Kaili Travel Guide
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The city of Kaili, about 195 kilometers from Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province, is the cultural hub of China's Miao ethnic minority. Kaili is located at the foot of Mt. Miao, on the bank of the Qingshui River, and spans an area of roughly 1300 square kilometers. There are other ethnic groups represented in the Kaili area, but the Miao are by far the largest group (43%). The Miao have lived here for generation upon generation. As the hub of China's Miao ethnic culture, Kaili is also the gateway to the surrounding area's many Miao villages that are scattered about the nearby mountains.
Kaili is a city of music, as its well-deserved nicknames bear witness; Kaili is alternately referred to as "The Homeland of Music", "An Ocean of Song and Dance", and "The City of Festivals", all of which reflects the city's role as the center of Miao culture. Moreover, the Miao are blessed by nature with good singing voices. Song is an integral, communal part of Miao society; it is a way of life that goes far beyond mere entertainment performed by a select few.
The Miao's melodious, unsophisticated music, which they play on special instruments that the they themselves fashion – their primary musical instrument being a reed instrument made of bamboo, called the lusheng – is traditionally accompanied by dance.
The Miao celebrate a seemingly endless number of festivals during the course of a year – itself a tribute to this optimistic, positive-oriented folk – where song and dance are the major components. These festivals all take place on important dates in the age-old Miao culture calendar, and thus they are reckoned according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
If your itinerary takes you through Kaili, and if you are fond of colorful local pageantry, then you should definitely check to see whether there are any festivals scheduled during your stay in Kaili (alternatively, you might wish to deliberately plan your visit to coincide with a Miao festival - to learn more about Miao culture, including the Miao festival calendar, click here).
District number: 0855
Zip code: 556000
Geographic location: The southeastern part of Guizhou Province.
Ethnic Groups: 38 ethnic groups are represented here, including the Buyi, Dong, Han, Miao, and Tujia, to name a few of the larger groups. The combined population of the various minority groups (seen in the nationwide perspective) in the Kaili region accounts for about 71% of the total population, the remainder being Han Chinese. Of the various ethnic minorities, the Miao comprise about 61%, giving them a 43% share of the total population in the Kaili region.
Administrative divisions: 5 streets, 8 towns, and 2 villages
Towns: Zhouxi Town, Yatang Town, Three Tree Town, Wanchao Town, Longchang Town, Lushan Town, Panghai Town and Wanshuo Town.
Top Things To Do in Kaili
Matang Village
Overview Matang village is a quaint ancient village located 18 kilometers north of Kaili City. Matang is populated with 400 members of the ethnic minority group of Gejia, a subgroup of the... [ View Details ]
Kaili Ethnic Minorities Museum
Kaili Ethnic Minorities Museum, via its collection of handicrafts, written documents, paintings and other works of folk art provides a broad, representative introduction to the history, demographics, ... [ View Details ]
Nanhua Miao Village
Nanhua Miao Village, as part of Three Trees Town, is located roughly 15 kilometers from the city of Kaili, the capital of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province. The village... [ View Details ]
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Hi,everybody: I am simon from Guizhou Province ,maybe i was your tour guide or translator who helped you doing paperwork for adoption groups, i really appriciate we had a good time together,now time pass so fast ,i work for Tourism Bureau,i just start doing tour groups in Guizhou Province,i do arrange the group travel in Guizhou to enjoy not only the nature views,but also minorities .For example ,Huangguoshu waterfall(the biggest fall in China),Dragon Palace(undergroud cave),Malin Gorge(Wanfeng mountain,Wanfeng Lake),also the minorities,like Miao people,the largest in Guizhou ,also live all over the world,(Hmong people),Dong people(Famous for its Great Songs Of Dong),Buyi people(Famous for making batik),Shui people(horse-tale stitch) and so on .we can also enjoy the festival of Miao people in special time of china"lunar calendar,also visit the old and original villages ,different palces different situations,Buyi in stone houses,Miao and Dong in woonden houses,quite interesting to do family visit and homestay to taste the real life of coutryside and to know the culture of people.
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What are the hotels like in the ethnic region in Guizhou?
I visited the guizhou region last winter. Our tour includes good standard hotels in Guiyang, Kaili and Zhaoxing ,but the hotels in Rongjiang and Congjiang are of significantly lower standard, and travelers should be made aware of this. Heat in the room was an issue for some of our party at the first stop, and lack of a western style toilet in the bathroom was the reality in Congjiang. I don’t think there is much alternative in the southeastern part of Guizhou.
Hello, We want to visit the ethnic region in southeast Guizhou. We are planning our trip there this winter. Can we make it in winter. Is the area freezing at that time of year? thanks
Rogar, There is no problem you are able to visit the region in winter time however, I do not think it a good idea to be in that area that time. The region is located in the mountains along the borders between Guangxi, Hunan and Guizhou region, which is humid and freezing in winter. In addition, the abudant rain makes getting around more difficult.
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