Its full name is Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture. Situated in southeastern Guizhou Province, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture neighbors Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Zunyi City and Tongren Region within the province. It is also bounded on the east by Hunan Province in the neighborhood of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the south. Before the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC), Qiandongnan was known as a place of southern barbarians and partly belonged to the Chu Kingdom and a local ethnic regime. It made great progress in development during the exploitation of the Miao region in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).  

Qiandongnan lies in the transition area from Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau to hills and basins in Hunan and Guangxi. Karst and eroded landforms are widely distributed in the prefecture. Its general terrain is higher in the north, south and west while lower in the east. Western and northwestern Qiandongnan is medium and low mountains, and its eastern and southeastern part has complex distributions of low mountains, hills and basins. On the whole, mountainous region occupies over eighty-seven percent of the prefecture's total area Qiandongnan enjoys a subtropical humid monsoon climate bearing some features of plateau climate. Average temperatures of the coldest January and hottest July are respectively 5-8??? (41-46.4F) and 24-28??? (75.2-82.4F). The rainy season usually lasts from April to October, mainly concentrating on spring and summer.

Tips

Visitors can visit Qiandongnan prefecture in spring, summer and autumn. It is notable that a spread of half a year in Kaili is in rainy season. A raincoat or umbrella should be carried for this trip.  

Local Highlights: Ethnic minorities in Qiandongnan have a population of 3,640,000, over eighty percent of the prefecture's total population. Miao and Dong minorities are the biggest groups. The colorful traditional festivals and local folk customs are the highlights of the prefecture.

Road-block drinking is the first ritual when the hospitable Miao people welcome guests. From the foot to the gate of the village, there are usually twelve barriers with full dressed Miao youths pledging wine to visitors.