Liping Dong Villages

Overview

About

The Liping Dong Villages scenic area in Liping County, south-east Guizhou, has three parts: the Bazhou River scenery, the historic sites of the county town and the Dong customs of Zhaoxing. It includes the drum towers of Zhaoxing, the largest Dong settlement in China, and the famous Diping wind-and-rain bridge.

The Bazhou River area around Gaotun township, 16 km north-east of the county seat, is karst, with Xianren Rock, the Shaozhai caves, Osmanthus Terrace, Luci Rack and a river island.

The Liping natural bridge, 1 km south-east of Gaotun, spans 104 m, is 118 m wide and 33 m above the river, with a rock layer about 40 m thick over the arch.

Xianren Rock on the river bank about 3 km from Gaotun has four stones standing on top and a cave of about 800 m² at its foot. Osmanthus Terrace on the east bank is 40 m high with hundreds of wild osmanthus trees.

It is in the fifth batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 2004.

Travel tips

Getting there: Liping has its own airport. From Guiyang or Guilin, take a train to Congjiang or Rongjiang and change to a bus, or take a long-distance bus to Liping, about four to five hours. Zhaoxing is about 70 km from Liping, around an hour and a half by bus.

Layout: three parts, namely the Bazhou River scenery at Gaotun town, the historic sites in Liping town, and the Dong village area at Zhaoxing.

Zhaoxing: a very large Dong village with five drum towers and covered bridges, paved lanes you can walk, and song and dance performances in the evening.

Diping: the Diping wind-and-rain bridge is the best known, a timber covered bridge over a stream.

Bazhou River: northeast of Liping town, 16 km from it, with karst scenery such as a natural bridge and the Immortal Rock.

Time: a night at Zhaoxing and half a day in the village; add the Bazhou River and the town and you need two to three days.

Season: spring and autumn are pleasant. Dong festivals are held around the lunar new year, and the hills are cold in winter.

Where to stay: wooden guesthouses in Zhaoxing are the most convenient; Liping town also has hotels.

Caution: the hills see a lot of rain and the roads wind. The drum towers and bridges are used daily by villagers, so be considerate when visiting.

Stamps

On 22 June 1997 China Post issued 1997-8 “Dong Architecture”, four stamps: the Zengchong and Bai’er drum towers and wind-and-rain bridges over a river and among fields.

Photo credits: Zhaoxing Dong village: Rutger van der Maar (CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons)

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