Guizhou, located in southwest China, is commonly abbreviated as “Qian” or “Gui” in Chinese. In 1413, the Guizhou Provincial Administration Commission was set up, officially designating Guizhou as a province. The Guizhou Provincial People’s Government was established on December 26, 1949. The six prefecture-level cities are Guiyang, Liupanshui, Zunyi, Anshun, Bijie, and Tongren. The three ethnic autonomous prefectures are Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture,Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, and Qiannan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.
Wang Yangming,a philosopher, strategist and master of the School of Mind during the Ming dynasty, praised Guizhou as a place where the most marvelous mountains and riversare to be found. Also, Xu Xiake, a famous geographer and writer, once said that despite the numerous mountains in the world, only the peaks here rise as dense as forests.
Guizhou, the only province in China without plains, is a veritable mountainous province.Guizhou is proud to have four World Natural Heritage sites listed. They are Libo Karst, Chishui Danxia Landform, Shibing Karst and Fanjing Mountain in Tongren.
The Hailongtun Fortress Site, an ancient military architectural site, stands on the top of Longyan Mountain in Zunyi, China. Surrounded by mountains and steep on all sides, it has a narrow path behind the mountain as its only access. The History of the Ming Dynasty referred to it as “ uncrossable even by birds and monkeys ”.
Built in 1257, it has witnessed the evolution of ancient China’s ethnic minority policies. It is the first and currently only World Heritage Site in Guizhou Province. It is one of the best-preserved ancient military architectural sites in China and Asia. As a significant historical relic of the feudal dynasty and chieftain system in China, it was selected in 2015 as one of the “ Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in the World ”.
The fortress covers an area of approximately 20,000 square meters. The Flying Tiger Pass, Flying Dragon Pass, 36-step High Ladder, and other ruins still stand strong.
