Wanfenglin in Guizhou!! The perfect staycation to lie back and enjoy the mountains and waters!

🌟 Xingyi Wanfenglin: Sleeping in a painting on the karst mountainside

The moment I opened the window, I truly understood the shock in Xu Xiake’s words, "There are many mountain peaks in the world, but only here do the peaks form a forest." Xingyi, a small city in southwestern Guizhou, weaves the most spectacular natural landscape screen on Earth with 20,000 karst cone peaks. The Yueqili Homestay nestled halfway up the mountain is the best frame to admire this natural masterpiece.

🏔 The past and present of Wanfenglin
The Triassic period’s sea waves sculpted this unique karst landform. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the local Bouyei ancestors discovered that the valleys between the peaks were perfect wind shelters, giving rise to the smoke of Na Hui village. The homestay at No. 48 Zhafang Group still preserves traditional architecture wisdom with bluestone walls and fir wood beams. Opening the carved wooden window, you can see the geological rings from 200 million years ago and overlook the Bagua fields cultivated by the Bouyei people for 600 years.

🌄 Secrets of living in the scenery
1️⃣ Infinity pool viewing deck
In the early morning when clouds wrap around the mountainside, soaking in the heated pool feels like floating in the clouds. In the afternoon, the sunlight dyes the peaks a blue-black color, and every snapshot looks like a scene from "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains." The most stunning moment is at sunset when the peaks slice the evening glow into flowing amber. The uniqueness here is that this homestay at this altitude is the only place in the entire Wanfenglin scenic area to enjoy both dawn and dusk views.

2️⃣ Eco-friendly mud wall rooms
The designer used Guizhou’s unique five-colored soil to plaster the walls, which keep the rooms warm in winter and cool in summer, embodying Bouyei architectural wisdom. Modern elements like Dyson hairdryers and smart toilets blend seamlessly, adding a touch of refinement to rural life. The best part is that each room’s floor-to-ceiling window acts like a custom picture frame, with morning mist swirling like ink wash and midday rice fields shimmering with ripples.

3️⃣ Back mountain viewing platform
A five-minute hike along the stone path behind the homestay leads to a little-known wild viewing platform. Here you can see the entire "General Peak"—a solitary peak resembling a helmet, which was the military training ground for local Tusi officers in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The platform has a few rattan cushions, and while daydreaming there, you often encounter wild macaques coming down the mountain to drink water.

🍜 Local life experience
The housekeeper will recommend you visit the Na Hui village market, just a 10-minute walk away. The Bouyei ladies’ baskets carry fresh thorn pear fruit and five-colored glutinous rice, fresher than anything on supermarket shelves. Be sure to try the homestay’s breakfast lamb noodles, with broth made from free-range goats raised in Wanfenglin, paired with their homegrown organic vegetables—so fresh it makes you want to sing.

Time flows differently here: at the foot of the mountain in the Bagua fields, the time it takes an old farmer to plow a ridge with a water buffalo is just enough for you to finish half a cup of hand-brewed coffee. But in an instant, the sunset gilds all 20,000 peaks in gold. What Wanfenglin has taught me is that some scenery doesn’t need chasing; just sit on your own balcony and wait for it to come to you.

Post by GlobeTrottingGem | Oct 19, 2025