Baili Rhododendron Scenic Area

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Overview

“Baili” of “Baili Rhododendron Scenic Area” is Chinese Pinyin, which is a quantifier indicating the length. “Bai” means 100, and 1 li is equal to 500 meters; then Baili is approximately equal to 50 kilometers.

Baili Rhododendron Scenic Area is in a long and narrow hilly area. It is distributed with 41 species of Rhododendron, including Rhododendron lantana, Rhododendron dewdrops, Rhododendron sylvestris, and also includes all the 5 subgenus of Rhododendron in the world. The most rare thing is that there are 7 different colors of flowers blooming on a same single tree.

From late March to May, all kinds of rhododendrons bloom in full, which cover mountains and plains in various forms and colorful, and it usually takes two days to visit here.

Origin of the name

Baili Rhododendron is like a magnificent natural garden. It is the largest native rhododendron forest ever identified in China. It is about 50 kilometers in length, 1.2 to 5.3 kilometers in width, and a total area of 125.8 square kilometers, so it is called ” Baili Rhododendron Scenic Area”.

Location

Baili Rhododendron Scenic Area is at junction of Dafang County and Qianxi County in the northwest of Guizhou Province. It is 155 kilometers away from Guiyang, the provincial capital, and 210 kilometers away from Caohai Scenic Area, which is about 3 hours’s drive. There are four connecting roads between the park and the main road.

Climate and flowering period

There is no severe cold in winter, no scorching heat in summer in Baili Rhododendron scenic area. It is warm temperate moist monsoon climate with annual average temperature of 11.8°C and annual rainfall of 1150mm

Rhododendrons that grow at high altitudes and low latitudes are in full bloom in late spring of March

Features

·Rhododendrons of dozens of species are distributed in a ring shape on the narrow hills about 50 kilometers long.
·The scenic spot is a place where the Yi and Miao nationalities live together. The flowering period is also days for several ethnic minority festivals. So that while enjoying the beauty of rhododendrons, you can also see colorful ethnic performances.

Other than rhododendrons

Baili Rhododendron Scenic Area is not only a world of rhododendrons, but also a virgin forest tourist attraction where grows towering ancient trees, mountains and rivers, forests, caves, and rare birds and animals inhabit.

There are 104 species of birds and 31 species of beasts in the territory. Among them, the national first-class protected animals include clouded leopard and forest musk deer, and second-class protected animals include pangolin, leopard cat, small civet, golden pheasant, golden pheasant and white-crowned pheasant.

The first-level national protected plants include ginkgo and yew. The second-class protected plants include Cinnamomum camphora, Magnolia officinalis and Camptotheca acuminata. There are 131 kinds of fungi.

Baili Rhododendron Scenic Area is in a karst area, forming a wealth of natural landscape resources.

Local cuisine

The local delicacies include tea food, glutinous rice cake wrapped tofu, braised pot, Shuixi specialties Kung Pao meat, and yellow rice cake.

Local products

Local products include rock bonsai, tree stump bonsai, root carving, batik, embroidery, weaving, lacquerware, etc.

Nearby Attractions

There are also many national-level historical sites nearby, such as the Tomb of Madame Shexiang and Shexiang Museum, a national cultural relic protection unit in Dafang County, which commemorates Madame Shexiang, a pioneer in the development of western Guizhou and a female politician of the Yi nationality in the early Ming Dynasty, and showcases the ancient Chinese Yi culture.

The hometown of black-necked cranes – Caohai National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province and Zhijindong National Scenic Spot in Guizhou Province.

Ethnic Festivals

Torch Festival

The Yi nationality torch festival takes place on April and June 24th of the lunar calendar every year, and is called the small and big torch festivals.

On the evening of the festival, the Yi people light torches, parade around the village and the field corners, sing and dance while walking, and hold the “Insect Repellent” activity. The mountains are full of lights, cheers which is spectacular.

Flower Arrangement Festival (Cha Hua Festival)

When the rhododendron blooms, it is the flower arrangement of the Yi nationality compatriots. At that time, the house, the carriage, and the young men and women can arrange the flowers on their heads to see their beauty.

Jumping Flower Festival

It is the most lively traditional festival of the Miao nationality. At that time, young men and women will gather in the “Huapochang” in costumes to sing and dance, and hold “flowers” competitions, bullfighting competitions, bird fighting competitions, and rooster fighting competitions.

Baili Rhododendron Scenic Area Data

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How to get to there

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By bus

You can transfer to Guiyang first, and then go to Bijie City.

From Guiyang Airport, take the airport bus for 10RMB to downtown Guiyang and get to Jinyang Bus Terminal, in which to take the long-distance bus for about 50 RMB to Qianxi bus station, and then to Baili Rhododendron Scenic Area