Minority Area Tour

Meet your tour guide at the Guilin Airport exit and you will be transferred to the Guilin Exhibition International Boutique Hotel for a relaxing stay.

Take a delightful visit to Elephant Trunk Mountain Part this morning.You will enjoy some Guilin Rice noodle for your lunch in one of the local famous rice noodle restaurants. More than 700 years ago, the Italian traveler, Marco Polo, introduced spaghetti to Italy and then to all western countries. After your Guilin Rice noodle lunch, you won't be surprised why local people can have noodles every day and almost every meal. Explore the Reed Flute Caves this afternoon as you wonder at the amazing sites created these intricate formations. Enjoy the gorgeous views of beautiful backdrops created by the cool atmosphere and colorful lighting displays inside the caves as you pass by many fanciful shapes (don't forget to look for the Monkey King).

This morning, you will travel to Yangshuo by a private van and learn to make dishes of Kung-Pao chicken, Pot Sticker, and Egg Foo Yung at the cooking class. You will have the chance to eat the lunch you have created during the cooking class. After the lunch, enjoy a bamboo rafting trip on the Yulong River in afternoon. The Yulong River is a branch of the Li River and its scenery is considered even more beautiful than the scenery along the Li River. Your children will love the bamboo rafting on the Yulong River. You will be transferred back to Guilin later this afternoon and you can rest and regroup for your next adventure.

Today you will travel by private van for about 2 hours to reach Longsheng, which is known for its amazing terraced fields. During the 13th century the local Zhuang minority people constructed these coiling terraces which span a depth of between 1000 feet to 3600 feet above sea level. The terraces neatly divides the mountain into layers of water in the springtime, layers of green rice shoots in the summer; golden layers of rice during the fall season, and layers of frost during wintertime. You will visit the Longji (Dragon's Backbone) Terraces section along the winding mountainside. It received its name because the rice terraces resemble a dragon's scales, while the summit of the mountain range looks like the backbone of a dragon. Now, the Longji Rice Terraces cover an area of more than 15,000 acres. At your hotel, you will enjoy the birds-eye view of rice terraces. Then you will visit the Villages of Zhuang and Yao minority and experience the unique Chinese ethnic culture of styles, dress and varied social customs.

This morning you will travel to SanJiang by a private van with about a one hour drive. You can experience and learn about the Dong Minority culture as you explore the Dong Village in Sanjiang, which features well-preserved residential homes within a charming natural landscape. In the Dong Village, you will see the landmark construction of a Drum Tower, and the Wind and Rain Bridge constructed with wood and bricks, which reflects the unique style and the wisdom of the Dong people. The bridge was built to provide a shelter for the people who work in fields. Every time when the chief of the village would beat the drum, villagers would stop their work and get together around the Drum Tower. The Drum Tower is always located in the center of a Dong Minority village and serves as the political and cultural center.

This morning you will be transferred to the Sanjiang Train Station for the trip to Congjiang.
SanJiang/Congjiang Bullet Train (Your local guide has tickets)
Meet your tour guide at the Congjiang train station exit and you will be transferred to the Zhaoxing in order to explore more in-depth experiences within the Dong culture as you visit the Tang'an Dong village.The Dong minority culture features several unique components, including Wind-Rain Bridges (also known as Flower Bridges), Drum Towers and the beautiful songs of the Dong nationality. These beautiful flower bridges are named such because the bridges have pagoda-like, multi-tier pavilions with beautifully carved roof tiles engraved with flowers. The flower bridges are really covered walkways with railing and benches to take a seat and enjoy the scenery. It is a lovely place to be on a sunny or rainy day, while you sit on the bridge pavilion and chat with friends and enjoy the surrounding scenery. The bridges highlight the unique architecture of the Dong people, since every bridge built is done without a nail, any rivets or blueprints, though they boast masterpiece works with the wood columns, purlins, stools and intricate railings. This afternoon, you will get to explore the village of Zhaoxing -the largest Dong village, with more than 800 households and population of 5000. In the past, the head of the village divided people into five groups to simplify administration and built towers to serve as a symbol of good fortune and prosperity. The towers are a meeting place and a tool for transmitting information or alarms. During festivals and special meetings, villagers congregate in the lower pavilions of the tower, which is the tallest and most respected building, where they dance, listen to traditional folk songs or socialize. These drum towers have become symbols of the Dong minority and the five towers represent not only five different family clans, but also represent the qualities of kindness, politeness, intellect, righteousness and creditworthiness.

