Guide for a Tour of the Maling River Scenic Area

By YANG LIBO

The main high points of this tour are sightseeing in the Maling River Valley, rift valley drifting, a visit to the Bouyei village, and the Guizhou Wedding Customs Museum.

One-day Tour:

Visit the Tianxing Gallery in the Maling River Valley in the morning and drift along the Maling River in the afternoon.

Two-day Tour:

First day: Visit the Tianxing Gallery in the morning, and drift along the Maling River in the afternoon.

Second day: Visit the Guizhou Ethnic Wedding Customs Museum, Wanfenglin, and Guizhouchun Brewery in the morning, and see the tallest dyke in Asia, before taking a boat out on Wanfeng Lake in the afternoon.

Three-day Tour:

First day: Visit the Tianxing Gallery in the morning, and go drifting in the afternoon.

Second day: Visit Wanfenglin, the Guizhou Ethnic Wedding Customs Museum, and Guizhouchun Brewery in the morning, and see the tallest dyke in Asia, then take a boat out on Wanfeng Lake in the afternoon.

Third day: See a song and dance performance in a Bouyei village in the morning, and a White Miao ethnic minority song and dance performance in the afternoon.

Price:

Tourists join the villagers as they dance under a giant banyan tree.

32 yuan admission per person to each scenic area.

160 yuan per person for drifting on the upper reaches (26 km); 108 yuan per person for drifting on the midddle reaches (13.8 km); and 136 yuan per person drifting on the lower reaches (22.4 km).

Hotel and Travel Service:

Xingyi Hotel (3-star, Tel: 0859-3111276)

Panjiang Hotel (2-star, Tel: 0859-3223456)

Chengcheng Tower (2-star, Tel: 0859-3112222)

Xingyi Travel Service (0859-3242205)

Yunhai Travel Service (0859-3222682)

Nanyue Travel Service (0859-3246017)

Hualong Travel Service (0859-3242381)

Xiuxian Travel Service (0859-3111278)

Shenzhou Travel Service (0859-3294668)

Jiaotong Travel Service (0859-3227306)

Local Specialties:

Experiencing the local ethnic folklore by boat.

Xingyi City is known for its local snacks, including "shuabatou", "gangzimian" and mutton noodles. The white spirit produced by the Guizhouchun Brewery makes a good gift for friends and relatives. Other souvenirs include handicrafts made from Zibao stones in Xingren, ties decorated with Miao ethnic embroidery in Anlong, the Chinese prickly ash spice in Zhenfeng, as well as clothes of the Bouyei and Miao ethnic styles in Anlong and Zhenfeng.

Tips:

The best tourism season in Xingyi is from May to October, and the ideal period for drifting is from July to September. An all-around tour may take three to five days.

The tourism sector in Xingyi City is under good management. The hotel personnel, tour guides and boatmen are all well trained.

When going drifting, do not bring a camera or video with you. Drifting maybe dangerous for those who suffer from hypertension or heart disease.