Cultural Adventures in Ethnic Southwest China

The Trip

China is the world’s third-largest country and is divided into 23 provinces. We will visit Guizhou and Yunnan, two of those provinces, each bursting with cultural and scenic riches. Each province is home to at least 24 different ethnic minority people, most with their own customs, dress, and lifestyles. They include groups with names like Miao, Dong, Zhuang, Yao, Naxi, Bai, and others. Some smaller groups of minority people have been integrated into the Han Chinese society over time, so they no longer follow their own customs.

This itinerary brims with the sights and sounds of China’s minority people. Each day will be filled with new experiences and impressions. The first eight days will be devoted to visiting a variety of minority villages, meeting the people, and enjoying their hospitality. A special highlight will be viewing the exquisite embroidery created by many of the minority women. On the second half of the trip, we fly to northern Yunnan and visit this stunning province that differs in topography from Guizhou, yet is similar in terms of being home to a number of minority people such as the Bai, Naxi, Tibetans and Zhuang among others. We’ll explore the fascinating streets of Lijiang, primarily a Naxi town, and Zhongdian (Shangri-la), home to Tibetans.

The beauty of each province's landscapes cannot be ignored: Guizhou, with its jagged and hilly karst peaks, and northern Yunnan, a land of green meadows and snow-capped mountains. Intricate terraced rice fields cover the hills and mountainsides of each province and are works of art created by farmers over a millennium.

Day 1: The trip officially starts at 4:00 p.m., where we will all meet at the designated hotel in Shanghai. After introductions and a trip orientation, we will have a welcome dinner.

Day 2: We fly from Shanghai to Guizhou Province, and then travel by train and van to reach Zhaoxing, the largest Dong minority village in China, with five drum towers and five roofed bridges in the village. Two nights' hotel stay.

Day 3: This morning we’ll visit an ancient Tang’an Dong village noted as China’s first ecological museum of Dong people. This is an open air exhibit that extends focus to the village and the surrounding environment. We’ll hike amid the gorgeous scenery of terraced fields and local farms and then have a free afternoon to further explore this people-centered living museum. The villagers’ everyday items – their clothing, ornaments, and tools – are all pieces of the exhibit. Enjoy a performance of Dong people’s songs in the evening.

Day 4: We will drive three hours to the city of Kaili, the capital city of Guizhou’s southeast autonomous prefecture of Miao & Dong people. En route, we will visit Huanggang Dong village. In the afternoon, we will visit Shiqiao Miao village, noted for making paper from tree bark, then visit Qingman short-skirt Miao village. We will enjoy dinner at a local Miao family house. Two nights' hotel stay.

Day 5: We will visit Jidao long-skirt Miao village. A folk performance will be arranged at the village. Then we’re off to the Datang Miao village to see their wooden aquatic granary. From there we will have a short walk from Shuidian to Paika to visit a local Miao family noted for making their traditional musical instrument, the bamboo reed pipe. Dinner will be Miao’s people’s cuisine -- sour soup fish in hotpot.

Day 6: Today we wander through the Sunday market in Kaili. It's a great place to glimpse the local minority lifestyle as the Miao and Dong people stream into the market from surrounding villages to sell their wares: artwork, craftwork, jewelry, herbs, musical instruments, and clothing. We will have an afternoon visit to Matang Gejia minority village, noted for making batik using a triangle cooper tool. We will continue our drive to Guiyang where we will spend two nights.

Day 7: We will drive from Guiyang to Anshun and then continue on to Jichang, an old Han Chinese village best known for its Ground Opera, or Dixi, which can be traced back to 600 years ago. The operas recreate ancient Chinese tales from the Three Kingdoms Period (220-265) and Tang Dynasty (618-907). The performers will put wooden masks on their foreheads to ensure their voice can be heard by the audience. In the afternoon, we will visit Huangguoshu Waterfall. Huangguoshu Waterfall is the only waterfall on the planet that can be viewed from above, below, front, behind, left and right. The Water Curtain Cave is a 134-metre natural corridor behind the waterfall, which allows visitors to watch, hear, and touch the thundering water streaming down.

Day 8: We will take a morning flight from Guiyang to Lijiang, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the afternoon we will explore the Old Town. Three nights' hotel stay. 

Day 9: The Naxi are a minority group in Northern Yunnan and Lijiang. We will visit the Dongba Museum, which showcases the Dongba culture of the Naxi. The Dongba language is composed of hieroglyphs and is the only living hieroglyph in the world. The Dongba language is accepted as a written world heritage by UNESCO. We visit Black Dragon Pool Park, built in the mid-1700s during the Qing dynasty. We will also visit the Mu’s Residence which was the mansion of the Mu family, the ruler of Naxi people that ruled Lijiang for about 470 years in ancient China, as well as the government office of Lijiang, which was built symmetrically according to imperial palace of Han minority ethnic group.

Day 10: This morning we will visit the former residence of Joseph Rock, an American adventurer and botanist who researched Dongba culture and collected a large number of Dongba manuscripts. Have lunch at a local Naxi family house rich in culture and art. After lunch, enjoy a spectacular outdoor cultural performance that demonstrates the lifestyles of Naxi, Yi, and Bai minorities in Lijiang and uses the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain as a natural background. 

Day 11: Today, we drive from Lijiang to Shangri-La via Tiger Leaping Gorge, a deep canyon where the Yangtze River churns through a narrow pass. We will continue to Shangri-La. We will spend three nights at a comfortable historical hotel in Shangri-La (11,000 feet elevation). 