This morning, you can visit Tang'an Dong village which has been called the biggest living museum of Dong Minority peoples and the "land of festivals" as well as the "cradle of ancient music". There are only about 160 households and a population of 800 people in this small village, which is surrounded by green mountains and overlapping terraces. You may feel like you have stepped back in time, as the community lives in very traditional ways, with the men plowing and the women who weave clothes in this natural setting. Next, take a 2 hour hike from Tang'an to Zhaoxing as you enjoy the gorgeous scenery of terraced paddy fields all around you and soak up the primitive beauty of this lovely locale. Tonight you will be free to explore Zhaoxing as you wish and enjoy an evening performance of Dong people's chorus songs.

This morning you can explore the Basha Miao village, which is an ancient village virtually untouched by modernized life. Basha residents still live in their wooden houses, practice centuries-old customs and have their own unique beliefs. Legend has it that the ancient ancestors of the Basha people immigrated from the heartland of China to this isolated mountainous region over 2,000 years ago. Like men of ancient dynasties, most Basha men wear their hair long. When the adult ceremony is held for a young man, he can keep it or shave most of it off, except the central part, which is coiled into a bun. All men wear indigo clothing, which has been made waterproof by egg whites mixture while being made. In this culture, a tree is planted whenever a baby is born; often it will be cut down to make the coffin when the person eventually dies. Cutting down ancient trees is forbidden in this village. You will have the opportunity to hike around the village today as you explore this fascinating culture. This afternoon, you will explore Huanggang Dong village and experience their daily life by visiting local families and spending time there. Villagers live in stilt houses, which are traditional folk residences in southwest China, since arable land is so valuable and scarce. You will also see flower bridges, drum towers, tie dye tanks and rice stands, showing everything here is authentic and true to the Dong character.

This morning, visit a local market and spend time exploring the streets in this small city as you learn more about areas that are off the beaten path. Later take a drive to Kaili, and then explore Shiqiao Miao village to see its traditional way of making paper from the tree bark. Next, visit the long skirt Miao village where over 100 Miao households have lived for generations with a tranquil and bucolic setting. Then visit Qingman short skirt Miao village (yes, it's a village of traditional clothing that are like "mini-skirts") except it is traditional dress. A welcome ceremony will be arranged and you will be greeted into the village and offered the traditional drink of block way wine.

AM: visit Datang Miao village to see their wooden aquatic granary and experience the well- known traditional dance performances and wonderful music. This afternoon, hike 30 minutes from Shuidian to Paika to visit a local Miao family noted for making Lusheng (bamboo reed pipe), which is the Miao people's traditional musical instrument. Enjoy a dinner made with Miao people's cuisine, sour soup fish in hotpot. You will be transfer to Guiyang.

En route you will get to visit Qingyan, an ancient town with distinctive cultural features of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is a small town, but it is a spectacular city, as it has been built completely of stone, as a result of the local landscape and geology. It has a well-planned architectural style, with many stone arches and city walls and though it is a small town it has an influential local culture. This afternoon, you will enjoy a city tour in Guiyang, which includes the Jiaxiu pavilion, which is the landmark building of Guiyang. You will also get to visit Hongfu Buddhist monastery, which is located on top of Qianling Mountain, with many breathtaking scenery.

After your breakfast in the hotel, you will be transferred to the Guiyang Airport for your return flight home or to the next destination city in China. Design the itinerary you wish for the hometown area visit. Most often it includes an orphanage visit and meeting staff in the morning, followed by a lunch meal at a local restaurant. If desired, we have guides are also trained to assist adoptees/families who choose to explore clues for birth family connections. Please let us know your goals and we will customize plans according to your objectives. You may contact iris@lotustours.net to discuss additional questions.