Welcome to Chongqing — China’s incredible Mountain City! A viral social‑media favourite, it wows visitors with its mind‑bending 3‑D city structure and spectacular night views. Often dubbed “Little Hong Kong”, it boasts a pulsating skyline and buzzing city energy.

Taste mouth‑watering authentic hot pot in the Hot Pot Capital of China. Located at the meeting point of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, Chongqing is also the starting point for the legendary Three Gorges.

Our representative will meet you at the airport, train station or Chaotianmen Port and transfer you to your hotel in central Chongqing.

Your morning begins in Ciqikou Ancient Town, a 1000‑year‑old former porcelain trade centre with original Ming and Qing buildings. Wander cobblestone streets, watch folk crafts and Sichuan opera face‑changing shows, and try local snacks like crispy mahua fried dough twists.

In the afternoon, visit Three Gorges Museum, where over 280,000 relics unfold stories of the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges and Chongqing’s dramatic historical development. Snap photos at the striking People’s Assembly Hall right outside the museum.

Next, experience the viral Liziba Monorail Station, where the light rail passes straight through a residential building — a signature 3D‑city sight of Chongqing.

In the evening, head to Hongya Cave beside the Jialing River. Admire its unique layered diaojiaolou stilt‑house design. Stroll the riverside promenade and enjoy fantastic river and city skyline views. You can wander its multi‑floored lanes and choose to have hot‑pot dinner here. When darkness falls, the whole area lights up for Chongqing’s legendary night view.

At the end of the day, transfer back to your downtown Chongqing hotel.

After breakfast, head to the high‑speed train station for your trip to Guizhou. Enjoy a 3‑hour rail ride to Kaili.

First visit Shiqiao Miao Village, famous as China’s home of ancient handmade papermaking. Local villagers use bark from paper mulberry trees following age‑old methods. Observe the complete papermaking process from bark soaking and pulping through to final drying. Hands‑on activity: Make your own flower‑leaf decorative paper, and keep your creation as a special souvenir. Stroll this quiet mountain‑riverside village, which gets its name from a natural stone arch bridge crossing the river.

Continue in the afternoon to Matang Gejia Village. The Gejia people trace their origin to Hou Yi, the mythical archer. Their eye‑catching costumes combine batik and bright red embroidery, with bow‑and‑arrow‑shaped headdresses and weapon‑inspired ornaments, recalling ancient warrior legends.

The village is well‑known for fine Gejia batik art. Patterns of animals and plants express the community’s admiration for nature. You can watch local women create wax‑resist batik. Hands‑on activity: Join a batik workshop. Complete wax drawing, dye removal and the full creative process, and take your batik piece home.

Return to Kaili and check into your hotel.

Travel Tip: Should you want to spend the night in Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village for its spectacular night views, kindly inform your travel consultant ahead of time.

In the morning, leave Kaili and drive to Langde Miao Village, the well‑known “Hometown of Chinese Folk Song and Dance”. Tucked among green mountains and terraced rice fields, it avoids heavy commercialization and keeps genuine local traditions alive.

Upon arrival, experience the grand Miao Twelve‑Cup Road‑Blocking Rice Wine welcome ceremony. Villagers in splendid silver headdresses and embroidered costumes greet visitors and serve rice wine from ox‑horn cups — the Miao people’s highest honour for distinguished guests, with every cup bringing blessings for each month of the year. Then follow stone‑paved paths to the village’s Lusheng Square. Enjoy vivid Miao folk performances, including toasting ballads, Miao flying songs and lively Lusheng dances.

Regarded as an open‑air museum of Miao culture, the village is dotted with century‑old diaojiaolou stilt‑houses neatly spread across the hillside. Locals belong to the “Long Skirt Miao”, celebrated for their magnificent long‑skirt traditional costumes.

Later drive about 1.5 hours from Langde to Rongjiang for Dali Dong Village. This time‑honoured Dong settlement is famed for its special layout of “five wind‑and‑rain bridges plus Siheyuan‑style courtyards”.

Discover five century‑old Dong wind‑and‑rain bridges, each with its own architectural features. Wander bluestone lanes laid down in the Qing‑Dynasty Qianlong era. Don’t miss Yang Family Courtyard, a rare wooden Dong residence built in Han‑style Siheyuan design.

