Idyllic locale, traditional attire and intricate crafts attract global travelers to ethnic Guizhou

A tourist raises a wine bowl on April 26 in a toast with a local woman from the Miao ethnic group while livestreaming the scene during his tour of Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village in Kaili, Guizhou province. CHINA DAILY

After living in China for a year, Italian designer Lucrezia Gestri has discovered a detailed and artistic side of the country she currently calls home.

While visiting Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village of Kaili, the capital of the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture in Southwest China's Guizhou province, Gestri noted: "I often experience the country through innovation, design and modern urban life. But Xijiang feels deeply connected to tradition, craftsmanship and heritage."

With the wooden houses spread across the mountainside and the village illuminated by lights in the evening, Gestri said that the scene felt "almost surreal" and "very cinematic".

Traveling with a Chinese friend, she also gained a deeper understanding of local customs by talking to residents, which helped her see the meanings behind the village's clothing, craftsmanship and everyday traditions.

"The traditional clothing, embroidery and silver ornaments are incredibly detailed and artistic," she said. "You can immediately feel that every decoration carries history, symbolism and craftsmanship passed down through generations. It felt like stepping back into the past."

For Etienne, a tourist from France, the traditions of Xijiang were not only something to observe, but also something to take part in. During his recent trip to China, he joined local residents in a lanmenjiu welcoming ritual.

During the ritual, guests are greeted with rice wine as a symbol of hospitality. "The custom revealed the important role that food and drink continue to play in expressing warmth and community in Chinese culture," said Etienne, the French tourist.

Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village, often described as an open-air museum of Miao culture, is home to more than 6,000 residents in over 1,000 households. Nestled among the mountains in southeast Guizhou, the village attracts visitors with its layered wooden stilt houses, vibrant song-and-dance traditions, sparkling silver ornaments and distinctive sour soup cuisine.

The growing popularity of ethnic tourism has also created economic opportunities. According to Ouyang Guanglong, chairman of the Xijiang Tourism Group, the scenic area received more than 5.3 million visitors last year, generating a total tourism revenue of 591 million yuan ($87.3 million), a year-on-year increase of 10.82 percent.

The village is currently working toward becoming a national 5A-level tourist attraction, China's highest tourism rating. To enhance the visitor experience, the scenic area now has 225 registered photography studios offering traditional Miao costume styling and photography services.

Among them is photographer Miao Xiaoliang, who established his studio in 2023 with the vision of presenting the most authentic traditional Miao attire to visitors. To date, his studio has reproduced around 100 sets of traditional Miao clothing, enabling tourists to experience authentic ethnic attire and obtain professionally photographed portrait sets for 399 yuan.

"We hope visitors can truly appreciate the authentic ethnic clothing and understand the culture behind it," said Miao. Rather than simply reproducing popular tourist images, he and his team carefully design photography settings that reflect the everyday living environments of local residents, to immerse guests more deeply in daily village life.

According to the photographer, traditional attire is often described as "history books worn on the body", with some motifs tracing back to some of the earliest cultural symbols in Chinese civilization. Over centuries, different branches of the Miao community have developed distinct clothing styles, with nearly 170 documented costume systems in Guizhou alone. Through intricate patterns and embroidery techniques, the garments preserve traces of migration, mythology, aesthetics and ancient beliefs.

In some regions, the patterns are inspired by nature and focus on birds, butterflies, fish and flowers, he said. Some patterns also embody ancient cosmological concepts and philosophical ideas, including the traditional understanding of the universe and the harmony between yin and yang.

Due to the diversity and regional specificity of the garments and accessories, collecting and reproducing traditional costumes has been far from easy. However, with increasing numbers of tourists visiting Xijiang each year, Miao hopes that the village will evolve into a broader cultural platform, introducing its unique traditions to the world.

"The Miao are a global ethnic group," he said. "There are Miao communities across Southeast Asia and even in the United States."

He also noted that different communities have developed distinct visual traditions. For example, western Miao communities often use geometric patterns, such as diamonds and eight-pointed stars, whereas eastern Miao groups are renowned for their intricate embroidery techniques. "We hope Xijiang can become a top tourism destination and an important cultural center connecting Miao people around the world," he said.