Why go
Guiyang itself is a food city more than a sightseeing one: Jiaxiu Tower glowing on its river rock at night, Qingyan's stone town 40 minutes out, and a national reputation for both street snacking and the sour-fermented broths of Guizhou cuisine.
The province's headline sight, Huangguoshu Waterfall — 77 m tall and 101 m wide, with a walkable water-curtain cave behind it — is an easy day trip. Further afield, Guizhou keeps a scatter of minority villages and the world's largest single-dish radio telescope for the science-minded.
- Jiaxiu Tower — the Ming pavilion on the Nanming River
- Qingyan Ancient Town — 600-year-old stone lanes
- Day trip to Huangguoshu Waterfall, Asia's largest
- Sour soup fish and 1,000-flavour dipping sauces
Where to go
Half a day for Jiaxiu Tower, the old lanes and street food; a full day for Huangguoshu. Add the data-valley night lights of Huaxi wetlands if you have a spare evening.
What to eat
Sour soup fish (suantangyu) — a broth fermented from wild tomatoes and rice, with a chilli dip on the side; also siwawa (stuffed vegetable wraps), beef with chilli dipping sauce, and tofu balls fried at street stalls.
Getting there
- HSR from Chengdu 3h, Chongqing 2h, Kunming 2h
- Role
- Capital of Guizhou province
- July average
- ~23°C — 'cool capital'
- Huangguoshu
- 1.5h by road
