23 Day Minority and Scenery Tour to South China

- The Stone Forest: It is a notable and magnificent set of karst formations located about 90 kilometers from Kunming City. The various karst landsape emenate from the ground due to millions of years' of earth movement. The area around is home to ethnic groups such as Yi and Sani. Their folk customs, beautiful embroideries and ethnic dances will leave you a deep impression.
- Sani Minority Villages: Around the world renowned Stone Forest clusters many small Yi ethnic villages which are collectively known as Sanni Villages. These ancient ideologically isolated villages are famous for their mystical ancient traditions and beliefs.

- Houses of Bai People in Xizhou: The village is a housing complex of Bai people formed from ancient times. In the center is the Square Street, surrounded by many shops. In the village you will see ethnic people dressed in their typical traditional clothes, busy with their daily chores. The local houses are very old, with exquisite paintings of artistic value on the outside walls.
- Zhoucheng elaborate batik crafts: Zhoucheng is a town inhabited by Bai people. The town is famous for its batik or wax printing crafts. Numerous batik shops can be found here. You can see the making process of making batik, and you can also buy some very delicate batik at reasonable prices.
- Cruise on the Erhai Lake: Erhai means “Ear-Shaped Sea” in Chinese because of its shape. Boating on the lake and around its islands provides a good way to enjoy the scenery, and you will also visit a fishing village nearby, where you can see local fishermen use trained cormorants to catch the fish.
- Three Cups of Bai Tea ceremony: The tea ceremony, known as "three cups of tea (san dao cha)," is part of the ethnic Bai's traditional routine of treating guests. Its history can be dated back to the Tang Dynasty, when Fan Chuo recording in a book on Barbarians (ethnic minorities),which says that "The barbarians gave me a drink, which was a cooked mixture of peppercorn, ginger and cassia. The famous tourist and explorer in Ming dynasty also noted "first a cup of clear tea, then a cup of salt tea, and last a cup of honey tea."

- Shaping Market: The Shaping Market is held in Shanping, an ancient town of 30 kilometers from Dali City. As you walk through this vibrant local market, you can see many ethnic people dressed in their traditional costumes, selling various products. It is a good place to view local people’s life, and buy some specialties and handicrafts made by the ethnic people.
- The Scenery of Cangshan Mountain: Dengchuan County of Eryuan.on the Cangshan Mountain, the vertical distribution of plants is obvious. There are more than 3,000 kinds of plants on the Mountain, which makes it one of China’s storehouses for plant resources. The four wonders on Cangshan Mountain are Cloud, Snow, Peak and Brook.Together with Erhai Lake, the imposing mountain range makes Dali a true vacation getaway.
- Ancient City of Dali: The ancient city of Dali is located at the foot of Cangshan Mountain. Built in 1382, it has traditionally been the settlement by Bai and Yi ethnic groups. The local people like planting trees and growing flowers, so there is a garden at almost every household. Dali is also famous for the many types of marbles it produces.

- The Black Dragon Pool: Listed in the Collections of Famous Pools of China, the Black Dragon Pool deserves more attention. The Black Dragon Park is named after the Black Dragon Pool. It is a good place for sightseeing and enjoying leisure time.
- Lijiang Ancient Town: The old town of Lijiang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has a long history and splended culture. It is famous for its orderly layout of waterways, bridges, wooden-structure houses, cobblestone streets and relaxing atmosphere. Cars are not allowed in the old city in order to protect the wnvironment. There are numerous bars and coffee shops where you can idle away.

- The Mural in Baisha Village: Baisha village is one of the Naxi Minority villages in Lijiang and is more special because of the collection of murals in the village. Painted over a thousand years ago, they combine the cultures of Han, Tibetan and Naxi people displaying the life stories of the Tibet Buddhism, Confucian and Taoism. The unique artistic style and precious historical content of the murals attract visitors from home and abroad.
- Yunshanping on Jade Snow Mountain: It is a large patch of pasture tucked away hidden amongst a virgin spruce forest on the eastern side of the Yulong Snow Mountain.

- Tiger Leaping Gorge: Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest river canyons in the world. Some small hamlets dotted there, mainly lived by Naxi people. Spring is considered to be the best time to visit, because the melting snow flows down from the mountains and make the river turbulent at its narrow points.

- Lake Bita and Lake Shudu: "Bita" means in Tibetan a place with a dense oak forest and "Bitahai" means a quiet lake. The Bitahai Lake is surrounded by mountains covered with ancient pines, oaks and rhododendrons, just like an emerald in the heart of the mountain. Shudu Lake is located in northeast of Shangri-la,it is one of the largest fresh water lakes on the Diqing plateau. The lake is surrounded by a forest of fir,spruce and silver birch, and is home to lots of wild animals such as bears,golden cats, deer and pheasants.

- Songzanlin Lamasery: Occupying an area of 33 hectares, Songzanlin Lamasery is the largest Buddhist lamasery in Yunnan Province. Built in 1679 in the style of Potala Palace in Lhasa, the Lamasery stores many Buddhist statues and precious cultural treasures.
- Lake Napa: A lake in the depths of the Yila Grassland. The mirror-like lake lay peacefully in the vast grassland.

