Guiyang overview

The capital of the Guizhou province, Guiyang, sits atop dark hills that make it a natural fortress. The city is a gateway to the culture, history and splendid topography of southwest China although local comparisons with Kunming are off the mark. Guiyang is a spring city, and the temperate climate is attractive. The relative lack of major tourism also keeps the city an almost-pristine base for which to explore the rugged countryside, where minority cultures flourish. Guizhou remains a poor and ramshackle mix of jagged, labyrinthine rock heaps that will harden the most ardent trekker. A night in the strategic embarkation point of Guiyang is not as bad as it once was, but don’t expect glitz or glamour, as the drab gray buildings and motley assortment of rural workers lure few to downtown for longer than one day.