Extending for 350km between Guiyang and the border with Yunnan province, Western Guizhou is a desperately poor region of beautiful mountainous country and depressingly functional mining towns. Anshun is a transit hub for visiting Bouyei villages, the tourist magnets of Longgong Caves and Huangguoshu Falls and the remoter, more spectacular Zhijin Caves. All routes west from Anshun ultimately lead to Yunnan’s capital, Kunming, whether you travel by bus along one of the three highways or – more comfortably – take the train. The only place worth a special stopover along the way is the northwesterly wildfowl sanctuary of Caohai – being poled around this shallow lake on a sunny day is one of Guizhou’s highlights.
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Caohai
Caohai
The land northwest of Anshun forms a tumultuous barrier of jagged peaks and deep valleys, all tamed by the Guiyang–Kunming road and rail line, both masterpieces of engineering. The reason to head up this way is to catch wintering birdlife at Caohai (草海, căohăi) the “Grass Lake”, which fills about a 5km-broad shallow basin, the core of a regional nature reserve. Wintering wildfowl shelter here in huge numbers, including 400 rare black-necked cranes (黑颈鹤, hēijĭng hè). Walk down to the lake and you’ll be approached by touts wanting to take you out on a boat trip. The Chinese head first for a meal at the hamlet of Longjia (龙家, lóngjiā) on the far shore, famed for its food. On a sunny day, Caohai’s overall tranquillity is a complete break with daily life in China; wintering cranes often hang out in the shallows near the shore and are not too hard to catch on camera.
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Longgong Caves
Longgong Caves
Longgong Caves (龙宫洞, lónggōng dòng) lie 28km from Anshun’s west bus station; you could be dropped at either entrance, which are about 5km apart. From the nearer, western gate, you begin by being ferried down a river between willows and bamboo to a small knot of houses; walk through the arch, bear left, and it’s 250m up some steps to Guanyin Dong (观音洞, guānyīn dòng), a broad cave filled with Buddhist statues. A seemingly minor path continues around the entrance but this is the one you want: it leads through a short cavern lit by coloured lights, then out around a hillside to Jiujiu Tun – site of an old guard post – and Yulong Dong (玉龙洞, yùlóng dòng), a large and spectacular cave system through which a guide will lead you. Out the other side, a small river enters Long Gong (Dragon’s Palace) itself, a two-stage boat ride through tall, flooded caverns picked out with florid lighting, exiting the caves into a broad pool at Longgong’s eastern entrance.
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Zhijin Caves
Zhijin Caves
About 100km from Anshun (3hr) or 150km from Guiyang (4hr 30min) – there’s direct traffic from either – the dismal country town of ZHIJIN (织金, zhījīn) sits among some gorgeous limestone pinnacles, beneath which are the astounding Zhijin Caves (织金洞, zhījīn dòng), which lie 25km northeast. The immensely impressive caves are absolutely worth the money; tours with Chinese commentary last a solid two hours and wind through untold numbers of caverns, the largest of which is 240m long, 170m wide and 60m high.
