Guizhou

Author: Zhang Jing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: The emerald-deep primeval forest, the purplish-red, richly colored mudstone, the myriadly varied waterfalls, the karst caves that exhaust all human fantasies—this is Guizhou, a place that lingers in your memory, a place that surprises and inspires you. Perhaps after visiting, you’ll think, the beauty of Guizhou is not a surprise, but an inevitability. You won’t see vast deserts or hear the delicate speech of the Wu people, nor the exquisite beauty of Jiangnan or the bold spirit of the northern frontier. Nor will you find the brightness and sanctity of Tibet. But Guizhou is a place unlike any other, a mysterious land with a unique charm. The cultural landscape is what makes Guizhou so beloved. A foreigner wrote a book two centuries ago, describing in detail what he encountered on this mysterious land. As a missionary, he came here, using various means—both base or noble—to interact with the local lords and people of the Miao, Dong, Shui, and Bouyei ethnic groups, and finally ventured into the heart of Guizhou. At that time, this land was neglected even by the ruling dynasty, with many upright officials who dared to speak truth to power being exiled here, earning it the name "barbarous wilderness" in the central plains. Thus, in the book written by that foreigner, there are naturally some mysterious and adventurous tales. Today, the land of Guizhou is no longer as mysterious or dangerous as it once was, but the ethnic customs remain intact. If you browse through some materials, you’ll find that on the 177,000 square kilometers of Guizhou, 46 ethnic groups—Han, Miao, Dong, Yi, Zhuang, Yao, Shui, Hui—live, and the cultural landscape is the most distinctive scenery you can see in Guizhou.
There’s a saying in Guizhou: "No place is flat for three feet, no sky is clear for three days, and no one has three silver coins." Once, a backpacker stayed overnight at a rural home in a remote part of Guizhou. The host served sweet potato porridge for dinner. After eating, the traveler wandered around and saw others boiling sweet potato porridge. He politely asked, "Are you cooking?" To his surprise, the answer was, "No, we’re cooking for the pigs." Startled, he thought he had been tricked or insulted, but the farmer’s explanation was even funnier. "The porridge with more rice is for humans, and the one with more sweet potatoes is for pigs." Hearing this, he couldn’t help but laugh and immediately fell in love with the local people for their honesty.
Seen the Drum Towers of the Dong people, tasted the water wine of the Miao, worn the cotton of the Bouyei, and slept in the wooden houses of the Shui. Back in the neon-lit city, you realize that your heart has stayed there! There are many mysterious places in the mountains waiting to be explored, but this doesn’t mean that the Guizhou landscape you can reach now isn’t beautiful. Sandwiched between Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi, and Hunan, Guizhou may have gathered the essence of all the surrounding provinces.
The mountains of Guizhou are majestic and perilous. The Loushan Mountains in the north, with their towering peaks, form a natural barrier for northern Guizhou. The main peak, Guankou, is particularly treacherous, earning the name "The." The Miaoling Mountains in the south rise and fall, serving as the watershed between the Yangtze and Pearl Rivers. The Wumeng Mountains in the west have the freshwater lake Grass Sea at an altitude of 2,171 meters; the Wuling Mountains in the east have the main peak Fanjing Mountain at an altitude of 2,600 meters.
The waters of Guizhou are diverse. The Wujiang in the north flows swiftly, known as a natural marvel. The Dayang River in the east boasts picturesque scenery. The Nan and Beipan Rivers in the south have a huge drop and flow endlessly. The 100-meter-high Ten-Zhang-Dong Waterfall and the Huangguoshu Waterfall are world-famous, but in fact, the number of waterfalls in Guizhou is so vast that no one could count them all. The Majiang River Gorge in the Beipan River Basin is renowned as the "Southwest."
The forests of Guizhou are strange and rare. The Chishui Scenic Area in the north has forests of Cyathea (gymnosperms) and seas of green bamboo, designated as a national forest park. Fanjing Mountain in the east has lush and ancient vegetation, with Davidia involucrata (handkerchief tree) being unique to China. We can no longer see dinosaurs, but we can still touch their contemporaries—Cyathea and Davidia involucrata—exciting indeed. The Liubo Zhangjiang in the south and the Malan Karst Forest are the only surviving green kingdoms at the same latitude on Earth. The 100-kilometer azalea forest belt in the west is also the largest azalea forest in the same latitude in the world.
The caves of Guizhou are works of art. The stone forests above ground and the karst caves below are typical features of karst topography. The Long Palace in the west combines underground rivers and karst caves seamlessly. The Zhijin Cave in the northwest is vast and magnificent, with spectacular and colorful karst formations, resembling an underground palace. It’s said that there are no mountains without caves, and every cave is a scenic wonder.
Guizhou has green mountains, clear waters, extraordinary caves, beautiful stones, lush forests, and cascading waterfalls.