Guizhou Province is a land of contrasts. The south and southwest have a very interesting geological structure with a number of karstic mountains. Karstic mountains, countless waterfalls and plants make the place look like a long lost world in a Hollywood movie.

Karst is a kind of lime that is shaped by water, creating caves and holes. Under subtropical climates, karstic mountains and hills come to be shaped as cones.Karst, lime, caves, and underground worlds are what south-west Guizhou landscape is all about. And it's unique in the world.

Guizhou is a maze of mountains and valleys, a place where many minorities coexist quite peacefully together, each having its own customs and history. Miao, Buyi,and Yi minorities are the most famous.

Markets are usually a good opportunity to see the groups in their beautiful clothes. Each minority has specific customs and can be identified by its clothes. Malinghe Canyon is situated in the far southwest of Guizhou, in the suburbs of Xingyi, on the border with Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Xingyi itself is a pleasing small town on a hill. All around you have at least a dozen interesting scenic spots, so you can spend a few days there with Xingyi as your headquarters.

It is a national geopark, very unique for its geological setting. The Maling River runs across a deep canyon carved into a dry karstic plateau. On both sides of the canyon, rivers and streams give birth to waterfalls.

The water flow is impressive, allowing moss, grass and trees to grow on the cliff. Lime deposits on dead plants turn the mixture to "tufa," which are like stalagmites and stalagtites but in an openair grotto. Tufa is easy to crush by hand,but turns hard as it ages and is known as travertine.

Because of this special geology, this spot is a member of a geopark network consisting of about 45 Chinese areas with special geological features.

The concept of protecting a natural space because of its geology is relatively new. Nevertheless, when geology is special,lifeforms are also often as interesting.

The two sides of Malinghe Canyon are very different; one of them is more or less always exposed to the sun while the opposite one is almost always shady.So, the vegetation is really lush and tropical. Banana and fig trees can be seen in abundance, along with trumpet lilies and a number of ferns. Cliffs are covered with grass.

The rest of the plateau is dry; in fact, it reminds you of the kind of hidden valleys where dinosaurs are to be found in Hollywood movies.

Going down the canyon,you almost expect to have a Jurassic Park-style encounter. But not even a small lizard is to be seen. Nevertheless, Old times are not far away. Cycad trees are dotted about, a species that were growing at the time of dinosaurs. A special type, unique to Guizhou,grows there. They are very slow growing plants, and you may have seen them at the entrance of your bank. They are very popular potted plants in China, but these are only cousins.

Another way to discover the canyon is rafting. The river flow is impressive but the trips are safe and they allow you to discover the canyon from the river. It's quite cheap and well organized.

The paths in the canyon are not that long, so half a day is enough to visit the place unless you really have an interest in the local flora. An important point is the light - the scenery seems to change every hour because of the sun's movement in the sky. Don't forget to bring good shoes as the pathway and bridge can be quite slippery.