Zunyi, Dec 23: More Than Just Maotai
Estela Young
🕌 Overall Itinerary Travel in December 2023 | 4 days 3 nights | ≈ ¥3,800 per person Company team‑building trip; meals and car rental are not included. Airfare and hotel rates may ...
🕌 Overall Itinerary
Travel in December 2023 | 4 days 3 nights | ≈ ¥3,800 per person
Company team‑building trip; meals and car rental are not included. Airfare and hotel rates may have group discounts, so the price is for reference only.
Itinerary Overview
✈️ DAY 1 Beijing → Zunyi, drive to Shierbeihou Scenic Area for check‑in
🏞️ DAY 2 Explore Shierbeihou Scenic Area
🏞️ DAY 3 Drive to Wujiangzhai Scenic Area for sightseeing
✈️ DAY 4 Drive to the airport (passing Maotai Town), fly back to Beijing
Flights
✈️ Outbound – Beijing Capital T2 → Zunyi Maotai CA1491 12:55–16:00
✈️ Return – Zunyi Maotai → Beijing Capital T2 CA1492 17:00–19:45
Hotels
🏨 Shuiyang Shierbeihou Shuanghe Inn
Consider it only in summer; avoid it in winter.
Facilities are average: hot water is intermittent, floor‑type air‑conditioners are noisy, and temperature control is tricky.
🏨 Wujiangzhai Mushan Hotel
Recommended – a high‑end hotel inside the scenic area, not a guesthouse.
It’s about 900 m from the core village (walkable or reachable by the park shuttle).
A modern hotel with new amenities and a decent breakfast.
🏞️ Sightseeing
Shierbeihou Scenic Area
“Shierbeihou” sounds like a strange name, so when I checked in I asked the front desk if it meant anything. The receptionist smiled and said that the twelve characters together form the word “王” (king).
Shierbeihou Scenic Area administers three spots: Shuanghe Cave Geopark, Underground Rift, and Qingxi Gorge.
Qingxi Gorge is known for summer rafting; in winter we visited the first two spots.
Shuanghe Cave is “China’s longest cave,” split into two chambers, with a total walking length of about 5 km, requiring some stamina.
If I had to describe the scenery in one sentence, I’d say it’s where the Little Dragon Girl practices her skills.
My favorite poem there is “Freedom” (《自由》), which was the winning entry in a poetry contest held when a group of poets visited. I think I love it because I long for freedom. 😄
Look at the exit of the first karst cave—look up at the sky and you’ll see a shape that resembles the treasure island of Taiwan.
Between the two caves you must first take a steep cliff ladder (see photo) and then ride a short shuttle bus for a few minutes.
The scenery along the way is rather monotonous, and the walk takes about half an hour, so I recommend the shuttle. No photos were left of the shuttle, so just imagine it yourself!
The lighting in the second cave adds a lot of charm to the scenery. 😄
The last spot is called “Thousand‑People Plaza,” a spacious area inside the cave that can hold a thousand visitors, hence the name. The lighting is beautiful.
In the afternoon we visited the Underground Rift area.
Its scenery resembles Shuanghe Cave, but its highlight is a 1,000‑meter‑long narrow fissure that only one person can squeeze through sideways—the only such underground rift discovered in China so far.
The walking distance is shorter than in the morning, but before entering you have to climb a five‑minute stairway, which can be intimidating. Fortunately the views are worth it.
The underground rift is essentially a “sky‑line” version of a karst cave.
“Millennial Kiss” – it will take a thousand years before the two halves fully meet.
“Legend of the Condor Heroes” (《神雕侠侣》)
Four figures on a pilgrimage to the West (《西天取经四人》)
⟟TOK14⟧
It looks like a “Thousand Buddha”—basically a lot of Guanyin and Buddha statues. 😂
The area also offers a Via Ferrata experience; I didn’t try it, so I can’t comment on the quality. My companions had a great time.
For more information, follow:
Official WeChat account: 十二背后旅游
Official guide: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/UuZwN_m8X8kqxOR359Iaqg
Wujiangzhai Scenic Area
One‑sentence summary: a high‑spec version of “Gubei Water Town.”
Keywords: northern Guizhou folk houses, ethnic minority flair, mountains and water, and very diligent park management.
The night view of the village is the most stunning, but my little iPhone couldn’t capture its beauty.
