Pingzheng Gelao Ethnic Culture Park (Stone City)

Pingzheng Gelao Ethnic Culture Park (Stone City)

The Gelao Stone City in Pingzheng Township, Zunyi County (Guizhou Primitive Ecology Gelao Culture Museum), with a total investment of 430 million yuan and covering an area of over 380 acres, officially opened in September 2012. Currently, it has established more than 20 scenic areas including the Gelao Culture Expo Park, exhibition halls, and sites dedicated to the 20-plus Gelao ancestors such as Jiutiantianzu, Qianzu, Yue, Daguai, and Baowang, as well as over 300 scenic spots. The stone city is filled with oddly shaped rocks arranged according to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, creating a maze-like and mysterious atmosphere. Many of the unique stones are inscribed with Gelao ethnic scripts that document the history and legends of this ethnic group.

The Gelao ethnic group is an ancient people from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Pingzheng Gelao Ethnic Township was established in December 1956 as China’s first Gelao ethnic township. In January 2006, it was successfully designated as the “No. 1 Gelao Ethnic Township in China.” The Gelao culture has a long and rich heritage. In Pingzheng Gelao Ethnic Township, many traditional customs related to clothing, food, housing, marriage, funeral practices, and festivals are still preserved, making it a hidden gem awaiting development in Zunyi’s ethnic tourism.

The Gelao Stone City boasts a long history, vast terrain, and uniquely peculiar landscapes, earning it the nicknames “Thousand Dragons, Ten Thousand Turtles, and Hundred Spirits.” It is famous for its four core cultural elements: “the essence of harmony, the energy of balance, the deity of love, and the spirit of shamanism.” Visitors walking through its auspicious maze can immerse themselves in the spiritual aura of these four cultures, achieving “mental cleansing, intellectual invigoration, and enlightenment,” thus gaining “blessings and good fortune.” Hence, it is also known as the Auspicious Wisdom City.

Scenic Spot Location

Pingzheng Township, Zunyi County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province