6 days Guizhou Sisters' Meal festival Tour - Year of 2025/2026

Guiyang
⇀ Kaili
⇀ Rongjiang
⇀ Congjiang
⇀ Zhaoxing
Celebrate the vibrant Sisters' Meal Festival for two days in Guizhou Taijiang, then explore the ethnic villages of Rongjiang and Zhaoxing, discovering the rich traditions, architecture, and stunning landscapes of the Miao and Dong minorities.
Type
Private
Duration
6 days
Theme
Festival
Trip code
GE-06
Price
From CN¥ 5,300 per person
The Sisters’ Meal Festival, often referred to as China’s oldest “Valentine’s Day,” is an annual celebration of the Miao minority people in southeast Guizhou, particularly in Taijiang, Laotun, and Shidong. In 2025, the festival is scheduled from April 12 to 14. Traditionally, it served as a courtship event where unmarried Miao men and women could meet and form relationships. Participants don traditional Miao costumes adorned with intricate embroidery and silver accessories, engaging in vibrant dances, music performances, and other festive activities. Today, the Sisters’ Meal Festival has evolved into a lively cultural event, showcasing the rich traditions of the Miao people and attracting visitors from around the world.
Day 01 :
11 April 2025 / 30 April 2026: Guiyang - Kaili, about 3 hours’ drive

Upon arrival at the airport or railway station of Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou, be greeted by your local guide. Then drive to Kaili, the largest city in southeastern Guizhou and the center of Miao culture, where you will get into nearby ethnic minority villages to join in the grandest Sister’s Meal Festival in the following days. Stay overnight at Kaili.

Day 02 :
12 April 2025 / 01 May 2026: Attending Sisters’ Meal Festival in Taijiang, about 2 hours’ drive

In the morning, you will head to Taijiang County to admire the opening ceremony of the Sisters’ Meal Festival. Sisters’ Meal Festival, known as the oldest Valentine’s Day in China, is a pageant for young people to look for a soulmate, as well as a celebration of love and spring. During the festival, you will be able to see Miao girls dressed up in beautiful ethnic costumes with exquisite embroidery and startling silver ornaments. Except for the interactivity between the single men and women by singing and dancing, you can also appreciate bullfighting, wooden-drum dancing, traditional Miao performances, and Lusheng music. Stay overnight at Kaili.

Day 03 :
13 April 2025 / 02 May 2026: Attending Sisters’ Meal Festival in Laotun, about 3-4 hours’ drive

Today, you will spend a whole day in Laotun to join in the Sisters’ Meal Festival. In Laotun, you can see how the Miao girls made the “sisters’ rice'' - colored rice dyed naturally by fresh wildflowers and leaves, how they prepare their silver ornaments, and how they dress up for the festival. Sometimes the festival preparation process is more interesting than the festival itself. In the late afternoon, drive back to Kaili. Stay overnight at Kaili.

Day 04 :
14 April 2025 / 03 May 2026: Kaili - Rongjiang, about 5 hours’ drive

After breakfast, pay a leisure visit to explore Miao's history and culture in Upper Langde Miao Village, which is considered to be the live museum of Miao Culture. This village is surrounded by mountains and rivers and boasts wooden stilt houses, winding mountain paths, and well-preserved Wind and Rain Bridge. Visit a local Miao family and have lunch in a Miao wooden house. In the afternoon, you can visit the traditional ceramics mills near Leishan. On the way to Rongjiang, visit the terraced rice fields in Kaitun and other Miao and Dong villages. Stay overnight at Rongjiang.

Day 05 :
15 April 2025 / 04 May 2026: Rongjiang - Congjiang - Zhaoxing, about 3.5 hours’ drive

Visit a morning market in Rongjiang, then you will move to Congjiang to visit the Basha Miao Village where China's last tribe of gunmen lives. Despite strict gun control laws in the rest of China, each man in this tribe is allowed to keep their guns. But today it is only for hunting wild animals, and it becomes a symbol of being a man in this Miao tribe. In Basha, local Miao men still have long hair and make a topknot, around which the other hair is shaved by a sharp sickle. Afterward, you will continue the way to Zhaoxing, where you will visit one of the largest Dong ethnic minority villages, Zhaoxing Dong Village. In the evening, you will enjoy the Dong Chorus. All Dong people are good at singing, so they are natural singers. Stay overnight at Zhaoxing.

Day 06 :
16 April 2025 / 05 May 2026: Zhaoxing - Tang'an, Departure via Congjiang Train Station, end the trip.

After breakfast, you will head to explore Tang’an Dong village. Settled at a mountainside and surrounded by terraced fields and lush greens, Tang’an village is the miniature of all Dong villages in the southern dialect region. Hiking down the hills to Zhaoxing from Tang’an village takes about 2 hours, and you will also pass through some other Dong villages on the way. Afterward, drive back to Congjiang Train Station, where you can board a train to your next destination, such as Guilin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, or Guiyang.

Note: The terraced landscape surrounding Tang’an varies greatly depending on the season, influenced by irrigation, harvests, and weather, ensuring a unique and beautiful experience every month.

Tour notes:

All of our tours can be customized to suite your requirements, interests and budget. It is our specialty! Please feel free to contact us.
The tour price is based on 3 star standard hotels. At your request we can provide pricing for different levels of service such as budget hostel, luxury 4 star standard hotels or deluxe 5 star standard hotels.
Please note prices are based in CNY.

General inclusions:

2 bottles of mineral water provided daily.
All required government taxes and fees.
Domestic travel accident insurance.
If you have any questions please inquire with one of our Travel Advisors.
Meals allowance for your guide and driver.
Please contact one of our Tour Advisors to get a custom quotation made to your requirements.
3 Stars hotel (shared twin room, private bathroom and daily breakfast)
All entrance tickets as noted in the tour's itinerary.
Guide fluent in English, Chinese or Japanese that is certified by the state tourism build and from the local community. (If your native language is not listed please let us know, we are certain we can assist your needs.)
Airport and/or train station pick-up and drop-off.
Transportation will we be provided via a comfortable and clean car, minivan or tourist bus depending upon the groups size.

General exclusions:

Personal expenses such as laundry, drinks, internet access, fax, telephone calls etc.
Tips for your guide and driver.
Flight and/or railway ticket(s) to the first city of the tour and departure from the last city of the tour.
Meals not specified in the itinerary.

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