While we were hiking in
Longshuixia Fissure Gorge (龙水峡地缝) earlier, part of the tour group visited Chiyou Jiulicheng (蚩尤九黎城) instead. After picking us up from the Gorge, the tour bus drove to this ancient city to pick up the rest of the tour group. While waiting, we were able to have a peek at the largest traditional Miao-style architectural complex in China.
Covering over 10 square kilometers, this majestic fortress city serves as a living museum and cultural sanctuary dedicated to preserving the history, mythology, and folk customs of the Miao ethnic group (苗族). The entire complex honors Chiyou, the legendary God of War and the primary tribal leader of the ancient Jiuli (九黎) alliance. Chiyou is revered as the first ancestor of the Miao people.
The city's striking architecture mimics ancient mountain strongholds, cascading seamlessly down steep hillsides. Three of its core structures hold Guinness World Records for their unprecedented scale and traditional engineering.
Jiuli Palace (九黎宫) is the highest and largest complex of stilted wooden buildings (吊脚楼) and quadrangle courtyards in the world. Built purely out of wood into a steep cliffside without using a single metal nail, it houses vast exhibition spaces showcasing ancestral Miao artifacts, clothing, and history.
Our next stop was to take a river cruise on Wu River (乌江).
Before that, we stopped by another restaurant for lunch.
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