chongqing Rail Transit Line 2. You can watch the entire process of the train entering and leaving the building through the glass curtain wall on the platform level. It is very thrilling and an unusual and unforgettable experience. Afterwards, you will head to Hongya Cave by the Jialing River. This is one of Chongqing's most iconic cultural and tourism landmarks, famous for its traditional Bayu stilted-house complex, dazzling night light show and 8D mountain-city spectacle. You can stroll and explore, and easily capture 8D magical photos of "floating buildings". Especially when night falls and the dazzling lights come on, you can check in at a real-life "Spirited Away" scene. If you like, you can also enjoy authentic hot pot here. After the tour, return to your hotel in downtown Chongqing to rest.

After breakfast, you will be taken to Chongqing High-Speed Railway Station and take about a 3-hour high-speed train to Kaili, Guizhou, known as the "pearl of the Miao and Dong." The first stop is [Shiqiao Village], known as the "hometown of Chinese ancient papermaking." It is named after a natural stone arch bridge spanning the Nangao River. The village is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and the Nangao River winds through it in an S shape, making the scenery very beautiful. Shiqiao Village has fully preserved the bark paper-making technique passed down from the Tang Dynasty to the present. Using mulberry bark as raw material and made entirely by hand, it is known as a "living fossil" of papermaking. You can stroll and admire the original village scenery, photograph charming Miao architecture, and also have the chance to witness the thousand-year-old ancient papermaking process. Cultural Experience: Try making flower-and-plant paper by hand, embedding natural elements such as dried flowers and leaves into the paper pulp. After it dries and takes shape in the shade, you will have a special souvenir. In the afternoon, you will visit Matang Gejia Village. [Matang Gejia Village] is a traditional village mainly inhabited by the Gejia people, with more than 400 residents remaining. These Gejia people claim to be descendants of Houyi, the archer hero in ancient mythology. Sun-shooting totems are commonly seen in their clothing and silver ornaments, and they have a unique language and customs. The village environment is quiet and pleasant, and it is known as the "Shangri-La of Houyi's descendants." In addition, in Matang Gejia Village, everything from clothing to tablecloths is batik, as if you have fallen into a colorful world of batik. Women here learn batik from childhood. Common patterns include geometric patterns (spiral patterns, sun patterns) and natural patterns (tigers, birds, fish, flowers, and plants). The compositions are full and layered, very beautiful, and it is known as the "hometown of batik art." You can immersively observe local villagers hand-making batik with beeswax (yellow wax), or stroll through the village and experience the unique ethnic culture and living customs. Cultural Experience: Try the steps of wax drawing, dipping and dyeing, and dewaxing by hand to create your own batik work as a souvenir. After the visit, go to our carefully selected hotel in Kaili for check-in and rest. Note: If you are interested in staying overnight in Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village to enjoy the stunning night view, please consult your travel advisor in advance.

In the early morning, depart from Kaili and drive to the Chinese Historical and Cultural Village—【Langde Miao Upper Village】. This is an ancient Miao village first built in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, with a history of more than 600 years. The stilted houses in the village are built along the mountain, and cobblestone paths wind through them, blending with the surrounding green mountains and waters, earning it the reputation of a "Hidden Paradise." Upon arrival, you will be welcomed with a grand welcome ceremony. Local villagers, dressed in traditional long-skirt Miao festive attire, will offer wine to guests with ox-horn cups to express welcome and blessings to visitors from afar. Here you can experience the special 12-course gate-blocking wine ritual, the highest welcome etiquette of the Miao people, with a strong sense of ceremony. Afterward, you will walk along the stone-paved path to the lusheng ground (bronze drum ground) in the center of the village to watch wonderful lusheng song and dance performances, such as the Lusheng Dance and Golden Pheasant Dance, among other intangible cultural heritage items, and feel the charm of the "Hometown of Miao Song and Dance." In addition, Langde Miao Village still preserves ancient Miao embroidery techniques. The women's handmade embroidery patterns are exquisite, stitching their love for life and reverence for nature into their clothing thread by thread. You can leisurely stroll through Langde Miao Village, admire traditional Miao stilted house architecture, learn about the unique "Long-Skirt Miao" culture, and experience the pristine Miao customs and simple folkways. Afterward, you will drive about 1.5 hours from Langde to Rongjiang to visit 【Dali Dong Village】, hailed as a "Pearl of the Deep Mountains" and a "Hidden Paradise." This is a well-preserved, pristine Dong village, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with towering ancient trees, terraced fields cascading down the slopes, and a stream flowing through the village—a truly beautiful sight. You can stroll along the bluestone ancient paths, feel the sedimentation of historical time, and explore in depth the Drum Tower (the cultural center of the Dong people and the tallest wooden building in the village), the Wind and Rain Bridges (built in the Qing Dynasty, five in total, spanning the Lidong Stream), and the Dong-style courtyard wooden houses (one of the most distinctive ancient buildings, perfectly blending the Dong stilted wooden house style with Han courtyard style, of which the Yang Xianzhou Residence is the most representative), among other ancient structures. You may also have the opportunity to experience intangible cultural heritage such as the Dong language, Dong brocade, and the Grand Song of the Dong, immersing yourself in the authentic and pristine Dong customs and the simple, warm hospitality of the locals. After the tour, head to a hotel in Rongjiang to check in and rest.

