Guizhou Highland Hiking in Haiping Yi Town: Torch Festival, Trails & Highland Secrets
Introduction
When dawn breaks through the mist of northwest Guizhou, the red, yellow and black Yi totems glint beneath wooden eaves and Haiping awakens. This is not a stage set but a living Yi cultural museum—behind gates decorated with cattle and sheep horns, girls in pleated embroidered skirts ladle home-brewed zajiǔ, and the stone slabs of the torch-square still bear last night’s embers. Hidden yet radiant, Haiping blends millennia of Yi tradition, the raw scent of highland forests, and modern comfort. Pack a bonfire evening, a bowl of sour soup, and a mountain hike to touch this fierce ethnic spirit.
1. Soul Distilled: An Immersive Living Exhibition of Yi Culture
A “wall-less Yi epic museum” captures Haiping’s essence. Unlike commercialized folk-villages, Haiping grows from genuine Yi settlement patterns. Buildings follow the traditional “three-color culture”: flame-red, earth-yellow, and history-black. Horn-shaped totems under the eaves encode ancient agrarian meaning.
World-class cultural details are everywhere:
– Thousand-household Yi village: The staggered stilt houses are not replicas but ancestral homes adapted by locals. Painted doorways narrate creation myths such as Zhige Alu.
– Torch Square: An 80-meter-diameter circular plaza laid out according to the Yi solar calendar. A central bronze brazier burns year-round as a symbol of resilience and continuity.
– Living intangible heritage: The nightly staged show “Yi Mountains, Yi Rhythms” (three performances weekly) features ritual dances like Amei Qituo and the multipart folk singing Qubi, performed by village elders and recognized heritage transmitters.
2. Nature and Culture in Tandem: When to Visit and What to See
Best season: June to October (summer cooling plus Torch Festival peak). Autumn’s painted forests and winter frost-rimed trees are also spectacular.
Unmissable moments:
– Lunar June 24 Torch Festival (usually July–August): Asia’s largest Yi torch celebration. Daytime sports—horse racing, wrestling—give way to a nighttime torch procession where tens of thousands carry flames around the village, turning the sky into a dragon of fire.
– Highland sea of clouds: Before dawn, the Yushe Forest Park viewing platform often reveals fog waterfalls cascading through the conifers—photographers’ paradise with an ~80% chance of spectacle.
– Hands-on workshops: Try Yi lacquer painting at the cultural museum or learn to make a jaw harp from buckwheat straw with an elder grandmother.
3. Getting There and Suggested Itineraries
Location:
– Southeast of Shuicheng District, Liupanshui City, about 30 km from the city center (roughly 40 minutes by car). About a 3-hour drive from Guiyang Longdongbao Airport.
Transport tips:
– Independent travelers: Take the Liupanshui train station’s “tourist shuttle” directly to Haiping (one hourly service, fare around CNY 15).
– Private hire: Recommended to connect Yushe Forest Park (8 km) and Yejiping base (15 km); expect about CNY 300 per day.
Classic routes:
– One-day highlights: Morning photos in the thousand-household village → cultural museum visit → long-table lunch → horseback ride at Yejiping → Torch Festival celebration (in season).
– Two-day deeper dive: Add a 5 km Yushe Forest Park hike and a family visit to learn how to cook sour-soup fish.
4. Practical Guide: Eat, Sleep, Play
Tickets & services:
– Town entrance is free; cultural museum CNY 30/person (guided tour included).
– English audio guides require one-day advance reservation (deposit CNY 200).
– Torch Festival event packages available during the festival (approx. CNY 180, includes the long-table feast and performances).
Where to sleep:
– Yi-style homestay (inside the village): Rammed earth walls with underfloor heating, views of terraced fields (from around CNY 500/night in high season).
– Yejiping tent hotel (10 km out): Stargazing dome rooms ideal for photographers.
What to taste:
– Three must-try dishes: buckwheat cakes with honey, tuotuo pork (large chunks of local pork), and sour cabbage with millet soup.
– Hidden gem: Try the local bitter buckwheat beer at the small “AXILIXI” stall by the village edge—pair it with roasted potatoes.
5. Why Haiping Deserves a Special Trip
When most ancient towns have become photo backdrops, Haiping stubbornly preserves living culture. You can touch hand-copied Yi scripture held by a bimo (priest), hear the moon-lute drifting from a real household window, and be pulled into the bonfire circle by welcoming villagers. There is no staged exotica here—only devotion to the land and heartfelt hospitality.
Call to action:
Reserve at least two days for Haiping on your next Guizhou itinerary. When torchlight reddens your cheeks and highland wind passes through ancient totems, you’ll understand: some cultures must be walked with your feet and felt with your heartbeat.
(Approx. 1500 Chinese characters translated and localized.)
