7 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, a marker stone, and the afternoon train from Qujing.

1. qujing pearl river source