Bijie Culture

Bijie (毕节) lies deep in the Wumeng Mountains of northwestern Guizhou, where prehistoric caves, ancient bronze-age remains, Yi-language manuscripts, hereditary chieftain estates, ethnic villages and Long March sites form one of the province’s richest cultural landscapes. Unlike destinations centered on a single historic town, Bijie’s heritage is distributed across mountain counties and rural communities, making it especially suitable for archaeology tours, ethnic culture experiences, educational travel and slow-paced historical exploration.

The cultural character of Bijie is defined above all by ancient Yelang archaeology, the long history of the Shuixi Yi people, the legacy of Lady Shexiang, the living traditions of Miao and Yi communities, and the revolutionary history of the Red Army in northwestern Guizhou. Cultural travel here is therefore not simply about visiting monuments; it involves understanding how ritual, costume, food, music, craftsmanship and village life continue to connect the present with the past.

Historical Development of Bijie

Prehistoric Civilization and Ancient Yelang Culture

Bijie’s archaeological history begins far earlier than its recorded urban history. The Guanyin Cave Site (黔西观音洞遗址) in Qianxi is one of the most representative early Paleolithic sites in southern China. Archaeological discoveries there helped establish an important cultural sequence for early human activity on the Guizhou Plateau, earning the site the popular comparison “Zhoukoudian in the north, Guanyin Cave in the south.”

The Kele Archaeological Site (可乐遗址) in Hezhang County represents another major chapter. Covering a broad area of hills and ancient burial grounds, Kele has produced distinctive remains dating from the Warring States period through the Qin and Han dynasties. Its unusual burial customs and bronze artefacts provide essential evidence for studying ancient Yelang-related cultures, and its archaeological excavations were selected among China’s major archaeological discoveries of 2001.

These sites demonstrate that the Bijie region was not an isolated mountain frontier. It participated in prehistoric migration, regional trade and the long historical process through which southwestern societies became connected with the expanding Chinese state.

Shuixi Yi Civilization

Yi culture is the central historical foundation of Bijie. Ancient Yi communities established regional political systems across the Wumeng Mountains, including the influential Shuixi polity, known in Yi tradition as Mu’ege (慕俄格). Its political and cultural center was closely associated with present-day Dafang and surrounding areas.

Bijie also became an important center for Yi writing and manuscript preservation. Texts such as the Southwestern Yi Records (西南彝志) preserve accounts of creation, genealogy, migration, astronomy, ritual, agriculture and political history. Modern research continues to show the exceptional importance of Bijie and neighboring areas for the preservation of ancient Yi literature.

The origin of the name “Bijie” has several traditional explanations. One widely cited interpretation links it to the Yi-language name Biji or Bijie (比跻), associated with an ancient lineage or community that once lived in the area. Historical records also document the establishment of Bijie Post during the Yuan dynasty, Bijie Guard during the Ming dynasty and Bijie County during the Qing dynasty.

Lady Shexiang and the Opening of the Ancient Postal Roads

Lady Shexiang (奢香夫人) was one of the most influential political figures in the history of Shuixi. As a female Yi leader during the early Ming dynasty, she worked to maintain relations between the central government and the communities of northwestern Guizhou.

She is remembered for supporting the construction of postal roads and stations connecting Guizhou with Sichuan, Yunnan and the Central Plains. These routes facilitated administration, trade, education and cultural exchange, while also strengthening communication between ethnic regions and the Ming state.

Her historical memory is preserved at Shexiang Tomb (奢香墓), the Shexiang Museum (奢香博物馆), Mu’ege Ancient City and the reconstructed Guizhou Xuanwei Government Office in Dafang. The museum interprets her contributions to regional communication, social stability and cultural exchange.

Ming–Qing Bijie and the Old Walled City

Bijie developed as an important military and administrative center controlling routes between Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan. The Ming government established Bijie Guard (毕节卫) in 1384, after which walls, gates, government offices, temples, guild halls and residential compounds gradually shaped the old city.

