14 Days in Bijie

The 2019 Chengdu-Guiyang HSR stops at Bijie and Dafang; the museum introduces the Ming-era Yi leader Shexiang, who died in 1396, and the rebuilt Yi-heritage town beside it.

1. bijie shexiang museum
2. bijie muege ancient town

The wild belt stretches some 50 kilometres across 125.8 square kilometres of hills; the bloom runs from late March through April, with the Puding and Jinpo viewing loops.

1. bijie baili azalea

A slow reservoir day between Dafang and Qianxi — island points, ferry landings and orchard lanes in the Wujiang headwater country.

1. bijie zhiga alu lake

A slow day of wet-market breakfasts, buckwheat snacks and a riverfront nap before the eastern block.

1. bijie city markets

About 90 minutes south-east, the 12.1-kilometre cave system walks some 6.6 kilometres of chambers and a canyon mouth with a natural skylight.

1. bijie zhijin cave
2. bijie zhijin grand canyon

A town day in Zhijin — the Qing-era Caishen temple built in 1783 stands above the lanes, its three-tiered eaves a county landmark; visit it as a building, quietly.

1. bijie caishen temple

East to Qianxi for the boat stretch of the Wujiang reservoir gorge and the riverside Miao village of Huawu, famous for its embroidered sleeves and cliff-side lanes.

1. bijie wujiang source gallery

Two and a half hours west to the 2,170-metre plateau lake, a national reserve since 1992 — from November to March around 2,000 black-necked cranes winter on the shallows. Overnight in Weining.

1. bijie caohai reserve

At Hezhang county, the 2,777-metre summit is the highest point of Guizhou; in August and September the wild chive meadows of the Da platform turn violet on the drive back.

1. bijie jiucaiping

North-west to the tripoint where Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou meet at a bend of the Chishui river country — viewpoints, a ferry crossing and strong-maize spirits country.

1. bijie jiming sanxing

Markets, a long mutton-soup lunch and a riverside stroll — the last excursion block starts tomorrow.

1. bijie city markets

An honest neighbour-city day — the summer "cool capital" whose averages run about 19.7 degrees, and the Tuole village of thousand-year ginkgo trees at its best in late October.

1. liupanshui tuole ginkgo village

By rail to the waterfall city — the 77.8-metre, 101-metre-wide fall behind its water-curtain cave, an honest day in the neighbour prefecture Anshun.

1. huangguoshu waterfall

A wet-market breakfast of buckwheat cakes and mutton soup, a slow loop of the riverfront, then the HSR from Bijie station.

1. bijie city markets