Weining (Caohai Lake)

The 'roof of Guizhou': highland wetlands with wintering black-necked cranes at Caohai Lake, purple chive-flower seas on Jiucaiping, Baicaoping grassland and the century-old Shimenkan, a naturally cool summer retreat.

Weining Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County lies in the northwest corner of Guizhou, in the west of Bijie, on a highland plateau in the heart of the Wumeng Mountains. The county seat sits at about 2,200 m, and Weining is the highest and largest county in Guizhou, bordering Zhaotong and Qujing in Yunnan; it is known as the 'Roof of Guizhou.' Sunshine is plentiful and summers are not scorching: the average temperature in July is about 18°C, making it a well-known summer retreat in southwest China. Winters are cold, but Caohai Lake welcomes tens of thousands of wintering migratory birds.

Sights are centered on Weining town. Caohai at the edge of town is Guizhou's largest natural freshwater lake and a national nature reserve; in winter you can take a fisherman's boat to see black-necked cranes up close, and in summer and autumn you can cycle around the lake and watch the sunset. About 30 km to the east is Baicaoping, an alpine grassland of southern China. To the northeast, Big and Small Jiucaiping (Small Jiucaiping is the highest peak in Guizhou at 2,900.6 m) and the Axilixi grassland are covered in purple chive flowers in Aug–Sep. In the south are Mabai Mountain and the Kedu Pass on the old Yunnan–Guizhou post road. In the northwestern mountains, Shimenkan bears witness to a century of Miao education history.

Best seasons: Jul–Sep for escaping the heat and seeing the chive flowers and grasslands; Nov–Mar for black-necked cranes. Getting there: Weining Caohai Airport has flights; it is about 1.5–2 hours' drive from Bijie and Liupanshui and about 4 hours from Guiyang. Roads between sights are mostly mountain roads, so driving or chartering a car is recommended. We suggest 3 days. Note that UV is strong on the plateau and the temperature range between morning and evening is large. This is a multi-ethnic area home to the Yi, Hui, Miao and others, so please respect local customs; non-halal food must not be brought into Hui restaurants. Local specialties include potatoes, buckwheat rice and beef.

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