After breakfast in Rongjiang, drive about 90 km (about 2 hours) to Congjiang, known as the "Holy Land of Nourishing the Heart," to begin today's exploration. First stop, visit the mysterious [Basha Miao Village], China's "last gunner tribe," which has preserved customs such as shaving hair with a sickle and tree worship, and is praised as one of the "21 most mysterious primitive tribes on Earth." Basha men are legally allowed to carry guns for life; the firearm is a symbol of tribal identity and courage, and their "bun" hairstyle is a major feature, with the hair around the head shaved off with a sickle, leaving only a topknot on the crown. When a Basha man turns 15, he completes this grand coming-of-age ceremony by worshipping the tree of life, having his hair shaved with a sickle, and receiving a firearm. In addition, the Basha people regard trees as sacred. Every Basha person plants a "tree of life" at birth, is buried in a tree coffin after death, and an evergreen tree is planted at the grave to continue life. Their clothing is also very distinctive, mainly black; men wear traditional black cloth garments symbolizing tree bark, while women add some brightly colored accessories on a black base. It is worth mentioning that if the hem of the skirt is white, it indicates the woman is married, while black indicates she is unmarried. You can stroll through Basha Miao Village to deeply experience this unique and mysterious Miao culture and primitive ecology, and you will also have the chance to watch the stunning gun salute and sickle hair-shaving ceremony, as well as a wonderful lusheng performance. Afterwards, you will continue to visit [Zhanli Dong Village], known as "China's No. 1 Village of Population Culture." This is a Dong village famous for the mysterious "flower-changing grass" fertility custom and its isolated primitive ecology. For hundreds of years, almost every family has had one boy and one girl, with no cases of extra births. You can explore the village's "men's well" and "women's well," said to influence the sex of a fetus after drinking, full of mystery; you can also stroll through the village and terraced fields, photograph the pastoral scenery where the Dong village and terraces blend, check in at traditional crafts such as Dong cloth weaving and dyeing and bamboo weaving, and feel the authentic Dong living customs. After visiting the villages, drive about 1.5 hours to Zhaoxing and check into the hotel for rest. Recommended Free Time Activities 1. Zhaoxing Dong Village night view: When night falls, the drum towers of Zhaoxing Dong Village shine like stars, as if entering the fantastical scene from Spirited Away. You can enjoy the "water drum tower" spectacle from the viewing platform, or stroll through the ancient alleys and admire the glittering wind-and-rain bridges and stilted houses. 2. Dong Grand Song performance: A unique polyphonic a cappella chorus of China's Dong people, inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. You can listen to this beautiful "world-class intangible heritage sound of nature" in a drum tower or heritage training center.

After breakfast, you will fully explore Zhaoxing Dong Village, known as "the first Dong village". This is one of the largest and best-preserved Dong villages in China, fully preserving traditional Dong architecture (drum towers, wind-and-rain bridges, stilted houses), intangible cultural heritage skills (the Dong Grand Song, indigo dyeing) and folk activities (Yueye, Sama Festival). It is called a "museum of Dong culture". The village's famous five drum towers are named after "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trust", corresponding to the residential areas of the five major clans. The tallest reaches 28 meters, with an all-wood structure without nails or rivets, and upturned eaves carved with exquisite animal and plant patterns. In 2016 it was listed in the Guinness World Records, an architectural wonder unmatched among China's Dong villages. You can climb to the viewing platform at the village entrance to overlook the magnificent panorama of the entire Dong village, or wander through the ancient alleys to experience authentic Dong customs. Afterwards, drive to visit Tang'an Dong Village. Tang'an Dong Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with layered terraced fields on one side, offering different scenery in each season: like a mirror in spring, emerald green in summer, golden in autumn and plain and elegant in winter. Because the terraced fields are built of stacked stones, it is known as the "Great Wall of Terraced Fields". Relics such as the drum tower, stilted houses, stone-paved paths and ancient gourd well fully preserve the original appearance of the Dong people. You can stroll along the simple stone-paved paths and admire the beautiful scene of terraced fields blending with the Dong village, and you can also chat with local residents and experience a different way of life. After the tour, you will be escorted to Congjiang Railway Station. If you would like to extend your journey: From Congjiang Railway Station, you can take convenient high-speed trains to other popular destinations in China, such as Guilin (about 1 hour), Yangshuo (1~1.5 hours), Guangzhou (3.5~4 hours), Chengdu (about 5 hours), Chongqing (3.5~4 hours) or Kunming (about 3.5 hours). You can also choose to take a high-speed train back to Guiyang (about 2 hours).