Longsheng, Sanjiang & Zhaoxing the rice terraces and the wind and rain bridge

The rice terraces of Longsheng are famous. Over the years many people have visited Longsheng, or better, Ping An. Longsheng, Sanjiang and Zhaoxing are three towns north of Guilin. All have their charms and all should be visited if you ask me. End of the page. Well, that would be a but too short. You want to hear more why you have to visit Longsheng, Sanjiang and Zhaoxing.

Sanjiang is mostly famous for it's Wind and Rain Bridge while Longsheng has it's famous rice terraces. Zhaoxing is a spectacular Dong village with 3 Wind and Rain Bridges and 5 Drumstowers.

Let's start with Longsheng.

Longsheng, Ping An and the rice terraces

About 100 km north west from Guilin the little town of Longsheng is a center in the region. The area has many minorities. The main majority groups here are the Miao and the Dong. About 25 km from Longsheng you will find quite a bit up in the hills the little village of Ping An.

Ping An, near Longsheng, north of Guilin

Ping An is the main village here. The village is build on a hill slope. Nowadays there's an excellent asphalt road that connects the main ongoing road from Guilin to Longsheng. From the riverside to the village is a steep 5km climb.

The first time I was in Ping An, this last 5 km didn't exist. At the time, the only way to reach the village was to climb up. Few people these days do that as it is a hard climb.

Ping An is definitely worth a visit. If you come at the right time of the year, when the padifields are wet or filled with young rice, the views are absolute magic.

Nowadays there are plenty of little guesthouses and restaurants. And although the road now goes all the way up, as I said, the last 5 km swindles up (I remember very well as I cycled it up). However, the road stops a few hundred meter from the village. The last part you have to walk yourself. First you cross an old wooden bridge and then the stairs lead you to the village.

The rice terraces of Ping Ann, Longsheng

The magic is the views all over. In the area you can do treks to some Miao and Dong villages. It is useful to use a guide. Ask Jessi for some advice and let her do the organising.

Sanjiang, Chengyang Qiao and the Wind and Rain Bridge

These days many people visit the rice terraces at Longsheng. Fewer continue to Chengyang Qiao. This is sad as the Wind and Rain Bridge and the villages (like Linxia) in the area are worth a visit.

Sanjiang is the town of which you will leave the main road. If you travel by bus, here you have to change your bus for a local bus to Changyang Chiao. It's about 20 km following the river.

The Wind and Rain Bridge in Chengyang Qiao, Sanjiang

The bridge, the most beautiful and best preserved Wind and Rain Bridge of the Dong people is almost 100 years old. When you cross the bridge, turn left to the Wind and Rain Bridge Hotel or stay with some of the local in the village. Accommodation is basic but clean and friendly.

Chengyang Qiao is a small Dong village with a drums towers. You can climb up to two small pavilions on top of the hills. Worth to do for the views.

Chengyang Qiao, Sanjiang from above the hill

A few kilometers further on the road you will find Linxia. This small village has a nice local market. The market usually starts at around 10 and finishes around 2pm.

You can do trekking in the area. Many small Dong and Miao villages seldom see tourist, you will find a lot of hospitality.

Zhaoxing

By now you have seen the Wind and Rain Bridge in Chengyang Qiao and the rice terraces. On the way to Zhaoxing you will see more rice terraces and more Dong bridges. But nothing beats Zhaoxing.

The village has 3 Wind and Rain Bridges and 5 drum towers. Maybe the bridges are not as beautiful as in Sanjiang but there are three of them. The 5 drum towers are still in use for central events and announcements. In the town there's a few quest houses and hotels.

The village is surrounded by beautiful hill slopes. Many people still wear traditional Dong clothing.

Trekking in the area is supposed to be spectacular which I can image. The only time I was in Zhaoxing was in the rainy season when I took the old road, which goes through the mountains to Zhaoxing. This old road passes several villages (and many rice terraces), some even have very basic quest houses. The scenery here is spectacular. People are usually very poor but also happy to see foreigners visiting.

Getting there

Longsheng is located 100 km north of Guilin. There are two ways to go there (in fact three): taxi and bus (and in my case by bicycle). If you take the bus, make sure you get dropped at the junction for Ping An. If you have an early bus out of Guilin, it shouldn't be a problem to hop on one of the local busses which do the Longsheng - Ping An journey regular.

Entrance ticket for Zhaoxing

If you are late, it may be good to stay a night in Longsheng.

From Longsheng you can take a bus to Sanjiang where you have to change busses to Chengyang Qiao, around 20 km.

There is a direct bus from Chengyang Qiao to Zhaoxing, once a day. Alternatively go to Sanjiang and try to get a local bus to Zhaoxing.

There are busses from Zhaoxing back to Guilin, but it's a very long way. Instead you can travel further in Guizhou to Rongjiang, Conjiang, Kaili and Guiyang.

If you feel this is all hard work, let Jessie do the arrangements. She knows exactly what and how to do it. You can ask her to arrange it by taxi or by bus (I am sure she doesn't want to do it by bicycle )

Zhaoxing is the last interesting village on the way. From here you either go back to Guilin or continue to Kaili Guiyang.

And in case you want to go off the beaten track, here's a road few, if any have traveled: the road to Libo, a very spectacular though seldom visited road.

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