Traditional accounts describe five principal gates: Wu’an Gate in the east, Dingxi Gate in the west, Zhennan Gate in the south, Gongbei Gate in the north and Tongjin Gate toward the southeast. Most of the old walls disappeared during twentieth-century urban expansion, but surviving fragments and historic courtyard traditions still preserve traces of the former city.

Old Bijie was also known for its Longmen courtyard residences (龙门院落). These enclosed compounds combined shops, family residences, courtyards and ceremonial spaces, reflecting the commercial and domestic life of wealthy urban families. Only a limited number survive, making remaining examples particularly valuable for understanding the architectural identity of old Qixingguan.

Long March and Revolutionary History

Bijie became an important revolutionary base during the Long March. In 1936, the Second and Sixth Red Army Corps entered northwestern Guizhou and established the Sichuan–Yunnan–Guizhou Provincial Revolutionary Committee, creating revolutionary organizations across Qianxi, Dafang, Bijie, Jinsha, Nayong and surrounding areas.

The former committee site in Qixingguan, the former headquarters of the Guizhou Anti-Japanese National Salvation Army and the former Political Department of the Sixth Red Army Corps form the core of Bijie’s red heritage. The provincial revolutionary committee site is a nationally protected cultural monument and an important venue for Long March education.

In 2025, Bijie selected 39 places for its first municipal place-name cultural heritage list. These included ancient settlements, archaeological remains, historical buildings and 13 sites connected with the Red Army and revolutionary history.

Ethnic Groups

Bijie is home to a large number of ethnic minorities, among 56 ethnic groups in China, 45 ethnic groups distributed in Bijie, coupled with Chuanqing people(穿青人), Caijia People(蔡家人), Gejia People(革家人), Longjia People(龙家人) and other pending ethnic groups, making Bijie customs and practices colorful. The proportion of Han people in the total population reaches 74.12%. The population of all ethnic minorities (including pending ethnic groups and foreigners who have become Chinese nationals) accounts for 25.88% of the total population. Among the minorities, seven ethnic groups with a population of over ten thousand are Yi, Miao, Hui, Bai, Buyi, Mongol and Gelao, taking up about 72.4% of all minority population. In addition, the population of pending ethnic groups is 26.04% of all minority population. 

Ethnic Townships

There is 1 autonomous counties(Weining Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County(威宁彝族回族苗族自治县)) and more than 70 ethnic townships in Bijie.

