Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village｜The World's Largest Miao Ethnic Settlement
Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village is located in Xijiang Town, Leishan County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province. It is the largest Miao ethnic settlement village in China and even the world, known as the "Open-air Museum of Miao Culture."
The entire village has 1,468 households and over 6,000 people, with the Miao population accounting for 99.5%. It has fully preserved the traditional stilted wooden houses, clothing, songs, dances, and festival customs of the Miao people, and is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.
Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the Baishui River flows through the village, and the terraced fields layered with the staggered stilted houses create a unique picture of "China's Most Beautiful Miao Village"!
📍Address: Xijiang Town, Leishan County, Guizhou Province
🚕Self-driving: About 3.5 hours from Guiyang (approximately 200 km), navigate to the North Gate parking lot of the scenic area.
🚅High-speed rail + shuttle bus: Take the high-speed train to Kaili South Station, then transfer to the scenic area shuttle bus (about 35 RMB/person, 1 hour direct).
💴Tickets: 90 RMB/person (includes 4 sightseeing bus rides), half price for students and seniors over 60, free for children under 6.
🏞️ Scenery and Architecture: Millennia-old Charm Amid Mountains and Water
✅Natural Wonders
✨Terraced Fields and Baishui River: The terraced fields around the village are layered and lush green in spring and summer, golden in autumn, like a palette of the earth. The Baishui River flows through the village, with the Wind and Rain Bridge and ancient streets complementing each other. When shrouded in morning mist, it looks like a fairyland.
✨Night Lighting: When night falls, the lights of the thousand stilted houses turn on. Viewed from the observation deck, the entire village sparkles like stars and is praised as "the largest star trail on Earth."
✅Architectural Features
✨Stilted Houses: Over 1,000 wooden stilted houses built along the mountain, with open ground floors for moisture prevention, storage on the top floors, and living spaces in the middle, reflecting the Miao people's wisdom of "harmony between man and nature."
✨Wind and Rain Bridges: Six Wind and Rain Bridges span the Baishui River, serving not only as transportation routes but also as the essence of Miao architectural art, especially magical under night lights.
🌟 Cultural Experience: Immersive Miao Culture
✅Traditional Festivals and Ceremonies
✨Miao New Year: Held annually from the tenth to the eleventh lunar month, featuring bullfighting, horse racing, Lusheng dance, and more. Visitors can join the long table banquet and the "High Mountain Flowing Water" toast ceremony.
✨Eating New Festival: Celebrated in the seventh and eighth lunar months to mark the harvest, villagers parade with new rice and cured meat, sharing the joy of the harvest.
✨Gate-blocking Wine: When entering the village, Miao girls greet guests with 12 rounds of gate-blocking wine, each representing different blessings. Visitors must drink each round to show respect.
✅Intangible Cultural Heritage Skills Experience
✨Gage Ancient Alley: Visitors can personally make batik, embroidery, and silver jewelry in the ancient alley, experiencing the charm of Miao millennia-old craftsmanship.
✨Miao Museum: Free admission, where visitors can learn about the Miao migration history, clothing culture, and festival customs through artifacts and exhibits.
✨Song and Dance Performances
"Beautiful Xijiang" Song and Dance Evening: Centered on the Miao legend of the "Butterfly Mother," showcasing Miao totem worship and migration history with stunning stage effects;
Original Lusheng Dance: Free performances daily at 11:00 at the Lusheng Square, where visitors can join the Miao youth on stage to dance and enjoy the fun of "Beng Miao Di."
📍 Must-visit Spots: Places You’ll Regret Missing!
✅Observation Deck
Overlooking the entire village during the day, the terraced fields, stilted houses, and green mountains form a breathtaking scene. Especially recommended is shooting the village in morning mist at sunrise; at night, when thousands of lights are on, the village looks like the Milky Way fallen to earth. Remember to bring a tripod for star trail photography.
✅Gage Ancient Alley
Stroll through the ancient alley, admire Miao totem murals, experience intangible cultural heritage projects like batik, embroidery, and silver forging, and learn to sing Miao songs with a Miao language teacher.
✅Countryside Sightseeing Area
Walk along the ridges, try fishing for rice flower fish and picking vegetables in the fields, and experience Miao farming culture. In autumn, you can also participate in rice harvesting.
🍜 Taste of the Miao Village: A Feast of Sour, Spicy, and Fresh Flavors
✅Must-try Foods
✨Sour Soup Fish: The "soul" dish of the village, made by stewing rice field fish in sour soup fermented with wild Maola fruit, sour and spicy and appetizing. Recommended is "Qianshanxi · Intangible Cultural Heritage Traditional Sour Soup."
✨Miao King Fish: Cooked fish mashed and mixed with roasted chili, garlic paste, and other seasonings, tender, fragrant, and spicy, known as the "Peking Duck of the Miao family."
✨Miao Cured Meat: Smoked cured meat sliced and eaten directly or stir-fried with vegetables, rich but not greasy, perfect with glutinous rice.
✨Long Table Banquet: 60-80 RMB/person, experience the "High Mountain Flowing Water" toast ceremony, dishes include drum-stored meat, sour soup fish, five-colored glutinous rice, and more.
✅Snack Recommendations
✨Hand-pounded Glutinous Rice Cake: Freshly pounded glutinous rice cakes on the ancient street, coated with soybean powder and brown sugar, sweet and soft.
✨Black Hair Pig Meat Skewers: Firm meat brushed with chili powder and honey, perfect for eating on the go.
✨Leishan Silver Ball Tea: A Miao specialty, ball-shaped green tea with a fresh and sweet aftertaste, great as a souvenir.
🏨 Accommodation Suggestions: Sleep in Stilted Houses Surrounded by Scenery
✅Near the Observation Deck
✨Sanchunli Meng Hotel: Infinity pool facing the entire village, perfect for photos and check-ins.
✨Nanqiao Luxie Boutique Stay: Newly opened, equipped with smart devices, offers free Miao costume experience.
✅Riverside Inns
✨Xijiang Xunmei Banshan Resort Hotel: Rustic design, rooms with terraces, fall asleep to the sound of flowing water.
✨Xijiang Xiangsu Light Luxury Hotel: Minimalist style, 5 minutes walk to the river, suitable for visitors seeking tranquility.
✅Hilltop Homestay
✨Xijiang Chanle Boutique Hotel: High cost performance, wide views, requires climbing but offers excellent scenery.
📍 Nearby Attractions: A Journey Through Miao and Dong Ethnic Customs
✅Langde Upper Village (24 km from Xijiang)
A more pristine Miao village than Xijiang, site of the Olympic torch relay, with gate-blocking wine and Lusheng dance performances daily at 11:00.
✅Zhenyuan Ancient Town (120 km from Xijiang)
A 2,200-year-old "Water Tai Chi Ancient City," with the Wuyang River flowing through, blending Ming and Qing architecture with Miao ethnic customs.
✅Zhaoxing Dong Village (249 km from Xijiang)
The largest Dong ethnic village in China, featuring drum towers, flower bridges, and Dong grand songs known as the "Three Treasures of Dongland," more niche and pristine than Xijiang.
✅Tang’an Dong Village (8 km from Zhaoxing)
One of "China’s Most Beautiful Hiking Routes," with terraced fields and Dong villages reflecting each other, where visitors can experience Dong weaving and indigo dyeing.