| General
Introduction
Guizhou
is a polyethnic province in the northeast Yunnan-Guizhou
Plateau, southwest China. The Miaos, Buyis,
Dongs, Tujias, Yis, Gelaos, Shuis, Huis and
Bais each have a population of more than 100,000.
the province boasts a good variety of high-grade
tourist resources. There are 8 national scenic
resorts, the Huangguoshu Waterfall, Dragon Palace,
Red Maple Lake, Zhijin Cave, Wuyang River, Chishui
River, Malinghe Canyon, and Zhangjiang River
in Libo. There are 5 national nature reserves,
the Fanjing Mountain of Tongren, the karst forests
of Maolan, the spinulose tree fern of Chishui,
the grassland of Xianning, and the broadleaf
tree forest of Xishui, not to mention a good
number of forest parks, hundreds of ethnic villages
and sites of historical and cultural interest.
A distinct landscape, unique ethnic customs
and habits, and a pleasant weather have turned
Guizhou into an ideal tourist and holidaymaking
destination for visitors from around the globe.
Climate
Guizhou has a humid, sub-tropical monsoonal
climate with warm winters, mild summers and
unclear seasonal contrasts. It has a mean annual
temperature of 15¡ã-17oC. and a mean annual precipitation
of 900-1,500 mm. It has more overcast days than
any other part of the country, the area around
Guiyang averaging 220 cloudy days a year.
Topography
Rising
between the Sichuan and Guangxi basins, the
entire province is called the Guizhou Plateau
topographically. Guizhou has 80 per cent of
mountain areas, consisting of the Miaoling,
Dalou, Wuling and Wumeng ranges. Part of the
eastern rim of the second step down the country's
topographical staircase, it is high in the west
and slopes precipitously from the middle towards
the east, north and south. Most of the western
and central parts are 1,000-2,000 meters above
sea level while the greater part of the east,
north and south has an elevation of 600 metres.
Owing to folds, faults and erosion, the plateau
is intersected with mountains, hills, basins
and valleylands, giving it a very rugged topography.
In many areas limestone is found with numerous
caverns and underground streams.
The
area north of the Miaoling range is drained
by the Yangtze River, whose larger tributaries
are the Wujiang, Chishui and Qingshui rivers.
South of the range is the Zhujiang valley, where
there are the Nanpan and Beipan rivers, both
headstreams of the Xijiang River. The spectacular
Huangguoshu Waterfall over the headstream of
the Dabang River, a tributary of the Beipan,
is one of the country's best-known waterfalls.
The largest lake in Guizhou is Caohai.
SCENES
& SIGHTS
Guiyang
Guiyang
is capital of Guizhou Province. Guiyang-Liuzhou,
Chongqing Guiyang, Guiyang-Kunming and Zhuzhou-Guiyang
railways all start in Guiyang, which is compared
to Guilin as the "Second Spring City".
Guiyang's landscape is elegant, its folkways
are rich and variegated, and its sites of cultural
interest are as numerous as they are unique.
Major attractions: Jiaxiu Pavilion, Qianling
Park, Huaxi Park, Guizhou Botanical Garden,
Nanjiao Park, Forest Park, Tianhe Pool, and
Baihua Lake. Local dishes and refreshments,
prepared in a distinctive Guizhou style, never
fail to hold Chinese and foreign visitors enthralled.
Red
Maple Lake
Driving
west for 30km from downtown Guiyang, one reaches
the 57.2-square-km Hongfeng (Red Maple) Lake,
which is studded with 92 islands, on which there
are a lot of caves, and some of which have underground
rivers running through them. The lake, islands,
and underground rivers form an intricate landscape.
A folklore village stans by the lake as a showcase
of the vibrant local customs and habits.