Local Culture and Customs

• Yi Culture: The Yi minority is the most populous minority in Bijie. From the perspective of external features, the costumes of the Yi in Bijie are mainly the Wumeng mountain costumes representing the eastern dialect of the Yi language, while there are also a few Liangshan mountain costumes representing the northern dialect of the Yi language in Weining autonomous county. These costumes can still reflect the relics of totem worship and rich historical and cultural connotations of the Yi. The eastern Yi dialect area is one of the most well-preserved areas of Yi history and culture, and its rich ancient literature in Yi language is second to none in the world. The folk customs and festivals of the Yi contain rich Yi traditional culture.
• Miao Culture: The Miao minority is one of the major minorities in Bijie. The Miao language contains rich historical and cultural connotations. Through the study of the Miao language, the profound historical and cultural traditional information of the Miao people can be found. Miao costume, as an important combination of material culture and spiritual culture, carries the migration history of the Miao, records both the tortuous course of Miao migration and the Miao people's material civilization and spiritual civilization of thousands of years, also embodies the difference of dialect among different branches. It is a colorful landscape of ethnic culture. At present, in Miao literature, the folk literature is richest, its genres include poems, stories, aphorisms, proverbs, riddles, etc.
• Hui Culture: The most obvious and prominent feature of the Hui culture is the belief in Islam, which closely unites the Hui people. As the classic of Islam, the Quran records many Islamic doctrines, rules and historical cultures, from which we can feel the psychological and cultural pursuit of the Hui people. Weining autonomous county has the most Hui population in Bijie and even the whole Guizhou province. There are 55 mosques in Weining county. The mosque is the most representative building reflecting Islamic culture and condenses the essence of Islamic culture. Hui festivals mainly include Lesser Bairam, Corban Festival, maulid al-nabi. The Hui people in the area mainly use the Chinese language and Arabic is also used on some occasions.
• Bai, Buyi and Gelao Culture: Bai, Buyi and Gelao are also the major minorities, living in Bijie for generation. They all have their own languages, which contain rich ethnic historical and cultural information. They also have their own rich folk literature and arts, as well as customs and festivals with unique ethnic cultural characteristics.
• Ethnic Music: Among so many ethnic songs and dances, "Song of Wumeng", which integrates the ethnic songs and dances of Han, Yi, Miao, Hui, Buyi, Bai and Gelao, enjoys a good reputation at home and abroad. It had a visit to northern Europe, Canada and other countries, repeatedly won ethnic song and dance contest in the province and the whole country, and became one of the main songs and dances in Beijing Chinese Ethnic Park and Yunnan Ethnic Culture Village. 
• Ethnic Handcrafts: The ethnic crafts of primitive simplicity and elegance are represented by paper cutting of Yi minority, Miao batik and embroidery.
• Ethnic Festivals: The ancient and unique ethnic customs constitute the traditional customs of the people in Bijie, such as hospitality, courtesy, respect for the old and love the young, and solidarity and friendship. Colorful ethnic festivals include the torch festival of Yi, Yi's New Year, Tiaohua festival of Miao and Double Sixth Festival of Buyi.

Cultural Highlights across Bijie

Intangible Cultural Heritage of Bijie

Bijie’s intangible heritage includes ritual drama, music, dance, costume, lacquerware, embroidery, medicine, pottery, food and seasonal festivals. Its best-known national projects are closely connected with Yi and Miao communities and remain rooted in particular villages rather than existing only as stage performances.

Nationally Recognized Heritage Highlights

Cuotaiji (撮泰吉) is usually translated as “the drama of transformed people.” Its performance traditionally includes ritual, farming, celebration and village-cleansing sections. It is preserved principally in Weining and remains one of China’s most distinctive forms of ancient Yi ritual theatre.

Gunshanzhu (滚山珠) developed from a Miao lusheng dance formerly known as “rolling through thorns.” Performers play the lusheng while rolling, turning and completing increasingly difficult acrobatic movements, symbolizing the courage of Miao ancestors during migration.

The Yi Bell Dance is concentrated in Hezhang and was traditionally performed during memorial ceremonies. Its bells, formations and movements convey stories of survival, farming and the continuation of the Yi people.

Nayong’s Qing Miao costume is recognized for its elaborate embroidery, carefully structured garments and horn-like hairstyle. Since many historical memories were transmitted through image and oral tradition rather than written documents, the clothing is often described as history recorded in fabric.

Dafang’s Yi lacquerware uses natural lacquer and mineral-derived colours, traditionally dominated by black, red and yellow. Once used for ritual objects and everyday utensils, the craft is now also applied to decorative art and contemporary cultural products.

Food, Crafts and Local Knowledge

Provincial and municipal heritage projects further broaden Bijie’s cultural landscape. Representative examples include Weining buckwheat pastry, Dafang bean-product making, Zhijin Water Eight Bowls, Zhijin Gongbao chicken, Jinsha vinegar brewing, Miao lusheng making, stone carving, traditional medicine and pottery.

The provincial intangible-heritage lists formally recognize Dafang bean-product skills, Weining buckwheat-pastry making, Zhijin Water Eight Bowls, Zhijin Gongbao chicken and Jinsha vinegar-making traditions.

These food traditions are best understood in local markets, family restaurants and community workshops. For cultural tours, demonstrations should emphasize ingredients, preparation methods and family inheritance rather than presenting the dishes merely as tourist snacks.

