2-Day Zhaoxing Dong Village & Tang'an Terraces Tour from Liping

Five drum towers, two wind-rain bridges, one of the most photogenic minority villages in China. Zhaoxing Dong Zhai is the cultural capital of the Dong people — a Kam-Tai ethnic group of about three million whose architecture is built entirely from local cedar without a single nail. The village contains five clan-built drum towers, each one belonging to a different family group, plus covered wind-rain bridges crossing the river that runs through the centre. At dusk, woodsmoke drifts from the wooden houses and you can hear the Grand Song of the Dong — the polyphonic a cappella tradition UNESCO listed in 2009 — being rehearsed in the drum-tower courtyards.

This private two-day tour pairs Zhaoxing with neighbouring Tang'an, an upland Dong village perched above terraced rice fields on a hillside about 6 km away. Tang'an is smaller, quieter, and the open-air ethnographic vibe is intact — you walk past women dyeing indigo cloth on the stone lanes. Together the two villages give you the full picture of Dong life. You stay one night in a wooden guesthouse inside Zhaoxing so the village belongs to you and the locals after the day-trippers leave.

Day 1 — Liping to Zhaoxing:

• 10:00 — Pickup from your Liping hotel or Liping airport
• 11:30 — Arrive Zhaoxing; drop bags at a wooden guesthouse inside the village
• 12:00 — Dong sour-soup lunch in a local courtyard (rice fish, glutinous rice, oil tea)
• 14:00 — Walking tour of the five drum towers and the two main wind-rain bridges, with stops at an indigo-dye workshop and a Dong embroidery house
• 16:30 — Climb a short hill behind the village for the rooftop panorama
• 19:00 — Optional Grand Song performance in a drum-tower courtyard (seasonal)
• 20:00 — Free evening to wander the lantern-lit village

Day 2 — Tang'an terraces and return:

• 08:00 — Dong breakfast at the guesthouse
• 09:00 — Short drive up to Tang'an village; walking tour of the open-air ethnographic site and the surrounding terraced fields
• 11:30 — Light lunch in a Tang'an village home
• 13:30 — Return to Zhaoxing; final wander or shopping for Dong embroidery and silver
• 14:30 — Depart Zhaoxing
• 16:00 — Drop-off at Liping airport, Congjiang High-Speed Rail station, or your Liping hotel

Who this is for: Anthropology and minority-culture travelers, music lovers curious about the Grand Song tradition, photographers, anyone who wants a calmer counterpart to the busier Xijiang Miao village. Easy walking with some stone steps; suitable for ages 6 and up.

Logistics: Private air-conditioned vehicle. Licensed English-speaking guide. One night in a wooden guesthouse inside Zhaoxing (twin/double, private bathroom). All entrance tickets, three meals on Day 1 and two on Day 2, hotel/airport/HSR pickup and drop-off in the Liping–Congjiang area.

Local Roads. Global Eyes. We're a Beijing-licensed inbound operator with Dong-speaking local guides in Qiandongnan. Questions before you book? WhatsApp +86 139 1764 3020 or [email protected].

Free cancellation is available on most tours up to 24 hours before the start time. The exact cancellation terms for this tour are shown during booking.