Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture is located in the southeast part of Guizhou Province, bordering Hunan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It covers an area of 30,339 sq km and its population is 4.02 million.
Qiandongnan has a subtropical humid monsoon climate with plenty of rain, and no extremely hot summer or bitter cold winter. The average temperature is 14-19°C, while the average annual precipitation totals 1,000-1,600 mm.
Qiandongnan is rich in natural resources. Forests cover 62.2% of the prefecture’s lands. Reserves of hydropower total approximately 3.3 million kw. In addition, Qiandongnan is replete with mineral resources such as barite, mercury, coal, iron, manganese and antimony. Proven reserves of barite amount to 104 million ton, ranking first throughout China.
Transportation in Qiandongnan is very convenient. The Guizhou-Guangxi Railway, the Hunan-Guizhou Railway, State Highway 320 (Shanghai-Ruili) and State Highway 321 (Guangzhou-Chengdu) run through Kaili, the capital of Qiandongnan, and extend to major cities such as Guiyang, Nanning, Changsha and Guangzhou. There are also express highways connecting Kaili with Guiyang. Kaili is within two hours drive of Guiyang Longdongbao Airport.
Economic Features
Qiandongnan realized GDP of RMB 31.26 billion in 2010, representing a rise of 14.2% year on year. The prefecture's GDP accounted for approximately 8.5% of Guizhou's total and ranked sixth in the province.
The agricultural sector generated value-added output of RMB7.67 billion in 2010, accounting for 24.6% of the city's GDP. Farming is important contributor to the region's agricultural sector. In 2009, the city produced 1.48 million tons of grains in total, rising 0.1% year on year.
Secondary industry (industry and construction), realized value-added industrial output of RMB 9.41 billion, accounting for 30.1% of the prefecture's total. In 2010, the industrial sector realized value-added industrial output of RMB 5.67 billion, up 19.9% year on year, while value-added industrial output of industrial enterprises with designated size or above increased by 20.6% to RMB 3.9 billion, contributing 69% to the industrial sector's total.
Electricity, metallurgy, non-metallic mineral manufacturing, chemicals are the pillar industries of the autonomous prefecture. As a whole, these industries output contributed 89.6% to the total value-added output from industrial enterprises with designated size or above.
The service sector, the largest contributor to Qiandongnan's economy, generated value-added output of RMB 14.17 billion in 2010, accounting for 46.9% of the city's total GDP.
Tourism is the most important pillar of the service sector. During 2009, 13.9 domestic million tourists visited the prefecture, up 1% year on year, while tourism income totaled RMB 10 billion.
In 2009, the export value of Qiandongnan amounted to US$4.49 million, down 60.6% year on year. Major export goods include silicon, electrolytic manganese, and corundum. The U.S. and ASEAN countries are important trading partners of the city.
Cultural Highlights
Qiandongnan is a multi-cultural prefecture with many ethnic minority groups, including the Han, the Dong, the Miao, the Shui, the Yao, the Zhuang, and the Buyi. They live together harmoniously and retain their cultural legacy and life practices. The population of all the minority ethnic groups accounts for more than 80% of the prefecture's total, while the Miao and the Dong account for over 40% and 30% of the prefecture's total, respectively.
Qiandongnan is known a as the town of folk festivals. There are over 200 folk festivals and fairs held in the prefecture. They include the Chixin Festival of the Miao people, the Sanyuesan (March 3) Song Festival of the Dong people, the Duanjie Festival of the Shui people, and the Panwang Festival of the Yao people.
The Chixin Festival of the Miao, which is held between June and August every year, is the most solemn festival and evolved from ancient sacrificial ceremonies.
Tourist Attraction
Qiandongnan is rich in beautiful natural tourism resources. Tourists should visit Wuyang River National Scenery Area and Liping Dong Town National Scenery Area, Shibing Fir River, Huangping Yedong River, and Jianhe Hot Spring.
When talking about folk craftworks, the batik of the Miao people and the brocade of the Dong people, which have served as tribute for emperors since the Song Dynasty, have very high artistic value, while folk constructions such as Diaojiao Building, Drum Building and Flower Bridge, are delicate in design, reflecting strong local ethnic flavor.
The cuisine of Qiandongnan is known for its sour flavor. Pickled vegetables and salted fish and meat are very popular here.
