Some journeys are epic in scale, covering one end of the country to the other. Others are intimate, small, detailed and revealing. Guizhou is that. This is a photographic journey that can really only appeal to passionate photographers. It's not a tour of China, it's a tour of life in one little piece of China.
Mini-skirt Miao
Guizhou is not like most other provinces of China. It's very poor, very hard travelling and filled with a surprising number of people who aren't Chinese. Ethnic minorities make up a large part of the province and the majority of this tour.
Most photo tours I run are designed around variety, a mix of subjects and interests to keep the inspiration flowing. This trip takes a different focus, a slow wander through the mountainous terrain of Guizhou to meet the ethnic minorities in the greatest detail possible. It is still a journey, however, not an anthropological study. Two weeks of people, portraits, villages, markets, rice terraces, and even a few pandas.
Starting in Chengdu we get a chance to meet the Giant Pandas at the Research Base before taking an overnight train to Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province. Here we meet our driver for the next two weeks and start heading East. Each day we aim to cover about 200kms by road, with plenty of time to stop on the way when the moment suits us.
There are a few highlights on the way as we visit villages of the Gejia, Miao, Shui, Dong and Yao. Maybe more.
That's the point of the research trips, to set a plan but be flexible about it. Having a private van and a driver make this possible, and having a group of just four people makes it comfortable. It's easier for us to find accommodation in remote areas, we travel in a smaller vehicle that can access smaller roads, and we make a smaller impact on a scene by our own presence.
This trip is also a bit different by virtue of the timing. We arrive in Chengdu and head west just a few days before one of China's biggest national holidays, May Week. You never know what we'll find out there in this time of year. Some villages do a lot of dancing, most do a lot of drinking and all of them are in a good mood.
The finish of the trip heads into the rice terraces of Longshen at that particular time of year when the terraces are flooded. It makes for great photography and a great finish to the trip.
Just the Facts
See new pics from the 2010 trip here...
Da'Tang
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Zhaoxing
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This tour is operated and run by Grasshopper Adventures. Ewen has worked with Grasshopper since 2005 to design unique photo tour experiences, specialising in very small groups and very local knowledge of the destinations. Click below to book:
www.grasshopperadventures.com/tour-EBGZ10.php
Brochure of the Guizhou Research Trip:
http://ewenbell.com/workshops/Guizhou-2010.pdf
Itinerary
Day 1-2 | Chengdu | Meet our group, meet the pandas and catch an overnight train out of town
Day 3 | Guiyang | Last piece of metropolis before we head east
Days 4-7 | Xijiang | Sensational Miao village with traditional architecture and crafts
Days 8-9 | Rongjiang/Congjiang | First chance to meet the Dong people and stop en-route at a Shui community
Days 10-12 | Zhaoxing | Largest of the Dong villages and filled with charming timber homes and drum towers
Days 13-14 | Longji | Rice terraces, Yao people, last stop before Guilin Airport
Day 15 | Drive to Guilin Airport or optional extension to Yangshuo
Related Links:
China Photography Tours People Guizhou Research Miao Gejia Yao Dong Shui Zhaoxing Da'TangCopyright: All images and words on this web site are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Story by Ewen Bell.
Disclaimer: Information presented here is offered in good faith as being accurate and genuine. We provide no warranties for the opinions and details listed, recommended products or services, or for other online resources that are linked to from the Photography for Travellers website.