At the village centre rises the symbolic Dong drum tower, representing clan unity. Facing it sits the local opera stage. Without a written script of their own, the Dong pass down their history and culture through Dong Grand Song and Dong Opera performances.

Dali Dong Village is surrounded by dense old‑growth woods, home to more than 400 ancient Phoebe zhennan trees. It reflects the Dong philosophy: elders safeguard the community, and ancient trees protect the village.

When sightseeing finishes, transfer to Congjiang and check in to your hotel.

After breakfast, head for the intriguing Biasha Miao Village, famously known as “China’s Last Gunman Tribe”. Entering the village feels like stepping back into ancient times. Local men dress in dark‑blue jackets and loose wide‑leg trousers, carrying firelocks and machetes at their waists, showing a bold, heroic demeanour. Men here learn shooting from childhood; the firelock serves both as a hunting tool and for home defence.

Biasha men are recognised for their unique Hugun hairstyle. They shave surrounding hair with a sickle and keep only a central topknot, symbolising harmony among heaven, earth and humankind. Boys keep all their hair until the coming‑of‑age ritual, when elders shave them using sickles. This custom traces back to the legendary tribal leader Chiyou.

Tree worship lies deep in Biasha’s traditions, and the tree‑god sacrifice is their most important ceremony. When a child is born, the family plants a tree standing for the new life. Upon one’s passing, that very tree is made into a coffin, letting the person return peacefully to nature.

Watch distinctive folk shows including the sickle hair‑shaving ritual. You will see hair being trimmed close to the scalp with sharp sickles — a thrilling sight for visitors, yet performed calmly by locals, reflecting Biasha people’s courage.

Continue to peaceful Zhanli Dong Village, well‑known for its folk tale of balanced family numbers, with many families raising one son and one daughter. Local legend tells of a female healer using Huanhua Grass herbal tea to adjust foetal gender, though ancestral rules restrict this herb for villagers only. While you cannot access the herbal secret, enjoy the quiet streamside scenery around Zhanli Bridge. Look for the village’s “Male Well” and “Female Well”, said to work alongside the special herb.

After village sightseeing, drive around 1.5 hours to Zhaoxing and check into your hotel.

Free Time Idea: Zhaoxing Dong Village Night View When dusk comes, Zhaoxing glows with soft warm lights. Wander old stone lanes or climb up to viewing spots for dreamlit views over stilt‑houses and wind‑and‑rain bridges.

Optional Experience Attend a Dong Grand Song performance. This UNESCO‑listed intangible human heritage delivers pure, unaccompanied polyphonic folk singing, haunting and soul‑stirring to hear.

Today discover Zhaoxing Dong Village, praised as “China’s No.1 Dong Village”. It ranks among the country’s largest and best‑preserved Dong settlements.

Zhaoxing earns global fame for its magnificent cluster of drum towers. More than 6,000 local residents belong to the Lu clan, split into five sub‑groups: Ren, Yi, Li, Zhi and Xin, which stand for the traditional Confucian virtues — benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and integrity. Every community centres on its own drum tower, paired with a wind‑and‑rain bridge and an opera stage. Drum towers act as public gathering spaces and represent the spiritual core of each group.

Roam through all five communities to admire drum towers of distinct designs and appreciate the Dong people’s brilliant architectural wisdom. Saunter across wind‑and‑rain bridges beside running streams in soft mountain breezes, just like stepping into a Chinese landscape painting. Climb up to the village‑gate viewing platform for sweeping full‑village panoramas.

Next, drive to Tangan Dong Village. The journey unfolds rolling mountain vistas and vast terraced rice fields. Perched on a hilltop and encircled by mountains and terraces on three sides, Tangan features neatly scattered hillside stilt‑houses. Wander its narrow lanes, observe genuine local daily life and gaze out over endless terraced landscapes, soaking in peaceful rural charm.

Your guide will then transfer you to Congjiang Railway Station.

Extension Ideas From Congjiang Station, convenient high‑speed trains connect you to many top‑rated destinations: Guilin (1 hour), Yangshuo (1‑1.5 hours), Guangzhou (3.5‑4 hours), Chengdu (around 5 hours), Chongqing (3.5‑4 hours), Kunming (around 3.5 hours), or Guiyang (approximately 2 hours).