Kaili City is the capital of the Qiandongnan Autonomous Prefecture or the Southeast Guizhou. Kaili City is located in eastern of the Guizhou Province. Kaili City is 190 kilometers away from the Guiyang City.
Qiandongnan Autonomous Prefecture or Southeast Guizhou covers 15 counties, 10 economic development zones and the Kaili City. Known as a multi-ethnic groups area, the Southeast Guizhou is occupies over 80% minority ethnic groups including 40% Miao Ethnic people and 29% Dong Ethnic people. Besides the two main ethnic groups and the Han group, there are also ethnic groups including the Shui, the Yao, the Zhuang, the Buyi and the Tujia Ethnics.
The Southeast Guizhou is also reputed as the Village of Hundred Festivals as there are nearly 200 festivals among these different ethnic groups in a year. Special festival activities contain singing and dancing, bullfighting, horse racing, playing Lusheng, stepping on drums, playing dragon lanterns, singing Dong Opera and so on. The main traditional festivals include Lusheng Festival, Climbing Slope Festival, Harvest Festival, Sisters’ Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Miao New Year Festival, Dong New Year Festival, Clay Figure Festival, Wrestling Festival, Duan Festival and so on.
Southeast Guizhou is also reputed as the Ocean of the Song and Dance. The folks of the Miao and Dong Ethnic Group have their own unique rhythms and lyrics in accordance with their languages. The songs vary in chorus, solo and the multi-vocal songs without either accompanied or conducted. The ethnic dances mainly include the Wooden Drum Dance, Stepping Drum Dance, Lusheng Dance and the Duoye Dance.
Kaili in Miao ethnic language means the farmland of the Mulao Ethnic Groups. The city lies in the foothills of the Miaoling Mountains and by the Qingshui River. It connects Taijiang and Leishan Counties in the east. The terrain is higher in the southwest and lower in the northeast. Covering an area of 1556 square kilometers, Kaili City obtains a population of over 540,000 residents.
Ancient history, special historical sites, places of interest and the unique ethnic cultures make it a popular destination of tourism. There are numerous ancient towns and various ethnic villages here.
The climate is generally mild and all seasons are suitable for travel. The colorful and unique aspect of the primitive simplicity of the local ethnic peoples adds much attractiveness to the inviting natural scenery. Most of the ethnic groups especially the Miao and the Dong people wear their ethnic costumes in their large folk festivals. Hence there are many villages in this region famous for the handmade embroidery and batik skills, which are also listed as Cultural Heritage by the experts.
The villages in the area are mostly in the mountain area with a peaceful natural landscape. Natural sites like Incense Burner Mountain, Jinquan Lake Park and
Yudong Caves are suitable for a leisure time. Famous ethnic villages like Langde Miao Village, Xijiang Miao Village, Nanhua Village and Xiasi Ancient Town are all popular tourist destinations for travelers who prefer to learn more about the ethnic cultures.