Village de Xianahui

Xiana Hui Village is a Bouyei (Buyi) ethnic-minority farming settlement in the geographical heart of the Wanfenglin karst basin near Xingyi in southwestern Guizhou, and one of the most accessible of the traditional villages scattered through the Forest of Ten Thousand Peaks. Designated part of the Wanfenglin National Geopark, the village sits at the intersection of irrigated rice fields, karst cones, and the small Na Hui River that threads between them.

The Bouyei are the indigenous Tai-related population of the Guizhou-Guangxi karst belt, and Xiana Hui is one of their older settlements in the Xingyi area. The village's traditional architecture — stone foundations, wooden upper storeys, tile roofs, central courtyards for rice drying — has been preserved more intact than in many nearby villages, and the small lanes that run between houses are still mostly unpaved. Old banyan trees and small shrines dot the village edges, and Bouyei families still farm the surrounding fields using methods that have changed little in generations.

For most visitors, the experience of Xiana Hui is about slow walking and quiet observation rather than formal sightseeing. There is no entrance gate and no set route — small paths lead from the main sightseeing road down into the village, and from there along the riverbank and between the fields. Local noodle and snack stalls serve Bouyei specialties, and family-run guesthouses offer simple rooms for travelers who want to stay overnight.

Xiana Hui's main photographic appeal is its setting: the karst cones rise directly behind the village, the patchwork of fields glows different colors with the seasons, and the morning mist that often sits in the valley adds atmosphere. Photographers in particular favor the village at sunrise, when smoke from cooking fires drifts across the rooftops and the peaks behind catch first light.

For independent travelers, Xiana Hui is the easiest traditional Bouyei village to reach in the Xingyi area — it sits directly on the main Wanfenglin sightseeing loop, so it can be visited as a quick stop on a half-day bike ride or e-bike tour. Allow an hour for wandering, longer for a meal.