On our recent visit to Chengdu, I planned to combine this trip with some exploration of the ethnic minority villages in Sichuan and neighbouring Guizhou. Particularly interesting in the region are the Tibetan settlements in the mountains to the west, namely Kangding (Garzê) and its surroundings. To explore Miao (or Hmong) culture, known for its beautiful traditions surrounding hair styles, you have to head more southeast to the neighbouring county of Guizhou. In Liangshan, in southern Sichuan, you can discover more about the Yi tribes.
Due to time constraints, we decided on a trip to Xijiang (西江镇), one of the biggest Miao villages in China. From the perspective of exploring ethnic minority culture, it was quite disappointing. Like many other historical and cultural sites, the area has been turned into a Disneyland for Han Chinese visitors, who come here to dress up in the traditional Miao clothing and take pictures for their Xiaohongshu profile ("Red little book", China’s version of Instagram).
Getting to Xijiang by Bullet Train – More than 800 km in 4 hours
However, if you're short on time, it is possible to visit Xijiang in one day, though you need to plan account for a lot of travel time. Generally, I would recommend staying over night and returning the next day. Since it was Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival, it the booking options for trains were pretty scarce. It’s always worth it to refresh the Trip.com app or the Chinese railway app 12306 to find newly released tickets.
From Chengdu, it takes about four hours to get to Kaili South (Kailinan), the high-speed train station. Considering the distance of over 800 kilometers, the travel time is excellent. Upon arrival, you head straight to the tourist center. This is where I first realized that something was amiss.
Xijiang – an Ethnic Open Air Museum and a Disneyland of Sorts
Without even asking for a specific destination, we were given tickets to the Xijiang Miao Village. From Kaili South (Kailinan), you must transfer to the final destination, which takes around 45 to 60 minutes and costs 35 RMB (less than 5 Euros). A young woman on a bus, holding a microphone, endlessly hyped up the Miao village as a major tourist attraction and most likely explained all the details in Mandarin Chinese.
The bus eventually stopped at a big tourist center and entrance to the ethnic minority area. Here we had to buy a ticket for 120 RMB (around 15 Euros) including the shuttle transfer to the actual village. From the gate, you're brought to the beginning of the “thousand-household” place, which has been transformed into a massive open-air museum, where the local population seems to serve more as performers than residents.
To be fair, local restaurants, hotels, and vendors probably make a better living from tourism that traditional farming. However, seeing Chinese tourists dressing up as locals and romanticizing Miao life for their Xiaohongshu profiles appears to be very bizzare to Western eyes. We came to explore Miao culture, but ended up with
an anthropological view of Chinese tourism in 2024.
What remains enjoyable in Xijiang is the local food and strolling around the market, which feels a bit more traditional and features more authentic Miao people. From time to time, there are dance performances on the main square, though these are mostly a show and have little to do with the actual Miao life.
Another suggestion would be to explore some of the nearby villages. Since there are trips offered to them as well, you should expect Chinese tourists in those places too. However, continuing to Langde, Qingman, or Matang Gejia could be a more authentic experience. We didn't visit them, but they could be a better option than just walking around Xijiang.
Another unique attraction or service in Xijiang, by the way, is the professional ear-cleaning by the local women. This practice seems to be quite popular, albeit a bit unsettling. I wouldn't tell my otolaryngologist what I did! The practicioner uses various instruments, like feathers, to scratch and rub inside of your ear, which literally tickles the eardrum. The big finale is a vibration and sound therapy using something similar to a tuning fork. It's inexpensive and interesting, but also a little daring.
What Miao/Hmong Culture is About
Miao culture is quite fascinating. I visited some tribal areas near Vietnam’s Sa Pa village in 2010. Here Miaos are known as Hmong and famous for cultivating rice (and cannabis). When I was there, we walked for hours with the Hmong women just to get to a shop or from the farm back to the market village to sell their nature products to hiking tourists.
Hmong encounter in Vietnam 2010
That's why it felt strange seeing Chinese women dressed up in traditional Miao clothes, pretending to have fetched water from a nearby well. In fact, organizing water in Hmong/Miao communities isn’t nearly as romantic as it's portrayed for their Xiaohongzhu profiles.
One of the reasons I wanted to see Miao culture in China was the tradition hairstyles and wigs made from ancestors' hair. Some of these wigs are decades old and are worn for special events, serving as an unusual yet meaningful way of keeping the memory of deceased family members alive.
(Source: Spencer & Carole, Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
How to Get Back from Xijiang Miao Village to Kailinan and Chengdu?
To return to the high-speed train station at Kailinan, I suggest to take a taxi. Busses are available, but schedules might not align with your plans. In fact, the taxi drivers at the entrance gate charge roughly the same price as the bus – 35 RMB, if you negotiate, though even the first offer of 40 to 50 RMB per person seems fair.
(Snack on the market before leaving)
The advantage of taking a taxi is that it's quicker and more flexible. After about 40 to 45 minutes, you'll arrive at the station, where you can grab some snacks (and souvenirs if you haven’t already in the Miao village) and board the train back to Chengdu.