Location：Located at northwestern part of the Zhongdian county seat, Napahai Lake is 8 kilometers from the county seat.
- Zhongdian Old Town: Renamed as Shangri-La, the Tibetan old town was formerly known as Zhongdian. The picturesque Tibetan villages and unique Tibetan customs and culture attract numerous travelers every year.

- Kaili Ethnic Minorities Museum: Kaili Ethnic Minorities Museum houses exhibitions that introduce the culture, geography and ethnic customs in southeastern Guizhou Province. Some very intereting writing, pictures and materials are displayed here.
- Qingman Miao Village: Qingman Miao Village is located 23 kilometers southwest of Kaili City. Here visitors will at local ethnic families how their traditional clohes are made and dyed.

- Jidao Miao Village: Jidao Miao Village is set in idyllic surroundings where life is poor and simple. Local people tend their fields for many generations and live in traditional wooden houses that are hundreds of years old. The whole village has a tranquil atmosphere.
- Xijiang Miao Village: Xijiang Miao Village, also called the "homeland of Lusheng", is the largest Miao villages in Guizhou.

Geographic location: 36 km northeast of the county town of Leishan.

- Chejiang Dong people’s village: Chejiang Dong people’s village is situated alongside a river near Rongjiang County. It is one of the largest Dong people’s village in area, exceptionally picturesque-scenic and peaceful. The big Banyan Tree in the village was planted 300 years ago.

- Basha Miao Village: Basha Miao Village is home to about 1000 ethnic Miao villagers. They live in wooded houses, and still pratise the living customs and dressing traditions of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
- Zhaoxing Dong Village: It is the largest and oldest Dong village in China and the world. There are five Drum Towers, Wind & Rain Bridges and traditional stages in the village.

- Tangan Dong Village: Hailed by some as the "most primitive Dong village in China", Tang'an Dong village offers a harmonious scene balancing nature and humanity. The village was built on a steep mountain slope overlooking terraced paddy fields. The village contains ancient wooden buildings, a traditional drum tower, theater stage, and gravel yard adjacent to some residential houses, and a well provided water supply.

- Chengyang Wind & Rain Bridge in Sanjiang: Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge was built in 1916, with stone and wood framework without not any nails or rivets. The bridge has three tiers, and five pavilions were built at regular intervals with unique styles. Its pillars and eaves are engraved with patterns of flowers or animals.

- Minority village and Longsheng Terraced Field: The Longji Terraces are built into the steep mountain range named "The Dragon's Backbone" about 2 hours from Guilin. The terraces look like ribbons as they wind from the foot to the top of the mountain. This ingenious construction makes best use of the scarce arable land and water resources in the mountainous area. There are about 66 square kilometers of terraced fields in the district. The Terraces were first built in the Yuan dynasty and completed in the Qing dynasty by the Zhuang people. Zhuang and Yao minority villages dot the area and feature traditional unique architecture where no nails are used in construction. The different minority customs and dressing styles are especially interesting. Sedan chairs are available from the parking lot to the top of the mountain for customers who would like to see the great views but fail to climb all the way up to the top, it takes about CNY350 per person for the round trip.

- Li River Cruise: The 83-kilometer-long waterway between Guilin and Yangshuo is the essence of Li River. A cruise along Li River is a relaxing and enjoyable experience, where you can not only enjoy the stunning scenery with rolling hills, bamboo groves and limpid water, but also see the daily life of farmers alongside the banks, such as water buffaloes pulling carts, farmers tending rice fields, women washing clothes by the riverbank, or if you are lucky, you might see how cormorants fish in the river.

- Hulishan Fortress: Hulishan Fortress was built in 1891, integrating the architectural styles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as Europeans styles. There are many military facilities built at that time, and it also has the biggest and smallest cannons in the world.
- South Putuo temple: South Putuo Temple was built in the Tang Dynasty and went through rebuilding in the Qing Dynasty. There are fine collections of Buddhist relics, such as jade Buddhist carvings from Burma, and some important and precious Buddhist scripts.

- Yong Ding Earth Buildings(Hakka Earth Building）: Yongding Earth Buildings is a very special residential housing complex. They are warm in winter and cool in summer. The local Hakka people live in these round and defensive buildings for many generations.

- Crag of Sunlight: Sunlit Rock is the summit of GulangYu Island. Along the way to the top of the mountain, there are many huge and fantastic rocks, Pavilions, and green trees. Climbing up to the top of the mountain, you will enjoy the bird’s eye-view of the whole Island and part of Xiamen city.
- Suzhuang garden: Suzhuang Garden was built in the early 20th century as a private villa. It consists of pavilions, lakes, tower, bridges, and hills. The feature of this garden is that is connects with sea, and you will enjoy the beautiful view of the sea while you go along the corridor above the sea.
- Ferry Fee for Gulang Island: Gulangyu Island, about 10 minutes away from Xiamen Island by ferry, is home to about 16000 people. This peaceful island is renowned for its fine beaches, winding lanes, and its exotic architecture of various styles.

- Mount Wuyi:
- Wuyi Mountain: Mount Wuyi is located at the junction of Fujian Province and Jiangxi Province. The highlight of its sceneries is the Jiuqu Stream, with clear water circling mountains. Another feature is the mysterious hanging coffins on the perilous cliffs.

- Xiamei Ancient Village: The ancient village of Xiamei has some well preserved houses from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and sculptures made of brick, wood and stone. An artificial canal of 900 meters flows through the village.