贵阳市

Why this place

Guiyang sits on a plateau at 1,100 metres, which makes it a summer refuge in southern China. It is the base for Guizhou's karst and minority regions, and its own cuisine — sour, spicy and heavy on preserved vegetables — is one of the more distinctive in the country.

What to see

• Qianling Park, with the macaques and the Hongfu Temple
• The Jiaxiu Pavilion on the Nanming River, the city's symbol
• Qingyan ancient town, with its Ming-era gates and lanes
• The Guizhou Museum, for the province's minorities and archaeology

What to eat

• Sour fish soup (suantang yu) — Guizhou's signature, fermented sour broth with river fish
• Changwang noodles and the local 'siwawa' — a rice-flour wrap you fill yourself
• Chilli in every form: the province consumes a lot of it

Best time

April–October; the city is a genuine summer escape from the southern heat