Huangguoshu
Waterfall
Perhaps
no scenic spot in Guizhou Province is better
known than Huangguoshu Waterfall on Baishui
River 15 km to the southwest of Zhenning County
and 137 km from Guiyang. When the Baishui River
flows to Huangguoshu, the fractured riverbed
forces it to fall in the form of an 81-metre-wide
water curtain into the Xiniu Pool 74 metres
down below, causing an unceasing din and shooting
a shower of water droplets up to a height 0f
90 metres. A pavilion built on the opposite
bank provides a panoramic vista of the spectacle,
billed as the largest waterfall in China. The
waterfall happens to form the curtain for a
cave hidden behind it.
Tianxing
Scenic Zone
Rocks
in confusing shapes, mysterious limestone caves
and waterfalls are chief elements of the karst
landform of the Tianxing Scenic Zone 7 km from
Huangguoshu. The scenery is evocative of South
Chinese gardens and the ferocity and treachery
of unconquered rivers and mountains.
Dragon Palace
A
national scenic resort, the Dragon Palace at
Longtan Village, Anshun, is a topographical
phenomenon that is typical of a limestone landmass.
It is actually a cave, whose gorgeous interior
is suggestive of the crystal palace in Chinese
mythology. A 3,000-metre section of the underground
river that runs through the "palace"
has been opened up, so that tourist boats can
sail directly into its depth.
Zhijin
Cave
Situated
in northeast Zhijin County, Zhijin Cave is an
imposing cave whose 300,000-square-metre floor
sets the stage for numerous dazzling scenes
and sights. In between clusters of poodles and
by a swaying underground lake is a jungle of
stalactos, clints and stalagmites akin to pagodas,
pillars and hills. For the 40 or so limestone
formations init, the cave is honoured as "King
of Caves" or "Museum of Limestone
Caves". A 6.6-km section of it has been
divided into ten zones for public viewing.
Fanjing
Mountain
The
2,572-metre-high Fanjing Mountain is a national
nature reserve in Tongren Prefecture in east
Guizhou, or 30 km from the seat of Jiangkou
County. The mountain's typical karst landform
is covered with what is believed to be the best
protected of all virgin forests at the same
latitude of the globe. Compared to a piece of
emerald on earth, the quiet, mysterious and
somewhat precipitous Fanjing Mountain teems
with rare and precious animals and plants.
Maotai's
Scenic Zone
Over
and above its reputation as the "National
Liquor Town" because Maotai liquor is produced
there, the city of Renhuai is also a fine tourist
resort, where the liquor has added an aromatic
touch to the picturesque Chishui River and the
time-honoured local habits and customs.
Museums
Guizhou
Museum at Beijing Road, Guiyang, is a comprehensive
facility, though local history is its major
theme, whose collection includes 30,000 or so
cultural relics and more than 10,000 animal
and plant samples. Guizhou Museum of Ethnic
Marriage Customs is in the city of Xingyi in
Qianxinan Autonomous Prefecture. Located at
Liupanshui city, Suojia Ecology Museum of Miao
ethnic group is the first of this kind in China.
Flower Stream (Huaxi)
This is an extraordinarily beautiful park with
willows and blooming jasmine lining the banks
of a clear winding stream. One of the park¡¯s
attractions is a series of stepping stones across
the stream, which provide a pleasant way of
getting to the other side. Visitors can take
a rest at pavilions or terraces under the shade
of trees.
Maotai
Village
The world-famous Maotai liquor was named after
this village in Renhuai County, Guizhou Province.
Awarded second prize at an international exposition
of liquors and wines in Panama in 1919, Maotai
has become the traditional drink for making
toasts at Chinese banquets.
Maotai
is a small fishing village surrounded by beautiful
mountains and rivers which are flanked by reeds.
According to local folk tales, the creator of
Maotai liquor was a salt dealer by the name
of Guo. He made the liquor by imitating the
methods for distilling the Fen liquor of Apricot
Village, Shanxi Province, and the Xifeng liquor
of Shaaxi Province-next to Shanxi. The liquor
eventually became so famous that it is exported
to all parts of China and even places in the
world, and enjoys a unique reputation.
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