With
Leadership by Dr. Chris Carpenter!
THE TIMELESS HERITAGE OF SOUTHERN
CHINA
A Journey to Wind-Rain Bridges & the Backbone of the Dragon including Guilin, Kaili, & Southern Yunnan
March 28 - April 13, 2012
Dear Travelers:
Join us and discover the timeless heritage of
Southern China. On this expedition, we will
visit famous landscapes along the Li River near
Guilin, before venturing off the beaten track
for extraordinary cultural experiences in the
mountain enclaves of Guangxi and Guizhou.
The adventure will continue as we fly to Kunming
in Yunnan Province to explore the hinterlands of
southern Yunnan.
Our journey begins in a landscape iconic of
Southern China. Here in Guilin and nearby
Yangshuo, farmhouses are set amidst overhanging
crags, and cormorants catch fish along the Li River.
The misty silhouettes of Guilin beckon travelers
from across the world.
From Guilin, we’ll set forth on back roads into “a subtropical labyrinth of mountains and
plunging river valleys,” (in the words of
historian Mark Elvin) where several of China’s
ethnic minority groups retain traditional lifestyles.
Many of these people—the Yao, Dong, and Miao
(Hmong)—inhabit picturesque wooden villages
that cling to
steep, forested
or terraced
hillsides. Their
architecture—
drum towers
and gracefully
proportioned “wind & rain
bridges”—is
unique in China.
The terraces
are spectacular and often are compared to the
Backbone of a Dragon!
Tremendously scenic and culturally diverse,
these provinces encompass a vast swath of
China that is little known to outsiders, and
remains an exotic destination for most
Chinese as well. Local people still retain their
traditional dress, architecture, and many of their
indigenous customs.
Handicrafts include the
beautifully wrought silver
ornamentation and hand stitched
textiles of the
Miao (Hmong) and Yao
people, and the pounded
indigo fabric of the Dong.
We will then take a short
flight to Kunming (Yunnan
Province) to explore
Yunnan’s southern frontier. Wonderful experiences
await us at Shilin, land of the South China
Karst, a World Heritage site that features
labyrinths of sharply eroded limestone, and its
distinctive ecology. Jianshui and Yuanyang, on
opposite sides of the Red River including unique
cottage industries and the spectacular “stairstep” rice terraces of the Hani, one of southern Yunnan’s
many indigenous ethnic minority groups.
Our route includes the Stone Forest, a Cambrian
fossil site that holds some of the oldest animal
fossils ever found, and Xingmeng Village whose
residents descend from Kublai Khan’s garrison
that was posted here in the 13th century (and they
still speak Mongolian!).
We will also stay
at the Zhu Family
Garden, the estate
of a 19th Century
aristocrat, and
enjoy the tofu making
heritage
of Jianshui,
a delightful town,
far from the
route taken by
most of China’s
foreign visitors.
We have focused over the years to find places
in China that are engrossing and that express
China’s timeless heritage and dynamic culture.
We believe Southern China epitomize
these qualities and hope you will join us!
Sincerely,
Margaret M. Betchart
President
Betchart Expeditions Inc.
LEADERSHIP
Leading this expedition will be Dr. Chris
Carpenter. Chris has been a popular leader
of our China Expeditions since 1994 and has
conducted trips to Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal,
Indonesia, Vietnam, Xinjiang, and Hunza, Pakistan.
When he is not leading Betchart trips, Chris lives
in Chiangmai, Thailand and works as a lecturer
in biology and environmental science for the
Wildlands Studies Asia programs, accredited by
California State University, Monterey Bay. He leads
university field studies courses in Thailand, China,
and the Himalayan region.
Chris has lived and explored remote areas in
China many times, and looks forward to sharing
the spectacular landscapes and fascinating
cultures of Southern China with you.
$3,995 per person (plus air fare of $1,195 from
Los Angeles to Beijing and Guilin with return from Kunming,
plus $350 in-tour flights)
Brochure (Requires an Adobe pdf reader to view)
| 
