Guizhou Azalea Festival

Date: April 8-22
Venues: Qianxi and Dafang counties (Guizhou)

A vast stretch of azaleas is found where Qianxi and Dafang counties in Guizhou Province's Bijie Prefecture share the same boundary. The flowers in the Pudi Azalea Zone of Dafang County and the Jinpo Azalea Zone of Qianxi County are the most famous.

There the azalea begins to bloom in March, reaches its full glory in April, and continues into May, so that for 3 months a year, the heavily wooded place is taken over by a riot of color and becomes a veritable natural flower garden rarely seen anywhere in this world.

The Azalea Festival, which was first started in 1993, is an annual event in Guizhou. During the festival you are able to see the opening ceremony, folk art performances by the ethnic Yi, Miao and Buyi people, a lantern show in Qianxi County, bell-ringing dances, dances to the accompaniment of reed pipes, and bull and chicken fights. Tourists are welcome to participate in the Bonfire Revelry Festival, taste local delicacies, visit the scenic Zhijin Caves, and the famous Huangguoshu Waterfall, one of the largest waterfalls in China.