Hong Kong Media's Guizhou Tour: Karst Cave Coffee Shop & Wujiang Village Resort, Guizhou's Crown Jewels of Scenic Views

On the second day of the delegation's Guizhou tour (April 23), the members visited two standout scenic spots: a popular karst cave coffee shop, "Xiu Coffee" in the morning, hailed as a daytime utopia for visitors; and the Wujiang Village International Tourism Resort, widely praised as the pinnacle of Guizhou's nighttime scenery in the afternoon.

In the morning, the delegation visited "Xiu Coffee" nestled within a cave in Xiangbahu Village, Jingyang Street, Xiuwen County, Guiyang City, surrounded by verdant mountains. With its unique coffee culture in the karst cave landscape, the coffee shop offers visitors an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Xiu Coffee, Photo by Bastille Post

Located inside a natural cave, Xiu Coffee retains its original outlook, creating an authentic and immersive natural scenery experience. Promoting a "one-day trip" concept, the coffee shop offers visitors an unforgettable travelling experience that combines cave coffee, local cuisine, guesthouses, and pastures. Moreover, based on its convenient transportation and surrounding tourism resources, Xiu Coffee has become a popular weekend getaway for both tourists and locals.

Ms. Xu Hui, Deputy General Manager of Guizhou Shanyou Cultural Tourism Resources Development and Operation Co., Ltd., Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Xu Hui, Deputy General Manager of Guizhou Shanyou Cultural Tourism Resources Development and Operation Co., Ltd., said that the name of the coffee shop is derived from the Chinese character "岫", which carries the imagery of a "cave". She revealed that Xiu Coffee opened on August 8 last year, with an investment of approximately 2 million to 2.3 million RMB.

Xiu Coffee, Photo by Bastille Post

She explained that the coffee shop sets "young people's preference for coffee" as the starting point of its business. The goal is not simply to attract customers "just for a cup of coffee", but rather to draw them to the coffee shop and let them experience the overall scene, environment, and atmosphere. Xiu Coffee's core operation messages are: "Relaxing is the right thing to do" and "Wasting time on worthwhile things". She hopes to encourage customers to spend "a whole day" there, feeling relaxed, unwinded, and cared for from the "emotional value" that Xiu Coffee provides.

Xiu Coffee, Photo by Bastille Post

The coffee shop's signature coffee is called the "Xiuwen Americano", which is actually a kiwi coffee. As Xiuwen County is famous for its high-quality, sweet kiwis, the coffee shop combines local ingredients with coffee to create this signature drink, which has received much praise since its launch.

Xiu Coffee, Photo by Bastille Post

Tracing back to the initial development of the coffee shop's surroundings, Ms. Xiu stated that the bottom line was "no destruction, no hardening". Only lighting and a few small decorative ornaments (such as sofas and paintings) were added to highlight the cave's inherent beauty, making its contours more three-dimensional and easier to appreciate. She admitted that the biggest challenge was balancing the desire to "implement more ideas" with "not damaging natural resources", making conservation and minimal disturbance the most important constraints. Ms. Xu pointed out that the cave is a national resource, while a large amount of land outside the cave still belongs to local villagers. The overall development and successful opening of Xiu Coffee relied on the support of the local government in coordinating land and village affairs.

Xiu Coffee, Photo by Bastille Post

According to Ms. Xu, the coffee shop currently operates on a reservation system and has already attracted over 100,000 members through its mini digital program, serving over 44,000 customers. According to last year's mini-program data, she stated that 40% of tourists come from other provinces and countries, with many from Guangdong since "it's very convenient to come now," she said.

Xiu Coffee, Photo by Bastille Post

In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Wujiang Village International Tourism Resort in Bozhou District, Zunyi City. Spanning 5.08 square kilometers of mountains and water, the resort organically blends history, culture, nature, environment, and humanities, combining sightseeing and relaxation to create a comprehensive tourism complex.

The Wujiang Village International Tourism Resort, Photo by Bastille Post

The Wujiang Village International Tourism Resort, Photo by Bastille Post

From its inclusion in the 4th batch of the State Protection List of Chinese Traditional Villages in 2016 to its transformation into the Wujiang Village International Tourism Resort in 2022, the village has undergone six years of upgrading and development, turning into a "new landmark of Guizhou tourism" with praise from Chinese National Geography as "the pinnacle of Guizhou's night views".

The Wujiang Village International Tourism Resort at night, Photo by Bastille Post

The Wujiang Village International Tourism Resort at night, Photo by Bastille Post

The Wujiang Village International Tourism Resort in the daytime, Photo by Bastille Post

The Wujiang Village International Tourism Resort in the daytime, Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation interviewed two Hong Kong residents traveling with a Guizhou tour group. Ms. Yip said it was her first time visiting Guizhou. She had thought of Guizhou as relatively less developed and not as bustling as big cities, but she found that the quality of its scenery exceeded her expectations, especially the visual impression, which reminded her of Guilin's landscapes.

Mr. Ng, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Ng stated that most consumers "choose to spend in the Chinese Mainland" because high-speed rail reduces travel time and cost, while also offering more city choices for travelers. He revealed that his spending in Guizhou has already reached 1,000 RMB up to now.

In addition, the Wujiang Village International Tourism Resort also houses a studio specializing in intangible cultural heritage - pith-stacking painting, founded by a local who lived there before the resort was built.

Ms. Yang Ran, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Yang Ran, a local resident of the resort and an inheritor of the art of pith-stacking painting, said that this craft has a history of over a hundred years. Artists cut pith paper into shapes and then carve them into various petals to create artwork. She noted that the art form is not limited to flowers; three-dimensional creations such as "animals, figures, and architectures" can also be made, along with various other forms.

