When I was in Guizhou in 2012 I never went to any designated Miao villages, although I’d heard of them. Miao is the same as ethnic group that is known as the Hmong in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand btw. Although I did run into one or two when hiking or climbing, they have distinctive wooden architecture, and these were like actual villages that didn’t get any or very few tourists. Wellll this one would be a little different! After an hour bus ride, 40 minute high speed rail ride, and another hour bus ride, I’d be there.
Pulling into the HSR station
Xijiang is known as the largest Miao village in China, although like most designated minority villages that now cater to tourists, it’s not exactly authentic. This one is probably the most inauthentic, but also the most easily accessible without a car. Almost all their money comes from the tourism industry and you have to pay an entry fee (100 yuan/$15) to enter. And of course there’s a shuttle bus to take you further down the road to the start of the village. But it is authentic in that the people who live there are indeed Miao! Although unlike the other old towns I’ve been to so far, this one is completely in the countryside, surrounded by rice fields and crops, so it has quite a different feel to it, that rural charm.
I did regret booking a room way up on the hill on a 95 degree day though, not ideal, and I’m overpacked as I packed most of my stuff from Cambodia. It’s difficult because some of these places have almost no signage, certainly no English signage, so I walked into what I thought was my guesthouse, but there was nobody around, no one responding to messages, so I just kind of wandered around until a man finally rocked up with his bag of produce. Fortunately this was the right place! Most of these smaller guesthouses nobody speaks any English but I can usually check in alright without having to use the translator. I mean I probably should use the translator, I just don’t want to. He showed me to the room which large windows overlooking a small side river running to the main river in town. Not bad for under $20.
Everyday there is cultural dance show at 2pm so I went down to check it out. Why they do the one daily show at 2pm is beyond me, because it’s scorching hot, so all the people in the know got there early to snag all the shady spots. I’m sure it sucks for all the dancers as well. I think I made it 10 minutes into the this show I’d seen enough, it was just too damn hot and I find these type of dance shows a bit off putting, turning your cultural traditions into tourist attractions. But that’s what the people want.
I felt like I got there too early in the day, there just isn’t much to do during the day, walking around, sweating. All the girls were out on the riverbanks and the bridges getting their photos in. I don’t know how all they keep their makeup looking good in the midday heat. This town is of a course a giant cosplay arena for women, everyone all dressed in their ceremonial Miao outfits. Meanwhile the real Miao people just wear much simpler clothing and and a simple headscarf for the women.
The ironic thing is China just passed an ethnic unity law, saying no other languages may be taught in school besides Mandarin, among other things, but it is clearly meant to pressure minority cultures (particularly in Xinjiang and Tibet) into a more Han and Party centered national identity. So they’re outwardly “celebrating” minority cultures by encouraging all this dress up stuff, while trying to slowly erode their cultures from within. Although I guess pretty standard for a government that has a one unified China policy, that has long been giving Han Chinese moving incentives to minority majority provinces like Xinjiang and Tibet to dilute their populations. Moving on…
I ended up stopping in McDonalds for ice cream, yes there is a friggen McDonalds inside Xijjiang Miao Minority Village if that gives you any indication of how commercialized it is! And off to a coffee shop edit some photos. And then a short nap. Very exciting stuff I know!
I’d reemerge when it was getting close to sunset. The popular thing to do is go up the hill on the other side of town and get a photo overlooking the village when all the lights come on. There’s a look out point half a mile from the river, and there’s free shuttle buses to get you there. It’s half a mile! 800 meters! With nice views! Yet everyone crams onto these shuttle buses, because most Chinese are just absolutely allergic to walking if they don’t have to. Long line at the escalator (going down) or have the option to take the stairs? Escalator line every time. Walk through a beautiful old forest or take the shuttle bus? Shuttle bus!
So this shuttle bus drops you off at this insanely overcrowded viewpoint, meanwhile you can walk 5 minutes up the road and up to a short boardwalk and there is nobody there! Amazing. So it was nice and peaceful watching the lights turn on and the blue hour coming. I walked back down later on the main viewing platform, it was so crowded you couldn’t even get to the railing to get a photo haha.
My own little viewpoint with no people around
After that it was some more wandering around and finding a restaurant to try one of the Miao signature dishes, a sweet and sour fish soup, suan tang yu. I’m sure I paid too much money, but it was pretty tasty. And that was about all for XiJiang Miao Minority Village. I’d have some time to relax in the morning, then it was a train to the capital, Guiyang, and then another to the town of Tongzi.
