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Xiangzhi Canyon

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Brief introduction

Xiangzhi Canyon is endowed with enchanting plateau landscape and full-bodied Buyi customs. Here, flying waterfalls, clear streams, overhanging precipices and rocks, overlapping ridges and green mountains all present a fascinating landscape. The canyon, boasting about 70 scenic spots, is composed of 10 tourism areas such as Longjing Village, Guodi Bamboo Valley, Majiao Flatland, Hulu Flatland, Nanjing Temple, Baishui Gully, Hongzi Gully and Fangzhang Gully, etc.

What makes this canyon most fantastic is its papermaking industry. The biggest and most centralized ancient papermaking workshop system in China is surprisingly well preserved and performed in this canyon. The local Buyi people, utilizing water as power and bamboo as material, go through 72 steps of papermaking craft such as bamboo chopping, cleaving, steaming, steeping, waterwheel grinding, paper lifting, etc. This ancient art of papermaking, which seems so simple, primitive and peculiar, will remain a miracle and a mystery forever. The hanging wooden troughs, rotating waterwheels, grinding stone rollers and the old papermaking workshops bring you back to the remote history.

History and legend

The “fragrant” paper produced from Xiangzhi Canyon is mainly for burning in the sacrificial ceremonies, where modern paper is not preferred. The story about the origin of the papermaking in Xiangzhi Canyon is very interesting. According to the local people, over 600 years ago when Zhu Yuanzhang (the first emperor of Ming Dynasty) ruled China, the army led by Duke Wang of the Yue State (now called Hunan Province) was ordered to station in this canyon. Offerings (especially joss paper) were needed in the memorial ceremonies for the dead officials and soldiers. So, the army men chopped down bamboos and made them into papers as part of the offerings. To express their homesickness, the officials and soldiers alive named this canyon as “Xiangzi Canyon”(in which, “Xiang” was the shortened form of Hunan Province and “Xiangzi” meant the people from Hunan Province). Later, papermaking industry gradually became the local specialty industry and the name of this canyon was renewed as “Xiangzhi Canyon”(meaning “papermaking canyon”), which is still used today. Even now, many local people still worship two persons: Cailun (father of papermaking) and Duke Wang of the Yue State (teacher of papermaking).

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Edition HistoryEdit How to get there:
Transportation: In the Tourist Central Bus Station near Qianling Park in Guiyang City, there are scheduled special buses to Xiangzhi Canyon, charging 10 yuan (RMB) per person. The buses in the Tourist Central Bus Station and the Xiangzhi Canyon scenic area both start at the same time everyday: 8:00, 10:30, 14:00, and 16:00. Usually there are more scheduled special buses in the tourist rush season.

Edition HistoryEdit Tips:
Food: In the Xiangzhi Canyon scenic area, there are restaurants opened by the local people, which offer a variety of local snacks and rural meals of distinctive Buyi style.
Accommodation: Xiangzhi Hotel in the canyon, enjoying beautiful surroundings, features standard rooms with 120 beds and a restaurant of 300 seats. The double standard room and the triple standard room are charged for 50 yuan (RMB) and 40 yuan (RMB) per room respectively.
Sightseeing: In Xiangzhi Canyon, the following tourist areas can be visited on foot or by riding horse: Longjing Village, Guodi Bamboo Valley, Majiao Flatland, Hulu Flatland, Nanjing Temple, Baishui Gully, Hongzi Gully and Fangzhang Gully.
The round trips of the horse riding from the parking lot to the following tourist areas are charged respectively: Longjing Village (6 yuan RMB), Guodi Bamboo Valley (10 yuan RMB), Majiao Flatland (10 yuan RMB), Hulu Flatland (20 yuan RMB), Nanjing Temple (10 yuan RMB) and Baishui Gully (16 yuan RMB).
Souvenir: All kinds of tourist souvenirs and handicrafts of distinctive minority characteristics are available for tourists, such as Buyi patchworks, bamboo handicrafts and stone handicrafts, etc., among which, Bonuomo dustpan paintings are most worth collecting and artistically appreciating.