The pearl of Guizhou

The diverse peoples have given Kaili, Guizhou province a strong ethnic ambience.

Jidao village is another site that shouldn't be missed. Just several kilometers away from Nanhua, it offers a century-old pedestrian lane, granary and plaza, as well as mystic animal footprints and caves along the way.

The village sits on the river bank and is home to 500 Miao people. A wood of ancient trees stand in the back; a paddy field and the river stretch out in front.

Compared with Nanhua, Jidao is less developed and thus presents more primitive local elements.

Diaojiaolou can be spotted from afar, surrounded by clouds of cooking smoke. Most of them are of two stories, with the lower level being used to raise livestock or for storage.

The old pedestrian lane starts off at the entrance of the village and winds into its depths. The lane looks like golden bricks under the sun while resembling oily black jade when it rains.

The lane leads to the granary, which is a rare public facility in a village. It was built out of the concern for theft back in the old days, when all households put their food together under guard. Now, the granary has been out of use but one could get a sense of ancient people's wisdom by looking at the granary structure.

All is quiet and extramundane inside the village. Small lanes crisscross it.

When a holiday or a visitor comes, locals perform ancient songs that reflect the history and beliefs of the Miao group.