Duyun Stone Slab Street

Duyun Stone Slab Street

Duyun Stone Slab Street, with a total length of 312 meters, is paved with 11,000 bluestones. The buildings along the street are constructed in the classical Ming and Qing styles, featuring blue tiles, red walls, and carved wooden doors and windows.

Originally built during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1398), the initial section was about 200 meters long and paved with 10,001 bluestones. Stone lions were placed at both ends of the street, and a traditional gate was erected at the southern entrance. This street was a vital ancient post road connecting Guizhou to Guangxi during the Ming and Qing periods. In 1638, the great Chinese explorer and traveler Xu Xiake entered Duyun through this very section of the street. In 1992, the street underwent renovation and upgrading. The buildings follow the winding ascent of the road, giving the entire street an elegant, classic charm that is both quaint and resplendent. It has become a distinctive ancient architectural complex in Duyun, the southern gateway of Guizhou Province, attracting tourists from all over.

Ethnic minority cultural activities such as Buyi weddings, lusheng and bronze drum performances, and antiphonal singing are often held on the stone slab street. In recent years, multiple overseas tour groups from Japan, the United States, the Netherlands, Singapore, as well as Korean television crews, have visited here to experience local culture, making the stone slab street famous both at home and abroad.

On July 24, 2012, a delegation of indigenous teachers from Taiwan visited the street under the accompaniment of leaders from the Taiwan Affairs Offices of Qiannan Prefecture and Duyun City. They expressed heartfelt admiration for the preservation, protection, and development of ethnic cultural arts displayed on the street, including Miao silver ornaments, Shui ethnic paper-cutting artworks, and Buyi costumes.

Location

Mid-section of Guanghui Road, Duyun City, Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture