Middle Kingdom Journeys

Arts & Crafts of the Hidden Tribes - A Handicraft Learning Trip at Guizhou

2010 Departures: All year round

Trip Length: 13 days

Activity Type: Touring, Adventure

Trip Price: From $ 1,703 per person

It is a Customized Journey.

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Trip Highlights:

Handicrafts learning

Rural life

Minority culture

Day-by-day Itinerary

Day 1:

Arrive in Guiyang, Meet our local guide at the airport and transfer to the hotel. If time permits we take a half day tour out of town or in the city. Welcome Dinner at the tasty local cafe.

Day 2:

Guiyang-Jichang-Anshun, This morning we first spend some time on the square and local market, where we get an interesting experience on local life. Afterwards, we head for the jichang old Han village for their ancient ground opera. We move to Anshun in the mid-afternoon.

Day 3:

Anshun-Guiyang, Diving to the Batik workshop to learn how to make wax-resist; afterwards, we go out of the city for a 1.5 hours hike to Huangguoshuo Grand Waterfall. On the way back to Guiyang we pass by the great Rock exhibition. We return to Guiyang in late afternoon.

Day 4:

Guiyang-Dazhai,

Today’s program starts with an excursion to explore the villages around Xiaba. After lunch, we spend the afternoon hiking through the Damochong Valley. We have dinner with a local Miao family. Afterwards, we spend the night at their home, getting a real taste of rural life in China.

Day 5:

Dazhai-Guiyang-Kaili,

In the morning, we explore Dazhai Village, taking a 3-hour hike through this area of quaint mountain villages. After lunch, we drive to Kaili, the capital of the Miao and Dong minority autonomous region. En route, we learn the farmer's painting at a Miao village. We arrive in Kaili in late afternoon.

Day 6:

Kaili-Leishan, With its gorgeous landscape and Miao customer, we hike for 4-5 hours from Baode village to Maomaohe village, after a late lunch in Leishan town, we ride shortly to Paika village to learn Lusheng pipe making in folks' home, to see people how to make the instruments all by hands.

Day 7:

Leishan-Kaili, Before leaving Leishan, we have chances to know how to make pottery stuffs and it is so interesting to see how to make local green tea. Afterwards, we head to the biggest Miao village-Xijiang. After a local lunch, we hike from Jiangyang village to Wuli village through a fantastic valley.  

Day 8:

Kaili to Huangping,

After days of studying handicrafts, we have a more relax day today. Riding 2 hours to Yedonghe, we would have a 4-hour’s rafting. The whole way is covered by virgin forests and diverse plants. We overnight in the holiday resort for tonight.

Day 9:

Huangping-Zheyuan, Temporarily farewell handicrafts, we are going to have a leisured trip today. Our destination is Zhenyuan, a beautiful ancient town, where we visit its architecture- Black Dragon Temple. Afterwards, we spend some time wandering around in the ancient town along the Wuyang river.

Day 10:

Zheyuan-Shidong-Kaili, We leave Zheyuan for Shidong this morming, and continue our handicrafts tour at Shidong township, which is the home to Miao people's paper cutting. In the same township, we are able to visit silver smith, which is also an important part of Miao people’s Art.

Day 11:

Kaili & Surroundings, The highlight of today is a special opportunity to learn various embroidery makings with a local lady. Lunch will be arranged by the same family. In the afternoon, we head to Shiqiao village to learn another type of papermaking that totally different from what we have seen in Dazhai. We return to Kaili in the late afternoon.

Day 12:

Kaili to Guiyang, Morning will be spent in Chong'an jiang, where we see the mill houses in the middle river, and people on the river banks are making incense sticks with the saw dust. We have lunch with Gejia people, another minority group in this area. Afterwards, we say goodbye to Kaili and return to Guiyang,   

Day 13:

Fly back home, We check out in the morning and drive to the airport for our international flight home. Trip ends.

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