5 Day Kaili Miao Villages Festival Tour

On arrival in Guiyang, your English speaking guide will greet you at the airport/train station and escort you to the pre-booked hotel in an air-conditioned vehicle. The rest of the day is free for you to enjoy at your leisure.

Meals included: None

Begin your exploration of Miao minority culture with a 2.5 hour drive to Kaili and the Qingman Miao Village. In a traditional welcoming ceremony, lovely local Miao girls in gorgeous traditional costumes will toast you with home-made rice wine at the entrance to the village. As you stroll through the village, admire the wooden stilt houses of typical Miao ethnic architecture and learn interesting facts about their traditional life. Watch at first hand the skill of Miao women weaving, embroidering and sewing traditional Miao clothes in the same way they have in the past. Appreciate the ancient textile process, delicate embroidery, ancient dyeing skill and other exquisite ethnic arts and crafts.

Before heading to Shiqiao there will be time for lunch, perhaps tasting the local cuisine.

The tour continues to Shiqiao Miao Village, renowned for its picturesque landscape, inviting customs and the 1500 year old paper making technique. Watch skillful craftsmen as they turn tree bark into smooth white and colored paper and decorations, rarely seen elsewhere in this modern world.

At the end of the day you will be transferred to the pre-booked hotel in Kaili.

Meals included: Breakfast

In the morning, you will travel to Jidao, a long skirt Miao dress village set in a serene rural landscape. Wandering the ancient paths you can come into close contact with the locals and appreciate their laid back lifestyle with a visit to a local family. Check out the stilt buildings and water granaries dating back to the Qing dynasty that still play an essential role in local life.

A short drive through rugged countryside will take you to Langde Miao Village, where stilted wooden buildings are set in idyllic scenery of lush paddy fields. Wander at leisure through the cobblestone streets to get a feel for the unhurried pace of life, friendly people, ancient architecture and unique ethnic customs. If lucky you may come across traditional singing and dancing performances or ancestor worship activities. For lunch you might like to try Miao bacon or other local cuisine suggested by your guide.

Journey south through lush country side to Paika Miao Village where you’ll see craftsmen make Lusheng, a traditional bamboo musical instrument, the symbol of the Miao and Dong people. Visit the home of a Lusheng maker to see skill at work. Finally arrive in Datang short skirt Miao Village, where local females dress traditionally in miniskirts, part of their distinctive ethnic costumes. Of particular interest amongst the traditional building architecture is the barn built almost four meters above water, as an ingenious way of protecting stores from fire, mice and insects.

You will be transferred back to the hotel in Kaili after the full day tour.

Meals included: Breakfast

Miao people love entertainment and festivals, and today is your chance to join local Miao villagers in the grand celebration of Miao festivals. Take the opportunity to enjoy colorful traditional costumes, unique ethnic traditions and authentic local atmosphere.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Kaili.

Meals included: Breakfast

Shidong Sister’s Meal Festival
Time: around April
What’s on: About 48km northeast of Kaili, Shidong village is the best place to see Sister’s Meal Festival, a traditional Miao gathering for courtship. On the day, Miao girls dress up in their finest costumes and splendid silverware. They offer “sisters’ rice” to young man to express their love. Thus, it is dubbed as the Oriental Valentine’s Day. Tourists can enjoy and participate in a host of entertainments like bullfighting, antiphonal singing, drum dance, folk performances, bonfire party, etc.

Huangping Siyueba Festival
Time: around May
What’s on: Siyueba Festival falls on the eighth day of the fourth lunar calendar, when traditionally dressed Miao people congregate in Huangping town to worship the Miao heroes and pray for favorable weather. Festivities involve a traditional sacrificial ceremony, antiphonal singing, and playing music instruments – Lusheng, horse racing, cock fighting, folk acrobatics, all contribute to an opportunity for you to enjoy diverse ethnic culture.

Miao Dragon Boat Festival
Time: around June
What’s on: Drive to the bank of Qingshui River in Shidong ancient town to witness the Miao Dragon Boat Festival, a competition between Dragon Boats representing nearby Miao villages. The festival includes a delightful range of folk activities to bring good luck and a bumper harvest for the year. Lusheng dances, drum dances and horse racing add to the entertainment. Markets humming with festival atmosphere invite travelers to seek out local handicrafts and souvenirs

Lusheng Festival
Time: around November
What’s on: The 3-day Lusheng Festival is one of the grandest festivals of Miao minority group, who celebrate with Lusheng dancing, singing contests, bullfighting and horse racing. For the young the festival provides a recognized opportunity for courting. Climax of the festival is reached as girls in beautiful costumes dance in a circle to the rhythm of Lusheng, filling the valley with happiness and joy. Just feel free to be part of it and indulge in the merry mood!

Miao New Year
Time: around December
What’s on: It is the most important festival for the Miao people. Leishan County, the carnival center, is your best chance to experience the atmosphere of rejoicing and festivity. Several months before the festival, households will be engaged in preparing sumptuous Miao dishes and festival clothing. During the event, all the Miao people from villages far and near come together for the festival parade. You can see young Miao women, gorgeously bedecked with silver headdresses, perform the drum dance, Lusheng dance and antiphonal singing. Fierce bull fighting is also a spectacle to behold. Of course, you are more likely to enjoy a big feast at the Long Table Banquet, a century-old Miao tradition where honored guests are entertained at the festival.

Enjoy your free time until your guide picks you up at the hotel to escort you to Guiyang airport or train station for your departure to the next destination. Your memorable tour ends here.

Meals included: Breakfast