Nationally Listed Traditional Villages

Bijie has three confirmed entries in the national inventory of traditional Chinese villages. They preserve different combinations of cliff-top settlement planning, Yi or Shui ethnic culture, vernacular architecture and mountain agriculture.

Yingshang Ancient Village was included in the second national traditional-village list in 2013. Its houses occupy a dramatic cliff-top location protected on several sides by steep rock faces, creating a naturally defensible settlement.

Youshanhe and Beizuo were included in the fifth national list. Youshanhe is especially valued for the relationship between traditional Yi residences and the surrounding karst landscape, while Beizuo preserves the history of a long-established Shui community.

Other culturally important communities include Laoweng Community (老翁社区) in Nayong, Huawu Miao Village in Qianxi and numerous Yi, Miao, Bai and Bouyei settlements around Baili Dujuan. Their official designations may differ from the national traditional-village list, but they remain valuable places for experiencing living heritage.

Major Historical and Cultural Sites

Datun Tusi Manor

Datun Tusi Manor (大屯土司庄园) in Qixingguan is one of China’s largest and best-preserved Yi chieftain estates. Constructed principally during the Qing dynasty, the complex combines administrative halls, family residences, gardens, ancestral spaces, defensive structures and carved decoration.

Its architectural details reveal interaction between Yi symbolism and Han building traditions. Traditional motifs appear alongside courtyard layouts, garden elements and scholarly spaces, making the manor an important physical record of the chieftain system and cultural exchange in southwestern China. It became a national key cultural heritage site in 1988.

Shexiang Tomb and Museum

The Shexiang Tomb complex in Dafang commemorates Lady Shexiang and the political history of Shuixi. Nearby museum displays introduce ancient postal roads, Yi political institutions, cultural exchange and her role in promoting stability and communication.

The wider cultural area may be combined with Mu’ege Ancient City and the reconstructed Guizhou Xuanwei Government Office. Visitors should distinguish between original protected remains, museum facilities and modern reconstructed architecture.

Guanyin Cave and Kele Archaeological Site

Guanyin Cave and Kele represent two different archaeological periods. Guanyin Cave provides evidence of Paleolithic human activity, while Kele preserves remains associated with communities living in northwestern Guizhou during the Warring States, Qin and Han periods.

Because these are protected archaeological areas rather than conventional entertainment attractions, access to excavated or conservation zones may be restricted. The Bijie Museum (毕节市博物馆) is often the most accessible place to understand their discoveries through artefacts, replicas and historical interpretation.

Red Heritage Sites

The Sichuan–Yunnan–Guizhou Provincial Revolutionary Committee Former Site (中华苏维埃人民共和国川滇黔省革命委员会旧址) in central Bijie is the principal red-culture monument in the city. Other important sites include the former headquarters of the Guizhou Anti-Japanese National Salvation Army, the Sixth Red Army Corps Political Department and battlefield or river-crossing locations in Dafang, Hezhang, Jinsha and other counties.

A well-planned red heritage tour should combine original buildings with a museum or specialist guide, since many surviving sites are modest structures whose significance is not immediately apparent without historical explanation.

Ethnic Minority Culture

Yi Culture

Yi culture is most visible in Dafang, Weining, Hezhang, Qixingguan and Baili Dujuan. Its living expressions include Yi-language manuscripts, lacquerware, Cuotaiji drama, Bell Dance, ancestral ceremonies, Torch Festival, Yi New Year and traditional food.

The Torch Festival (火把节) is the most accessible large-scale celebration for visitors. Activities may include fire ceremonies, song and dance, wrestling, horse-related events, costume displays and communal gatherings. Dates and programs differ between counties and should be confirmed locally.

Miao Culture

Miao communities are distributed across Nayong, Qianxi, Jinsha, Weining and parts of Dafang. Cultural traditions vary significantly between branches, particularly in clothing, hairstyles, embroidery, batik, music and festival customs.

