This trip will be unlike any before, I told myself as I packed my bags. "Songtao" and "Miaowangcheng" are my destinations this time. These are two place names that seem to be full of mystery. It may be that they are too deeply poisoned by certain literary works. When talking about Miaoxiang, I always talk to Miao girls. Words such as , poison, seedling medicine, and cave burial are associated together. It is really mysterious and magical, and it is so attractive that it makes me excited when I think about it.



I like to share my travel experience with you. As long as you are patient, I would like to tell you all the stories on the road.

For more stories, welcome to follow my Sina Weibo: @途图行

During the journey, record what you see and hear with pictures



【Pack your bags】
1. According to the weather forecast, Songtao has a large temperature difference between morning and evening. In addition to preparing a shirt, I also brought a light down jacket. But in fact it is not very cold, a jacket is enough, a shirt or a thin T-shirt at noon is enough.
2. Various certificates
3. Toiletries, hair dryer
4. The climate of Songtao is changeable, and rain gear should be prepared.

【Photography Equipment】
1. Body Sony a7m2, a6300
2. Lens 16-35, 70-200, 28
3. Related accessories: tripod, medium gray gradient mirror, light reducing mirror, CPL polarizing mirror, batteries
4. DJI Mavic Pro Drone
5. YI 4K action camera





What first attracted me to Guizhou was the color of the sky. Looking up at the pure blue, there is a sense of happiness that seems to be within reach. After arriving in Songtao, I found that the sky is not the only thing that is beautiful. The color scheme of the entire Songtao town is worth admiring: mountains, forests, tidal flats, wilderness, bluestones, wooden houses, and even the navy blue clothes that grandma hangs on the railings. The charm is natural. The simple mountain people had no intention of planting willows, but they didn't know that they were already in the realm of harmony between man and nature.









For the five-day and four-night itinerary, because of the difference in climate between the two regions, I brought a little more clothes, plus equipment and luggage. After getting off the plane at Tongren Phoenix Airport, I rushed directly to the hotel. On the evening of February 25th, I was covered in dust. The servant finally arrived at the Tongren State Guesthouse. He had no time to care, so he fell back to rest and recharge his energy for the next trip.



In the early morning of February 26, I drove to Songtao with my friends who had assembled, and went to the first destination of this trip, "Miaowang City".



Miaowang City is located in Zhengda Township, Songtao Miao Autonomous County, Guizhou Province. It was built in the early years of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty. The core scenic area covers an area of ​​10 square kilometers and is known as "the first village in Miaojiang for thousands of miles". It is the hometown of the famous Miao songs, the hometown of Miao people, and the hometown of folk stunts. At the same time, it is also a village scenic spot supported by the National Tourism Administration. --Excerpt from Sogou Encyclopedia



Entering Miaowang City, there will be a Miao girl singing at the door to welcome guests. If you can make a successful match, you will be presented with a bowl of Miaojia rice wine




Entering Miaowang City, the first feeling is the word "weird". The terrain of Miaowang City is dangerous, so the city's construction mainly considers the defense function of war.




Rows upon rows of stilted buildings, seemingly illogical city gates and village gates, make people like me, who grew up in the land of Qilu and are used to government-style buildings, very uncomfortable. But walking, I found a strange beauty in this seemingly disorderly building complex.







The accompanying local people introduced: Miaowang City’s architecture is self-contained, built by the ancestors of the Miao people here. The ancient king city is also a unique style of China's "Southern Great Wall". It is one of the few well-protected ancient royal cities in the country, and has high value for viewing, protection and tourism.





When you come to Miaowang City, you will know that "going up the mountain of swords and going down into the sea of ​​fire" is no longer an exaggerated oath. Our Miao guys will show you with their strength. A wooden pillar about 20 meters long stands high in the center of the dam. Sharp knives are placed on both sides at equal distances. Taking a closer look, the cold silver steel blade shone with a cold light, making one's scalp tingle.








