There are countless peaks in the world, but only here do they form a forest.
Traveling Alone in Southwestern Guizhou
A brief review of each place I visited:
Wanfenglin: The top scenic spot in Southwestern Guizhou. There are countless peaks in the world, but only here do they form a forest. The shapes of the peaks here are similar to those in Guilin, but they are smaller, rounder, and more densely packed. Besides the beautiful view from the top of the peaks, renting a bicycle and riding through the sea of canola flowers between the peaks is incredibly relaxing.
Fenglin Buyi: A newly opened, man-made Buyi ancient village attraction. It's similar to other ancient cities, towns, and villages I've visited before, with a strong commercial atmosphere. However, this scenic spot is indeed very beautiful, especially at night. I initially thought the ticket price hike of nearly double during the Lunar New Year was outrageous, but there were various performances one after another, such as the Buyi wedding custom parade, drones, fire pots, molten iron fireworks, fire breathing, regular fireworks, ethnic dances, and bonfires. The performances were long, and each one was wonderful, better than those in other "ancient" places I've visited before. The increased ticket price was worth it.
Wanfeng Lake: A decent lake, a paradise for night fishing enthusiasts. Located at the junction of Guizhou, Yunnan, and Guangxi provinces. A 1.5-hour boat tour for 30 yuan allows you to take close-up photos of the internet-famous Jilong Castle and enjoy the breeze. What more could you ask for?
Wanfo Temple: A temple with its main hall carved out of a cave on a mountainside. Nothing else special.
Yuhuangding: Climbing to the top offers a panoramic view of Wanfeng Lake and some of the peaks. The Cloud House at the summit occupies the best viewing spot. They wanted to charge 68 yuan for a tea stall seat just to enter, which is ridiculous, so I didn't go in. There's a side path where you can still enjoy the view.
Maling River Canyon: Just an ordinary canyon with a large waterfall group. However, it's the dry season now, so the water flow isn't substantial. I heard it's spectacular during the rainy season. Also, the rafting there is very exciting and dangerous; it's said that people die there every year.
Nanlong Buyi Ancient Village: A Buyi ancient village. This is the first truly ancient village I've visited, so ancient that most of the houses inside are dilapidated. There are few people and no commercial atmosphere. I chatted with the Buyi villagers inside, and they said there are only a dozen or so families left. In recent years, the government has been guiding them to move out, as they plan to turn it into a scenic spot. You have to visit ancient villages like this before they're developed, as they are disappearing. It's really not easy to find such an authentic ancient village these days.
Food: I finally found a place with delicious food. Lots of beef and mutton, lots of hot pot, and the portions are large, tasty, and cheap. There are also many kinds of rice noodles. I've tried rice noodles in Hunan, Guangxi, and Guizhou, and Guizhou's rice noodles suit my taste the best. What I appreciate most are the seasonings here in Guizhou. I don't know how they mix them, but they are numbing, spicy, and fragrant, perfectly to my liking.
Xingyi, the capital of Southwestern Guizhou, is truly a nourishing place. The city is small, with beautiful scenery, good air quality, a pleasant climate, low prices, few people, a slow pace of life, and lots of delicious food. The downside is the inconvenient transportation. There's no high-speed rail connection to the outside (I heard it will be completed this year), and there are few buses within the city. Getting around relies entirely on taxis, and it's hard to get a taxi if you go a little further, so you can only hire a car. Although the supporting facilities are not yet perfect, given time, this place will surely shine.