14 Days in Qujing

Two famous stones anchor the city — the Cuan Baizi stele cut in 405 CE and the 971 alliance stele, both sheltered in school pavilions downtown. Then Kylin Park's hill and the evening flower-and-herb market.

1. qujing cuan baizi stele
2. qujing kylin park

Peak bloom runs mid-February to mid-March across about 800,000 mu (roughly 53,000 ha) of fields; the Golden Rooster hills give the sunrise panorama, and Niujie's snail-shell terraces fold the yellow into rings.

1. qujing luoping rapeseed fields
2. qujing luosi terraces

Ten tiers of falls line about 2 km of the Jiulong river; the Shenlong fall drops 56 m over a 110 m lip. Boardwalks link the pools — allow half a day, back to Qujing by evening.

1. qujing jiulong falls

Sand pinnacles striped in red, yellow and white spread over an area of about 25 square kilometers; on the same plain the Cuan Longyan stele of 458 CE still stands in its pavilion — the two Cuan stones bookend an era.

1. qujing colored sand forest
2. qujing cuan longyan stele

A county seat since 135 BC and a Qing copper-shipping hub, Huize keeps guild halls from eight provinces along its lanes; Tang Jiyao, born here in 1883, kept a residence too. Overnight in the old town.

1. qujing huize ancient city

Sheep pastures roll from 3,000 m toward the 4,017.3 m top of Guniu Zhai; morning clouds fill the valleys far below. Warm layers all year — it can hover near freezing up top even in July. Roads wind, so leave Huize early.

1. qujing dahai grassland

On Maxiong Mountain (2,444 m) in Zhanyi, a cave mouth feeds the river that runs 2,320 km to the sea near Guangdong. A short climb and a marker stone; back to Qujing with the evening free.

1. qujing pearl river source

The two-year cured ham took a gold medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition; market halls grade the legs, and lunch is a ham-laced noodle bowl. About two hours north by car or bus.

1. qujing xuanwei ham trail

An honest neighbor day — under an hour of HSR to Kunming, then the pinnacles of the Stone Forest, part of the South China Karst World Heritage listing of 2007. Return to Qujing at night.

1. kunming

An honest neighbor day, about two hours east onto the Guizhou line — high pastures around 2,500 m on the Wumeng plateau with long views and wind farms, back to Qujing by night.

1. liupanshui

The mid-1400s Ming gateway marks the old Yunnan-Guizhou boundary; its carved boundary arch and post-road stones survive. En-route lunch in Fuyuan town, back by afternoon.

1. qujing shengjing pass

Junzi Hill's azalea thickets peak in April-May, its tops near 2,400 m; the gorge below stays cool even in summer. Return through Shizong's county town for a late lunch.

1. qujing junzi hill

A deliberate quiet day — hill paths, teahouse hours, and the night market's grilled tofu and rice-flour grills before packing.

1. qujing kylin park

A noodle breakfast and a last market loop, then Qujing South — Kunming in under an hour, Guiyang and Changsha on the same line.

1. qujing city markets