Guiyang beckons with striking landscapes and intriguing cultures(2)

DAY 2

(WUDANG AND KAIYANG AREAS)

10am

Chinese official Cai Lun is credited with inventing paper-making more than 1,900 years ago through numerous improvements to the ancient art. Today, the sophisticated 72-step method is still practiced in the Buyi ethnic villages in Xiangzhi Gorge of Xinbao, in the Wudang area. The locals crush bamboo collected from nearby mountains, and cook, ferment, wash and laminate the fibers to make paper with water wheels and mills in workshops. The whole process takes about three months, and the product they make usually is used as joss paper, also known as spirit money, to be burned for the deceased. Stop by Wanggang Village after leaving Xiangzhi Gorge to have the ethnic paotang, or pig-killing feast. Cooked with all edible parts of a pig, it's the first dish the locals have when celebrating the New Year.

1:30pm

Time for something exciting! The Nanjiang Grand Canyon in the Kaiyang area is an ideal place for outdoor activity with its many karst formations. The most popular one in summer is canyon rafting. The regular tamer rafting (118 yuan per person) starts at the tourist center at the entrance and takes about an hour and a half. The more adventurous white-water trip (168 yuan per person) lasts about twice as long and goes through swifter sections of the canyon. Rock climbing lovers likely will enjoy the Tianzi (Ladder) Rock, a 70m-high cliff with a face of almost 90 degrees. Winter is a good time to experience the beauty of the natural karst formations. Visitors can explore the waterfalls that seem to magically sprout from the rock and the vitality of the plants that grow on the rocks as the Nanjiang River roaming the peaceful valley below.

5pm

It's a 10-minute drive from the canyon to the Buyi ethnic villages along the Qinglong River. There are more than 10 villages of Buyi people, collectively called Shili Hualang, or Ten-li Gallery. A li is an ancient Chinese measurement that's half a kilometer long. Visitors can hike from the first village, Fenghuang Village, to the tea mountain if time permits. Bike rentals are available in the villages. Fenghuang and Shuitou villages have clean, locally owned accommodations and decently equipped boutique hotels and guesthouses. Join the locals in a round-table dinner and take a sip of the homemade white liquor, which has a lovely name of biang-dang. Try not to indulge too much since the liquor has a strong delayed effect. It got its name because the imbiber may not feel a thing until he stands up and "bang," falls to the ground.

8pm

Try your hand at a local mahjong table if you are looking to kill some time. Guizhou people's strong passion for the game is no less intense than that of Sichuan people, who are known nationwide for the game. A mahjong table is a must in the private rooms of almost every restaurant. The basic rules are easy to remember, and the rookies are said to have the Midas touch.

DAY 3

(HUAXI AREA)

9am

Start a one-day trip in the Huaxi (Flower Creek) area with its signature food — beef rice noodles. Changwangmian, or noodle with pig intestines and processed blood, is also among the alternatives.

10am

Take a stroll at Huaxi National Wetland Park, 17 kilometers from Guiyang's downtown. Built along the Huaxi River, it's the largest wetland park in southwest China. Walk upstream to the Huaxi reservoir for some beautiful scenery. The walk, lined with old trees, is called the Golden Avenue, and is a favorite haunt for lovers. Swimmers ignore the "no swimming" sign and young would-be artists on the bank capture the scene with their paint brushes. Take a seat at a food stall near the river, and have some roasted dried tofu, moyu (konjac root) and huangba (yellow sticky rice cakes). Mahjong tables are put up under shade trees in summer.

2pm

Tianhe Pool is another big draw in Huaxi. Though the waterfalls here are not as powerful and grand as the acclaimed Huangguoshu Fall in Guizhou, Tianhe Pool is still an enchanting place, with the widest calcified-rock waterfall in the country. Visitors can easily spend the whole afternoon exploring the hundred-stone bridge, karst caves and colorful water pools not unlike those of Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan Province. The karst caves tour includes a 1,000m boat trip winding through the water caves, and a 2,000m walk inside the dry caves. Both feature fascinating stalactites and stalagmites.

6pm

Getting together with friends around a steaming hotpot can beat back the winter chill. Huaxi has various kinds of hotpot to offer, including sour beef, tofu, goose, doumi (white kidney bean and fried streaky pork) and the typical sour soup fish of the Miao ethnic people.

9pm

Shili Hetan, or Ten-li Riverbank, the 12km-long open linear park along Huaxi Avenue, is not only an ideal place for a leisurely stroll, but also a decent option for a drink. There are some good places that are easy on the budget around Guizhou University and Guizhou Minzu University.