Liuzhou Travel | I unexpectedly encountered the annual Thousand-Person Duoye Competition of the Dong ethnic group in Liuzhou!

Day1: Liuzhou Industrial Museum - Bauhinia Cultural Creative Corridor - Liuzhou Internet-famous Cloud Top Hotel (Liuzhou's highest point) - Climb Ma'anshan to see the panorama of Liuzhou - Yaobu Ancient Town - Qingyun Night Market

Day2: Head to Rongshui County

Mengwu Grandma's Restaurant - Mengwu Miao Village - Shuanglonggou Scenic Area - Opening Ceremony of the Dong Duoye Festival - Chengyang Eight Villages Homestay

Day3: Thousand-Person Duoye Competition

I believe most people, like me, think of snail rice noodles first when they hear Liuzhou. Actually, that's not all—Liuzhou's charm goes far beyond snail rice noodles! As the most industrially developed city in Guangxi, I decided to start my Liuzhou trip at the Liuzhou Industrial Museum.

Name: Liuzhou Industrial Museum

Opening hours: 9:00-17:00, closed on Mondays

The Liuzhou Industrial Museum features themed exhibition halls such as the Industrial History Hall and the Ecological Livable Hall. Upon entering the park, the first things you see are an iron ladle donated by Liugang, a locomotive, and many old items from the last century. The green train has been transformed into a 24-hour book bar, which is also an internet-famous photo spot—great for capturing Japanese-style aesthetic photos!

Walking into the museum, a sense of pride and admiration wells up. It showcases the 'past and present' of Liuzhou's industrial development, from scratch to something. The first charcoal-powered car in China, the first biplane in Guangxi, and many old objects and cars that you only see in old movies.

This 1101 model 4-horsepower gasoline engine can be called the museum's crown jewel. Its birth had significant meaning and impact for Liuzhou and even for Guangxi!

After the industry, let's move on to art. The Bauhinia Cultural Creative Corridor is rarely visited by tourists because most people don't know about it. So why bauhinia and not another flower? Because bauhinia is the city flower of Liuzhou! Honestly, I didn't know this fact before coming to Liuzhou, hahaha.

At the Bauhinia Cultural Creative Corridor, you can see various handicrafts and oil paintings with bauhinia elements, and you can even pick one or two souvenirs to take home!

After visiting, it's almost time for a meal. Snail rice noodles are a must. I don't need to introduce Liuzhou's snail rice noodles to everyone—they are sour, spicy, fresh, and refreshing. Usually, snail rice noodles are topped with wood ear mushrooms, peanuts, fried tofu skin, pickled bamboo shoots, etc. But I always add duck feet! Because in my opinion, snail rice noodles without duck feet have no soul! I'm not exaggerating—whether you walk on the streets or in the alleys of Liuzhou, you'll see lines of people eating the noodles, and the air is filled with the aroma of snail rice noodles, making it irresistible!

After eating, it's time to digest. Here I recommend two places: first, climb Ma'anshan to see the panorama of Liuzhou; second, go to the 77th floor of the internet-famous Cloud Top Hotel to overlook the whole city!

This Ma'anshan is not the one in Anhui. Although it's only over 200 meters above sea level, it's the highest mountain in Liuzhou's urban area and one of the eight ancient scenic spots of Liuzhou. There are two ways to go up: climb yourself or take the elevator. I personally recommend climbing—it's good exercise and you can enjoy the scenery along the way. After reaching the top, I was truly amazed! The view was stunning—skyscrapers standing closely together, no less than those in big bustling cities. I couldn't help but take a few photos, and I even felt like I was in New York!

After Ma'anshan, you can visit the Cloud Top Hotel on the Topwin Building. It's the highest point in Liuzhou. From the roof, you can take in all the beautiful scenery. If you're brave enough, you can even challenge the thrilling glass walkway up there!

Yaobu Ancient Town recreates the bustling scene of the old Yaobu Dock. The area also has many quiet bars and hidden restaurants. Even though it was a weekday, there were quite a few visitors. Enjoying the river breeze and listening to the beautiful songs of street musicians was really enjoyable. I suggest having dinner in the town and then walking around after dark—the town looks great for photos when lit up!

On the second day, head to Mengwu Miao Village in Rongshui County. Here, you can not only learn about Miao customs but also participate in live performances. The performances take place on the Miao village stage, starting with reed pipe dances, then antiphonal singing, and finally a Miao wedding. Through performances and interactions with visitors, the unique customs of the Miao people are showcased. The on-site experience was absolutely full!

I recommend a restaurant in the scenic area called 'Grandma's Restaurant'. Their sour fish soup is incredible! You must order it—sour and spicy, refreshing and very addictive!

After a good meal, take the scenic area shuttle to the Shuanglonggou Primitive Forest Scenic Area. As the name suggests, it's full of green trees and ancient towering trees, with a high concentration of negative oxygen ions. Whether you're elderly, child, or young, you can find your fun here! There are many internet-famous scenes in the scenic area that are great for photos.

Walking in the forest, you'll find the little house where Snow White and the Queen live, and a 'paradise' like a fairyland. Visitors walking through feel as if they are inside a painting!

For those who love excitement, try the 'City in the Sky'. Seven sky ladders span across the forest, each with a different level of thrill. Walking on the ladder, you're above a bottomless abyss, moving slowly relying only on four steel cables in your hands and feet—truly thrilling! Besides that, there are also relatively less thrilling activities like the jungle flying squirrel and slides.

In the evening, we happened to encounter the annual opening ceremony of the Dong Duoye Festival. The scene was packed with people. Because of the huge crowd, we decided to come back the next morning to watch the Thousand-Person Duoye Competition! That night we stayed at a characteristic homestay in Chengyang Eight Villages. The next day, after breakfast, we rushed to the venue. All contestants were dressed in traditional Dong clothing.

Let me add a little here: The Duoye Festival is similar to our New Year, so every year the Dong people sing and dance to celebrate. Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County in Liuzhou is the county with the largest Dong population among the five Dong autonomous counties in China, so it's the most lively place every year!

Today, the Dong Duoye Festival has also been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list. If you have the chance, you really must come and experience it in person!