遵义市

Why this place

Zunyi is where, in 1935, the Communist Party held the meeting that confirmed Mao Zedong's leadership during the Long March — the event that made the city a place of national significance. It also sits in the mountains, close to the Chishui River and to some very good scenery.

What to see

• The Zunyi Conference site, preserved in the old town
• The Chishui River and the Sidu Chishui crossings, in the surrounding gorges
• The Maotai liquor town, where China's most famous baijiu is made
• The Hailongtun fortress ruins — a Ming-era mountain castle, UNESCO-listed

What to eat

• Guizhou cooking: sour and spicy, with the local 'zunyi' mutton noodles being famous
• Maotai baijiu, sold and drunk across the region

Best time

April–October