Backpacking---Yangshuo to Kaili

 Location:North Guangxi - Southeast Guizhou

Attractions:Yangshuo to Kaili is one of China's best and most rewarding backpacking routes. This route offer good payoffs for time, effort and expense to those who'd love to explore Chinese countryside and cultural diversity.

Minorities' traditions

China's cultural variety is so concentrated in the southeast of Guizhou and northeast Guangxi where different ethnic minorities live peacefully. Generally, Dong villages set along river valleys while Miao villages are scattered on the hills.

Most minorities have their own peculiar traditions with guests. The most common traditions that one will encounter relate to dining and living practices.

Dining:The Dongs' tradition is that the womenfolk do not dine at the table with their guests. They will dine after the guests had finished their meals. The meals are normally accompanied by rice wine. The Miaos womenfolk do dine with their guests. As with Dongs, meals are accompanied by rice wine. The Miaos are great drinkers and they normally consume generous amounts of wine during dinner especially when there are guests.

Living: Both Dongs and Miaos have a tradition of not allowing their male and female guests in the same room. This applies to married couples as well; even married relatives must sleep in different rooms. It is believed that ancestors will be unhappy when guests of different sexes stay in the same room.

Accommodations

Except Yangshuo and Kaili, all the towns and villages rarely have any real star-standard hotels. So-called "luxury" hotels that are supposedly of 2 or 3-star quality are normally owned by local governments. Unfortunately few of these live up to their star ratings. Furthermore most of them are located far away from long distance bus stations. Group tourists and guests of local government frequent these hotels. There are plenty of simple hotels near the bus station in the town on this route, offering double room with hot shower and flush toilet at Y40 to Y60.