Surrounded by numerous mountains and hampered by inconvenient transportation, ethnic minorities in Guizhou have been largely insulated from external influences, thus well preserving their time-honored folk customs. With the booming tourism industry spreading to mountainous areas in recent years, distinctive wooden stilt houses have been built across the hills. Local people welcome tourists in traditional ways and stage small-scale song and dance performances. Guizhou abounds in ethnic festivals. A visit here at the right time will surely let you experience unique ethnic charm.

From the 3rd day of the first lunar month to the 3rd day of the third lunar month, Yi people in Zhexi Township, Liuzhi District perform Nuo operas in villages to worship deities and ward off evil spirits. The vivid Nuo masks portray gods, ghosts and humans with distinctive personalities. Every performance draws large crowds and creates a lively atmosphere.

Each year from the 1st to the 15th day of the first lunar month, thousands of Miao people from Huashiban Village and neighboring villages and counties gather beside a cave east of the village. They sing love ballads and play lusheng and vertical xiao while singing. Crowds surge all around. Many young men and women seek lovers and court each other here, hence the name Flower-Gathering Cave.

Sankoutang in Nankai Township, Shuicheng County hosts the most joyous traditional festival of the local Small-Flower Miao people — the Flower Slope Festival, held annually on the 15th day of the second lunar month. On this occasion, tens of thousands of Miao people gather here in splendid costumes, singing and dancing to celebrate the festival. It ranks among the largest ethnic festivals in Guizhou Province.

A grand Yi Torch Festival is held annually on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month at Haiping, Yushe Township. All activities take place around bonfires under the moonlight, so the festival is also nicknamed "Moon Bathing".