Day 12: We will visit Songzanlin Monastery, a Tibetan Buddhist temple that resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa. In the afternoon we’ll hike at Potatso National Park (also called Pudacuo National Park). This is the first area in mainland China to be protected as a national park. It contains more than 20 percent of China’s plant species, a third of its mammal and bird species, and a natural habitat for close to 100 endangered species. We will visit Dukezong Ancient Town. Dukezong was first constructed in the 7th century as a stopping point on the Tea Horse Road. We will also see solid Tibetan buildings and one of the world’s largest prayer wheel.

Day 13: In the morning we’ll ride a cable car up and down to visit the Shika Snow Mountain, which is a holy mountain for the local Tibetans. After lunch we’ll drive to Nixi, which is famous for its black pottery, and enjoy the amazing natural beauty of the village.

Day 14: We will fly from Shangri-La to Kunming, then connect a flight from Kunming to Shanghai, where we will have our group farewell dinner.

Day 15: The trip ends after breakfast.

Getting There

Trip participants must depart the West Coast of the U.S. no later than two days before the start of the trip since a day will be lost crossing the International Date Line. Participants are responsible for travel from home to the designated hotel in Shanghai. There are several airlines that fly regularly to Shanghai from the U.S. The trip leader will provide various options for transportation in Shanghai to and from the hotel.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

Accommodations will be in 3- and 4-star hotels. The 3-star hotels are the best available accommodations in a few of the non-tourist towns where we will stay. The trip price is based on two people sharing a room. Roommates will be assigned as applicable. Single-room accommodations will be available for an extra charge. Each room will have a private bathroom.

Breakfasts at hotels are usually Chinese buffet style with a variety of foods offered, e.g. boiled eggs, porridge, cold meats, fruit, rolls. Some hotels in tourist cities may also offer Western breakfasts. Lunches and dinners will feature a variety of Chinese dishes that are traditional to the region of our travels. Chopsticks are the common utensils for eating all meals and trip members are encouraged to use these. However, Western utensils will be available at most restaurants, if necessary. 

Please note that we will be served Chinese food at ALL meals. Please do not expect or ask for Western food during our group meals. It is a good idea to bring some food bars, peanuts, etc. if you think that you will need a break from Chinese food.

Vegetarians can be accommodated since we are served vegetables at lunch and dinner meals. The dishes are served family style so all at the table take a share from serving dishes. However, as meat dishes are predominantly served in China, vegetarians should be accepting of more limited options occasionally, if necessary.

Please check with the trip leader about other diets or dietary needs before the start of the trip.

Trip Difficulty

This trip can be described as moderately strenuous since we will have some long days in order to visit a variety of extraordinary locales. On some days we will have vehicle rides of up to 3-4 hours. This trip is suitable for active adults of any age who are in good health and steady on their feet. Participants must be able to climb up and down uneven stairs and walk for 2-3 miles. Much of our time will be spent on our feet at cultural sites, minority villages, markets, museums, and in the countryside. Many of the town roads will be made of cobblestones; hills often will have uneven stairs made of rock or wood.

Equipment and Clothing

The trip leader will provide trip members with a list of suggested clothing and equipment. In general, nothing special is required for this trip except sturdy walking shoes. Traveling lighter with layered clothing is preferable to large and heavy suitcases. A collapsible walking stick may be helpful. Trip members are expected to bring any medications, including non-prescription and prescription drugs, that they may need during the trip.

References

• Leffman, David and Simon Lewis, The Rough Guide to China. Rough Guides, 2014.
• Hessler, Peter, Country Driving. Harper Collins, 2016.
• See, Lisa, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. Scribner, 2017.
• Yu Hua, China in 10 Words. Anchor Books, 2010.
• Winchester, Simon, The Man Who Loved China. Harper Collins, 2009.
• Shapiro, Judith, China’s Environmental Challenges. Policy Press, 2012.

Conservation

The Sierra Club is an environmentally focused entity. We are concerned about conservation and sustainability of resources, both locally and globally. Our work is accomplished by volunteers and aided by a salaried staff, encouraging grassroots involvement. Our outings seek to empower participants toward environmentally understanding parallel concerns at home and abroad.

Due to its immense population and rapid economic development, China is environmentally challenged on many fronts. While we will travel through areas of scenic beauty, we will also see examples of severe environmental degradation. In the past 30 years, 35% of China’s limited agricultural land has been lost to overuse, erosion, and building on cultivated land. Desert areas, already very large in China, have increased by 25,000 square miles. In Guizhou province desertification has expanded drastically in the past 25 years due to population issues and environmental degradation. 

Many of China’s cities suffer from air pollution, a serious problem due to increased use of motorized vehicles and coal burning for electric power generation. 

On the positive side, the Chinese government has begun to act to lessen or alleviate many issues, including the effects of global warming. It will be a long uphill climb to make real change, but it is encouraging that the process has begun.

Evacuation and Travel Insurance

The Sierra Club provides evacuation insurance to all participants on international trips. Since this coverage does not include any trip cancellation or interruption insurance, we suggest you purchase another policy separately to provide coverage for your trip and other travel costs. This policy also does not cover pre-trip and post-trip travel. Please note the evacuation insurance provided does not cover claims resulting from any pre-existing condition that occurs within 60 days of the trip departure. If you have specific questions about this exclusion, please review the insurance brochure. For information on purchasing a separate policy, please see our travel insurance page.