The architecture inside the village has a distinctive style.
The “Eagle Father and Eagle Mother” are said to be mascots of the area; I saw them many times throughout the park.
Hand‑crafted ornaments sold in the shop were ¥88 each—too pricey for me (though I kind of regret not buying one 😂).
Wujiangzhai hosts performances all day long.
I watched the 5 pm “Solo Bamboo Float” show. In the biting cold, the temperature was around zero degrees.
Solo Bamboo Float is a unique folk art from the Chishui River basin, listed in Guizhou’s third batch of intangible cultural heritage. Performers stand on a single nan bamboo pole and glide over the water as if walking on solid ground.
The performance was spectacular, but I wish they would suspend it in freezing weather (extra money is fine…)—the performers work extremely hard. I was shivering in a thick down jacket, and it was hard to imagine them getting into the water; one performer even slipped in. In such cold, muscles tighten, so staying dry is a challenge.
My first video edit for Bilibili made me an “UP”—so happy!
“World’s No. 1” Maotai
On the last day, on the way to Maotai Airport, we stopped at a quick photo spot: a gigantic Maotai bottle that you can pose with. The fun part is you can shape it however you like—like… pinch it 🤏
Next to it, the “National Liquor Gate” looks impressive, but entry is not allowed. 😂
Maotai Airport
Maotai Airport is small; part of it is under construction and cordoned off, with a display outside about the airport’s development.
Bored while waiting for my flight, I seriously studied the information—though I’ve already forgotten most of it 😂. I only recall that Maotai invested in the airport, and it’s Guizhou’s second “big” airport (big referring to passenger throughput, not area).
At the check‑in counters there are cute little Maotai mascots.
A photo of the airport taken during take‑off (yes, there’s a huge Maotai bottle at the airport).
I also witnessed what “freezing rain” looks like—grass turned into icy needles.
🍜 Food
Honestly, when we voted for the team‑building destination, I chose it for Zunyi lamb noodles.
After arriving, I realized my expectations were modest. Lamb noodles are just the tip of the iceberg—there’s also beef noodles, sour‑fish soup, “tangpi” beef hot pot, “duoduo” noodle hot pot, etc.
If it weren’t for several team meals, I’d have gained another three kilos from Guizhou’s cuisine…
By the way… I bought “Yumeng Hong Sour Soup” at the airport; it makes a fantastic hot pot at home.
I also recommend a Guizhou sour‑soup hot‑pot base a friend suggested—tested and very convenient (you still need to stir‑fry the red sour soup yourself).
🙈 Travel Anecdotes
Guess why I ended up in Chongqing?
It’s a very Chongqing thing.
You might wonder: “Weren’t we going to Zunyi? Why Chongqing?”
Because the flight couldn’t land in Zunyi, so we had to divert to Chongqing.
The plan was to assess the situation after landing and possibly take off again 🛫, but after we touched down we heard the announcement: “All passengers, please deplane.” 😂
Okay, fine. Travel is all about plans being upended by unexpected changes.
Fortunately I rented the car from Yihai; I cancelled the original reservation for free and booked a new one in Chongqing.
Getting a car in one city and returning it in another for free (pick up in Chongqing, drop off in Zunyi) is a great deal—highly recommend Yihai for rental cars!
What? I actually won a Maotai bottle!
Thanks to a friend’s tip, I learned that passengers on flights to/from Maotai Airport can enter a draw for a 53‑degree “Flying Sky” Maotai.
It’s not a free giveaway; you purchase the bottle at its regular price of ¥1,499.
I wasn’t hopeful, but the astonishing 60 % win rate surprised me—especially since I’m usually a “lottery‑immune” person.
Well, luck was on my side, so I splurged a bit.
How to enter the draw:
A serious reminder:
- You must submit the entry; no submission means no chance.
- Submit by 23:30 on the day before the flight.
- Fill in the flight number correctly—don’t mix it up.
Don’t ask me how I know 😂
That’s a wrap on my Guizhou‑Zunyi trip.
Guizhou has been working hard to develop tourism in recent years; I hope we meet again soon.
Next time, I’ll definitely eat Guizhou sour‑soup hot pot!
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Originally written by Estela Young and published in Chinese on 一只产品汪的自白. Translated and edited for DriftSeas with permission.