Huanjiang

Home to the Mulun section of the South China Karst World Heritage Site, with pristine karst forest and the distinctive Maonan crafts of Nuo masks and woven bamboo hats.

Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County lies in Hechi in northwestern Guangxi, bordering Libo in Guizhou to the north. It is China's only Maonan autonomous county, with its seat in Si'en Town. The county is classic karst upland: in 2014 the Mulun Nature Reserve was inscribed as part of the second phase of the South China Karst World Heritage Site, forming one continuous area with the Maolan karst forest of Libo. Use the county town as your base: the Maonan Museum there is the first stop for understanding Nuo masks, woven bamboo hats and the Feitao ritual; Xianan Township, about 35 km southwest, is the Maonan heartland, where villages such as Nanchang Tun keep their stone-built houses; around Mulun in Chuanshan Town to the northwest you can walk karst forest trails; Minglun Town to the northeast has the Niujiaozhai waterfalls, and the Wenya area of Dacai Township has a cluster of sinkholes; the Jiuwan Mountains in the north suit experienced hikers. The climate is subtropical monsoon: forests and gorges are at their best from April to October, waterfalls run fullest in summer, and the Maonan Fenlong Festival falls in the fifth lunar month; winters are damp and cold. Huanjiang Station on the Guiyang–Nanning high-speed railway has direct trains from Nanning and Guiyang, and downtown Hechi is about an hour's drive away. Sights are scattered and public transport is sparse, so self-drive or hire a car with driver, and allow 2–3 days. Local specialties include Maonan cattle and the Maonan "three sours".

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