Guiyang Travel Guide

Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province, is also known as ‘Zhu’ (bamboo that can be made into a musical instrument) and JinZhu. It enjoys the alias of ‘Forest City’. As the city is located south of Gui Mountain, it is called Guiyang (the Yang of a mountain means the south side of the mountain in terms of Fengshui). It is actually the center of administration, economy, culture, and scientific research for Guizhou, and also serves as the telecommunication center, industrial base, and trade and tourism service center. As a critical city in southwestern China, it also provides ecotourism, and it is one of the railway hubs.

Guiyang boasts a national big data development and exchange cluster, calling center, service outsourcing cluster and data centers. It is the first National Forest City, a pilot city for circular economy based on the national policy, a paradise for escaping the summer heat, and is actually the top city on Top Ten Tourist Cities in China.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Guiyang can be between March and October. The climate is good for appreciating the natural scenery and participating in celebration of numerous ethnical minorities’ festivals, or the rich people friendly landscape.

What to see

Qingyan (Black Rock) Ancient Town: The town lies in the southern suburb of Guiyang, and is 29km from the urban city. This town can date its history back to 1378 CE, and is one of the most renowned ancient towns in Guizhou Province. It covers an area of 3 km and adheres to the style that was popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. There are 9 monasteries, 8 temples, 5 pavilions, 3 caves, 2 clan temples and 1 yard. The culturally related temples add up to well over 30.

Wenchang Pavilion: the pavilion is located in the eastern part of Guiyang city. The town was built in 1596 CE. The construction faces west and its height is 20 meters. The generally gray building has the style that was popular in the Ming Dynasty. There are three roofs for each floor, and there are a total of three floors.

Jiaxiu Building: Jiaxiu Building scenic area is on the riverbank of Nanming River in Guizhou. It covers an area of 4000 m2. It includes Jiaxiu Building, Fuyu Bridge and Cuiwei Garden. The three-roofed three-storied structure has four dragon heads set on the four corners of the third floor, while the decoration for the second and the ground floors are ‘The Boy’, and ‘The Avalokitesvara’, and four dragon tails. It was built in 1598 CE when the Guizhou Governor Jiang Dongzhi and Governor Supervisor Ying Chaoqing decided to a set stone dyke here to fend off floods. Jiaxiu means "First Scholar ". A huge turtle-like rock is the base of the building.

Qianling Park: this is a general park for tourism. The park is located in the northwest of Guiyang, and in it you can find Qianling Mountain, which is the most renowned mountain in southern Guizhou Province. This city park covers an area of 426 ha. and is 1.5km from the center of the city.

Natural Landscape

Historical attractions

How to get there

Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport connects many metropolitan areas in the country. You can jump onto a plane and land at Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport. Alternatively, travelers can take a train with the destination of either Guiyang Railway Station, North Guiyang Station,orEast Guiyang Station.

Gourmet Food Recommendations

Spicy Chicken: Spicy Chicken is a Guizhou specialty. First, dice the chicken and marinate the pieces with spices for a while. Stir-fry them in boiling oil quickly and remove them from the frying pot. Put pounded red chili in the frying pan. Drop the chicken back when the red chili is done. The dish can be cooked in a homely way or made into a hot pot. As fried Pepper Chicken can be preserved for a long time, many houses choose to prepare it and enjoy it over a couple of days.

Sour Fish Soup: this is a traditional dish of the Miao nationality. It is often served in a hot pot. In the special sour soup there are tomatoes, garlic, the Chinese wonder herb ‘litsea’, and fermented chili. The bright color is really tempting. Each restaurant makes sour fish soups with their own twist. Sour soup can also be sold separately for home cooking.

Rose Icy Jelly: this is popular in summer in Guiyang. What makes it different from the icy jelly sold in other parts of the country is the rose petal jam in addition to brown sugar water. A handful of sesame is the final dressing. It is sweet and refreshing. Remember to buy some when you are in Guiyang.

Chang Wang (intestines & blood curd) Noodles: this renowned dish is made from large intestine, pig’s blood, and egg noodles, as well as a dressing made from marbled pork, bean sprouts, and marinated tofu. Chicken stock and special chili oil also add to the rich flavor.

Huaxi Beef Rice Noodle: Guizhou produces premium yellow cattle, and the beef rice noodle is common in southern China. But Huaxi Beef Rice Noodle is always a unique combination. Huaxi Beef Rice Noodle is made with premium beef and boiled beef bone stock. Sliced marinated beef, braised cubed beef, fermented cabbage, baked chili and rice noodle are all in the soup with nice color and flavor. Usually you will finish the dish by drinking all the soup.

Shopping Recommendations

Tea in Guizhou: Maojian from Duyun, Maofeng from Zunyi, and Yangai are some of the top varieties of tea. The suburb of Guizhou is one of the major places of origin for these teas. Zhaosi Tea shows a uniform shape and a yellowish green color with a refreshing fragrance.

Qingyan Rose-scented Sugar: The stripe shaped sugar is made from rose petals, brown sugar, glutinous rice, wheat, sesame and walnuts. It is crispy to chew and is very fragrant. The flavor is long lasting and it is inexpensive.

Wax print fabric: this is the hometown for the wax print fabric. Traditional wax printing techniques are combined with modern painting methods to bring forth nationality styled wax printing decoration and artware.

Yuping Bamboo Xiao & Di: The musical instrument is smooth and elegant. The delicate piece is a premium one among the Chinese folk musical instrument category. The Dragon-Phoenix Xiao & Di are the most popular ones. They are a pair. The dragon one has a lower sound and the phoenix gives a relatively higher pitch. The male one produces a louder sound and the female one produces a full sound. They sound like a wonderful combination tone.

Huaxi Chili Sauce: The chili peppers grow at the foot of mountains in Huaxi District, Guiyang. Brooks meander through the place. It has a blazing dark red color. Its fragrance is attractive after proper baking. There are numerous chili products in Guizhou, such as fermented chili, baked chili, pounded chili, oily chili, etc. Laoganma that is sold on amazon.com is one of the oily chilies. They are probably good choices for home cooking.

Strange stones: many strange stones born out of special geomorphology accord with aesthetic ideas of the Chinese. There are Guizhou Green Stones, Panjiang Stones, Wujiang Stones, Jiangshuihe Stones, Chinese Painting Stones, and Keichousaurus Fossils.

Recommended Hotels in Guizhou

Recommended Hotels in Kaili

• Guizhou Province
• Guiyang Travel Guide
• Guiyang Weather
• Guiyang Cuisine
• Guiyang Attractions
• Guizhou Tour Packages
• Guizhou Minority Villages