From September 20 to 24, the ninth edition of the “Westward Journey” public welfare poverty alleviation self-drive tour—“Journey to Anshun, Guizhou”—jointly initiated by China Traffic Radio, the China Tourism Automobile and Yacht Association, Mixing Network under the China Poverty Alleviation Development Services Co., Ltd., Beijing Xingtianxia Auto Club, and Danferr Lubricants, was successfully held. Gu Xinyi, Director of the Anshun Municipal Tourism Development Commission; Liao Hong, Director of the Industry and Trade Bureau of Ziyun County; Liu Hongtao, Marketing Director of China Traffic Radio; Li Guanjie, Founder of Xingtianxia Auto Club; along with over 30 caring individuals from Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, participated in this event.
In response to the “Notice on Announcing China’s ‘Westward Journey’ Premium Self-Drive Tour Routes for Poverty Alleviation” jointly issued by the National Tourism Administration and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, this event adopted an in-depth self-drive tour model to enter Anshun City, Guizhou Province, boosting tourism consumption in impoverished areas. It also delivered donation funds and school supplies from caring individuals to local impoverished primary schools. Meanwhile, hosts from China Traffic Radio conducted a unique “Speak Mandarin About My Hometown” class for local elementary students, practicing educational poverty alleviation, which received widespread recognition from all sectors of society.
With Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, Beijing has already been enveloped in rich autumn hues, with forests painted in layers of color, while Anshun remains warm as spring, lush and green. Car enthusiasts from Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei gathered in Anshun, Guizhou via fly-and-drive tours. The primary focus of this poverty alleviation initiative was Ziyun Miao and Buyei Autonomous County in Anshun City—an area classified as a national-level poverty-stricken county, facing formidable challenges in poverty eradication. However, the region boasts diverse landscapes, numerous ethnic minorities, and exceptional tourism resources. Among these, the “Yalu King” epic of the county has been included in the third batch of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Other famous attractions include the Ziyun Getu River Scenic Area. As the saying goes, plant the phoenix tree and attract the phoenix; in recent years, the Anshun municipal government has intensified efforts to drive poverty alleviation through tourism development, achieving significant results.
The convoy first arrived at Gejing Village in Shuitang Town by the Getu River, where they hiked over mountains for about an hour to reach Asia’s last cave-dwelling tribe—the Zhongdong Miao Village. In this cave, over 100 meters wide and more than 200 meters deep, live a dozen families consisting of dozens of Miao people. Their ancestors moved into the mountains to escape war and later settled in the cave. Life in the cave is simple and modest. Some young people work outside, while those who remain continue a traditional lifestyle of men farming and women weaving. A small number also sell local peculiar stones and woods or offer food and lodging to strangers, making it a veritable paradise.
(The distant cave is the Zhongdong Miao Village)
Residents in the cave mentioned that although the road to Zhongdong is difficult, the number of travel enthusiasts visiting the village has increased year by year over the past two years. Most visitors purchase some local specialties, bringing considerable income to the residents.
(Local farm households in the cave sell homemade liquor and wooden products to tourists)
On the afternoon of September 21, the convoy arrived at Yanjiao Primary School in Getuhe Town, Ziyun County. Currently, 53 impoverished students at the school are children from registered impoverished households, with some boarding due to their remote mountainous homes. The convoy brought books, backpacks, and other school supplies for the children, and also provided one-on-one support for some academically excellent and underprivileged students on-site.
Ms. Gu Xinyi, Director of the Anshun Municipal Tourism Development Commission, delivered a welcome speech, expressing gratitude for the convoy’s charitable actions and highly commending the model of poverty alleviation through self-drive tours. For impoverished areas rich in tourism resources but not yet developed, this model benefits multiple parties. Anshun has long enjoyed reputations such as “China’s Waterfall Hometown,” “Hometown of Tusi Culture,” “Hometown of Batik,” and “The Beauty of the West.” It is a prime destination for karst landscape tourism in the world, with an average annual temperature of 14 degrees Celsius—a cool and moist climate perfect for self-drive tourism. She welcomed self-drive enthusiasts from across the country to visit Anshun.
Liu Hongtao, Marketing Director of China Traffic Radio, also gave the children a unique “Speak Mandarin About My Hometown” CCTV public lesson. He stated: “Poverty alleviation begins with education. Speaking Mandarin well holds great significance for future studies and work. I hope the children maintain correct pronunciation, speak Mandarin well, improve their communication skills, prepare to step out of the mountains for higher education, and lay the foundation for building their hometowns in the future.”
Later, the convoy visited scenic spots within the Anshun municipal area, including Huangguoshu Waterfall, Dragon Palace, and Tianlong Tunbao. The car enthusiasts were full of praise, deeply impressed by the wonders of nature. At the same time, China Traffic Radio awarded Anshun City, Guizhou Province, the title of “China Traffic Radio Mountain Self-Drive Destination,” hoping that more self-drive enthusiasts from across the country will visit Anshun and Ziyun, using a discerning eye and philanthropic steps to explore this simple and genuine land.