On the stage, Miao's elder brother used wonderful stunts such as burning himself with fire, combining immortals with bamboo, climbing the mountain of knives, and lifting rice on the scale, which attracted the audience to scream and applaud. Singing across the bank, singing and dancing, the Miao folk songs and dances with various styles have staged a shocking visual feast for us.







Lunch was settled at the villager's house in the stockade. They ate very local folk dishes. The farmers were very enthusiastic and used the freshest local ingredients. Some of them still cannot remember their names, but their flavors are special and memorable.






After visiting Miaowang City, I wanted to go to Hongshi Fort, but I didn’t expect that the weather was not beautiful, and the light rain would keep the guests, so I put the itinerary of Red Stone Fort on the next day.






On February 27, drive to Red Rock Fort. Hongshi Fort is located in Dejiang County. We drove all the way there, and the mountain road was very rugged. We joked that it felt like a big girl doing a sedan chair.





Dejiang County is known as the "Hometown of Nuo Opera", and the original wild customs of ethnic minorities are very well preserved. But this place has not been developed yet, and there is only one way to get there by car. If you want to feel the ethnic customs of the millennium, it is recommended to take a look.





Return from Hongshibao to Xiangshuidong Village, a very small Miao village with few residents. You can climb up to the observation deck specially built for the development of tourism in the village, and you can overlook the whole village. is pretty. Approaching the village, every family has water, and there are fields beside the water. Walking in it, there is a bit of the charm of small bridges and flowing water, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.


Go all the way down the plank road to explore the Peach Blossom Spring as written in Tao Yuanming's text. The terraced fields are full of rapeseed flowers, and young oysters with green leaves grow just for the moment when the flowers bloom. I secretly imagined in my heart what kind of beauty it should be here when the flowers bloom. If I have a chance, when the rape blossoms are in bloom, I hope to have a glimpse of this wonderland.



















On February 28, set off early in the morning and rush to Zhaiying Ancient Town. Zhaiying Ancient Town was once the place where Zhu Zhen, the sixth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, stationed troops. It is the largest and best-preserved ancient building complex in the Fanjingshan area.



The ruins of the ancient city wall, ancient city gate, water gate wharf, ancient stone slab streets, eight major shops, barrel houses, and guild halls are well preserved. The bustling and prosperous scene of the year can be expected from this. ancient town.




On the 13th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, in Zhaiying Ancient Town, I saw the most magnificent dragon dance feast I have ever seen in my life. More than 80 yellow-green dragons came from afar, crossed the wall, passed through the alleys, and rolled in the river , rejoicing by the river, the atmosphere of the New Year is undoubtedly revealed. The thousand-year-old rolling dragon folk art is well-deserved, and Zhaiying Ancient Town deserves the reputation of "the hometown of Chinese rolling dragon art".














There is a long table banquet in the village, and the whole street is a feast of flowing water. You can sit and eat as you please, drink a sip of Miao people's brewed wine, listen to a Miao song, and watch the giant dragon in front of you while watching the fireworks all over the sky. , This is a lively year that I haven't seen for a long time in my memory.




Throughout the entire ancient town, there are not many modern buildings made of cement and red bricks. They are antique and the ancient buildings are very well preserved. The Qingshiban Road that runs through the streets has not been damaged by cars and horses. Stepping into it, it seems that you can travel back to the Ming Dynasty through time. In the morning, the brilliant shock of the gold and iron horses seemed to linger in my ears.







Zhai Ying




On the morning of March 1, head to Qianlong Cave. Qianlong Cave is located in Qianlong Village, Wuluo Town, Songtao Miao Autonomous County. It is the highest-altitude ancient karst cave group in the Wuling Mountains, and it is also a rare group of ancient karst caves that grew in dolomite layers billions of years ago.



It is also the unexpected joy of my trip to Songtao, the underground palace bred by the typical karst landform environment. The karst cave has a constant temperature of 16 degrees all year round. It is warm in winter and cool in summer. It is suitable for visiting in all seasons. The uncanny workmanship of nature is amazing.