She mentioned that the resort had previously held an "investment promotion event". Considering pith-stacking painting was listed as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage in Guizhou Province in 2007, she realized that making flowers from pith paper not only fit the investment requirements, but also carried intangible cultural heritage attributes, prompting her to sign up for the event's selection and conceive the goal of "developing this craft".

The art of pith-stacking painting, Photo by Bastille Post

She said that her studio is currently "basically fully booked with orders", along with many "reservations" for future experiential sessions. Compared to her previous experience of running a flower shop, where she earned only about 100,000 to 200,000 RMB a year, her current income from making pith-stacking paintings can "easily exceed one million RMB."

The art of pith-stacking painting, Photo by Bastille Post

Regarding the ratio of domestic to international visitors, Ms. Yang stated that it is 1:1. She has observed that young people in China are increasingly passionate about intangible cultural heritage and are willing to learn and experience it. She plans to make her experiential courses more in-depth, including having tourists go up the mountain to cut and slice pith, and then create pith paper flowers or paintings by hand, allowing young people to gain a deeper impression and a greater sense of accomplishment in making intangible cultural heritage.

On July 21, the media delegation from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area continued the "Retracing the Long March" reporting trip through Zunyi, arriving in Maotai Town and Tucheng Town to trace the historic route of the Red Army's legendary "Four Crossings of the Chishui River" and experience the deep-rooted wine culture along its banks.

Tucheng Town, Photo by Bastille Post

The first crossing of the Chishui was born out of the Red Army's setback at the Battle of Qinggangpo in Tucheng. Having originally planned to cross the Yangtze River northward, the Red Army encountered fierce resistance from the Sichuan forces at Qinggangpo. To avoid encirclement, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission decisively abandoned the northward plan and instead moved westward across the Chishui. With help from local residents who contributed doors and planks, the Red Army built pontoon bridges overnight at locations including Tucheng and Yuanhou, marking the beginning of the Four Crossings.

The memorial site of the Battle of Qinggangpo in Tucheng, Photo by Bastille Post

The memorial site of the Battle of Qinggangpo in Tucheng, Photo by Bastille Post

The message appealing for peace at the memorial site, Photo by Bastille Post

Lin Chengying, daughter-in-law of veteran Red Army soldier He Mulin, recalled that after He Mulin was wounded at Qinggangpo, he remained in Tucheng Town. But because his Jiangxi accent made him immediately recognisable, he was forced to pretend to be deaf and mute for 14 years to protect the villagers who had sheltered him.

Lin Chengying, Photo by Bastille Post

She said He Mulin only began speaking again after the founding of the People's Republic of China. But after years of silence, his vocal cords had weakened, making fluent speech difficult. He then practised by the Chishui River for four years, like a child learning to speak, until he gradually regained his speech ability. In the years that followed, he devoted himself to spreading the Long March spirit at the Qinggangpo battlefield site and the Chishui ferry crossing.

The portrait of He Mulin, Photo by Bastille Post

Under his influence, Lin Chengying not only committed to memorizing the Red Army stories he told, but also learned to sing Red Army songs. After He Mulin's passing in 1979, she made it her daily schedule to open her door and share those stories with passing tourists.

The film Crossing, produced to mark the 90th anniversary of the Long March victory, was shot on location in Tucheng Town, drawing visitors to its ancient red walls, black-tiled roofs and old streets. Whenever tourists paused, Lin Chengying would "set aside whatever she's doing and start telling stories," determined that the legacy of the Red Army should endure on this soil.

The film "Crossing," produced to mark the 90th anniversary of the Long March victory, was shot on location in Tucheng Town. Photo by Bastille Post

That same day, the media delegation also visited Moutai Town, tracing the Red Army's three crossings of the Chishui. While the first crossing was a reluctant move forced by circumstances, the other three actions were deliberate strategic manoeuvres. At the time, the Red Army was encircled by hundreds of thousands of troops in Zunyi, with no hope of breaking through directly. So they made a show of crossing the river at Moutai Town, feigning a northward march to Sichuan, drawing the main enemy force away, and exploiting the weakened defences of Guizhou to cross the Chishui for a fourth time, successfully breaking the encirclement.

The newly built Red Army Bridge at the river, Photo by Bastille Post

Before stepping into the Moutai Chinese Liquor Culture City, the air was thick with the aroma of Moutai. The garden-style exhibition hall, with sections representing the Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties and the modern era, traces the development of China's wine industry over millennia and reveals a little-known story linking Moutai with the Red Army.

The Moutai Chinese Liquor Culture City, Photo by Bastille Post

During the Long March, the Red Army was short of medical supplies. Many soldiers suffered from foot ulcers and infected wounds. The sauce-aroma baijiu produced in Maotai Town, with its high alcohol content and strong antibacterial properties, was temporarily requisitioned for disinfection. Soldiers used cloth soaked in the liquor to clean wounds or rub swollen feet to relieve fatigue. Leaders including Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao later recalled on many occasions that Moutai "made a great contribution" during the Long March.

The Moutai cartoon mascot, Photo by Bastille Post

Leaving the exhibition hall, the delegation arrived at the Maotai Ferry, walked onto the Red Army Bridge, and gazed down at the flowing Chishui River, gaining a deeper appreciation of the immense challenge posed by the "Four Crossings." Just as Moutai undergoes nine distillations, eight fermentations and seven extractions, taking more than five years to reach maturity, the Long March, too, was a journey of endurance and resilience, step by step over time.

Photo by Bastille Post