Nayong is the strongest destination for exploring Qing Miao costume and Gunshanzhu dance. Huawu Village in Qianxi is known for Miao song, dance, embroidery and its striking location beside the Wujiang River. Huawu traditions include multi-part singing, lusheng performances and richly decorated clothing.

Hui, Bai, Bouyei, Shui and Gelao Traditions

Weining is a major Hui settlement area where mosque communities, food customs and market culture form an important part of the county’s social landscape. Bai communities preserve song gatherings and seasonal celebrations, while Bouyei villages maintain rice-growing customs, textile traditions and festival songs.

Beizuo Village represents Shui settlement culture in Dafang. Gelao communities around Baili Dujuan and neighboring areas celebrate harvest-related customs, while multi-ethnic areas may hold Yi, Miao, Bouyei and Gelao festivals within the same season.

Bijie Cultural Tourism Planning

Yi History and Lady Shexiang Tour

Begin in Dafang County with Shexiang Tomb, the Shexiang Museum, Mu’ege Ancient City and the Guizhou Xuanwei Government Office. Add a Yi lacquerware workshop to understand how historic visual motifs continue through contemporary craftsmanship.

The experience may be extended to Datun Tusi Manor in Qixingguan, connecting the political history of Shuixi with the later chieftain estate system. Two days are more suitable than attempting to visit all the sites on a rushed day trip.

Archaeology and Ancient Yelang Tour

Combine the Bijie Museum, Guanyin Cave in Qianxi and Kele Archaeological Site in Hezhang. Because road distances are considerable and access conditions vary, this theme is best arranged over two or three days with advance confirmation.

A specialist guide is strongly recommended. The significance of stone tools, burial forms and bronze artefacts is difficult to understand through visual observation alone.

Intangible-Heritage Experience

Travel to Nayong for Qing Miao costume, embroidery and Gunshanzhu dance, then continue to Weining for Cuotaiji, buckwheat food and plateau Yi culture. In Dafang, include lacquerware production; in Zhijin, explore Water Eight Bowls and traditional cooking.

Authentic performances are often connected with festivals, village ceremonies or scheduled cultural events. Visitors should not assume that ritual dances are performed daily.

Traditional Village Journey

Yingshang Ancient Village is the best choice for historic architecture and dramatic cliff-top scenery. Youshanhe offers a quieter combination of Yi settlement culture and karst landscapes, while Beizuo introduces Shui community traditions.

Road conditions and travel times between villages can be unpredictable. A private vehicle provides greater flexibility and allows sufficient time for walking, community visits and locally prepared meals.

Long March Heritage Tour

A red-culture journey can begin at the provincial revolutionary committee site in Qixingguan before continuing to former Red Army offices and battle sites in Dafang, Jinsha or Hezhang.

For schools and study groups, the program can combine museum interpretation, historical documents, site visits and a short seminar on the establishment of the northwestern Guizhou revolutionary base.

Practical Travel Advice

Bijie’s cultural sites are widely dispersed, and many villages or archaeological areas cannot be reached efficiently by public transport. Private transport is recommended for multi-county journeys, especially those involving Hezhang, Weining, Nayong and remote villages.

Summer is cool and is the main season for Torch Festival activities, while spring and autumn are comfortable for village walking and historical sightseeing. Festival dates frequently follow the lunar calendar and may change each year.

Visitors should ask permission before photographing residents, religious ceremonies, embroidery patterns or private homes. Ritual objects, ancestral spaces and traditional costumes should be treated respectfully rather than used casually as photography props.

Some protected monuments may close temporarily for conservation, while archaeological sites may restrict entry to excavation areas. Opening schedules, village activities and heritage demonstrations should therefore be confirmed before departure.

A private Bijie History and Culture Tour with Yaso Trip can combine Yi history, Yelang archaeology, ethnic villages, red heritage, local food and non-commercial craft experiences. For international visitors, knowledgeable interpretation is particularly important, turning Bijie’s widely scattered monuments and traditions into a coherent journey through the cultural history of the Wumeng Mountains.