I believe that many people know that Qianlong Cave is the news that "a man kicked and broke hundreds of millions of years of stalactites with three legs" last year. After we arrived at the scenic spot, we asked about the follow-up of the incident. Increased protective measures. But if you really want to prevent such incidents from happening, it still depends on the personal quality of tourists. We take it for granted that quality is a good thing, but it is a pity that some people don't have it.










In the afternoon, drive to Dawan Village. Dawan Village is an authentic Miao Village style, and there are not many tourists from other places.







The village still maintains many traditional living habits of the Miao people. Walking on the uneven stone paths and passing through the streets and alleys, the smell of the year has not faded, the New Year pictures on the door are still bright red, and the wooden houses pass through the wind. Blowing the sun has a taste of the years. The traditional life of the indigenous Miao family is slow and beautiful, as if traveling back to the relics of history.





It just so happened that someone in the village was having a wedding. The host warmly invited me, a foreigner, to the wedding banquet. It is a Miao wedding with ethnic characteristics. I didn’t want to take out my camera to disturb them. I just kept it in my heart. The warmest place on the trip.



What first attracted me to Guizhou was the color of the sky. Looking up at the pure blue, there is a sense of happiness that seems to be within reach. After arriving in Songtao, I found that the sky is not the only thing that is beautiful. The color scheme of the entire Songtao town is worth admiring: mountains, forests, tidal flats, wilderness, bluestones, wooden houses, and even the navy blue clothes that grandma hangs on the railings. The charm is natural. The simple mountain people had no intention of planting willows, but they didn't know that they were already in the realm of harmony between man and nature.






1. Songtao Miao Autonomous County (referred to as Songtao), a county under the jurisdiction of Tongren City, Guizhou Province. It is about 80 kilometers away from Tongren City.
2. In terms of transportation, Tongren Phoenix Airport is located in Daxing Town, Songtao County at the junction of Guizhou and Hunan provinces, and the Yuhuai Railway passes through Dalu Township, Mengxi Town, Pujue Town, Shabahe Township, Niu Seven townships (towns) including Lang Town, 23 administrative villages (including 3 Miao villages), Songtao Railway Station, formerly Mengxi Station, located in Mengxi Town, Songtao Miao Autonomous County, Tongren City, Guizhou Province, about 33 kilometers away from Songtao County kilometer. It belongs to Yuhuai Line. There is also a high-speed railway station in the urban area of ​​Tongren, which belongs to the Shanghai-Kunming Railway Passenger Dedicated Line. In Songtao County, Fengda Expressway (Hangrui Expressway), Xiushan-Songtao Expressway in Guizhou (Xiusong Expressway), and Songtong Expressway (Songcong Expressway) pass through.
3. The Zhaiying Rolling Cage Art Festival is held on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month every year. It is a fixed feast in Zhaiying Ancient Town. Friends who want to go can choose this day.
4. The customs of the Miao people are intoxicating, but some scenic spots in this trip are still in the original state of development or even undeveloped, which is more suitable for hikers or self-driving tours.





The eight bowls of the Miao family are one of the most well-preserved cuisines of the Miao nationality. The ancient Miao nationality has formed a unique food culture in the process of continuous migration. The ingredients of the eight bowls come from the gifts of nature, such as Miaojia sour soup fish, red cakes, pine and cypress bacon, and Babao tribute rice. . . The eight delicacies, put on the bed one by one, are enough to whet the appetite and want to stop. If you can drink, a small pot of rice wine brewed by the Miao family will be full of happiness.




The Miao people are warm and hospitable, bold and honest. They entertain guests during festivals, weddings and celebrations. They will put eight bowls of local vegetables on the table of the Eight Immortals. Now the eight bowls have become one of the grand expressions of receiving foreign guests. Bowl for drinking. There are many authentic Badawan shops in Songtao, so you must not miss it.










Although Songtao is only an ethnic autonomous county, there are many hotels to choose from, with various price points and styles. We chose Songtao International Hotel for this trip. It is located on the banks of the Songjiang River in the county seat. It is a very good local hotel with meticulous service and a panoramic view of the night view. The most surprising thing is the massage chair in the room. One day when I returned to the hotel, I went to the massage chair, and it was as comfortable as if I was not in this world.