Zunyi

Zunyi (遵义; Zūnyì) is a city in northern Guizhou province, China. It is famous as a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) history site as it was here that Mao Zedong became a full member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party.

The town of Maotai, famous for its eponymous liquor, is administratively under Zunyi.

Understand
Zunyi is largely overlooked by foreigners aside from the few residents employed by Britain's VSO and the US Peace Corps and a scattering of foreigners teaching English at some local colleges or high schools and a single private language school. As a result, outsiders are still quite a rarity here and staring is common as is hearing "Laowai" shouted everywhere you go. The city does attract large numbers of Chinese tourists, however, and the road in front of the Zunyi Conference Site can get congested from all of the tour buses.

The local dialect combines elements of Guizhou-style Mandarin with Sichuanese, although all people in town should be able to understand Mandarin.

History
Like most cities in China, Zunyi claims a long history. It served as the seat of government power in northern Guizhou during the Song and Yuan Dynasties. During the 19th century, the walled city of Zunyi enjoyed prominence as a trading town.

Zunyi became a Chinese landmark after the 1935 Zunyi Conference during the Long March. After breaking out of the KMT encirclement around the Jiangxi Soviet, the Red Army fled west across Hunan and into Guizhou. During the retreat they suffered extremely heavy losses partly due to the tactics favored by the pro-Soviet or Comintern faction of the CCP leadership. Arriving in Zunyi, the party convened an expanded politburo meeting during which Mao Zedong offered scathing criticism of the urban-insurrection and large-scale direct military confrontation tactics of the Comintern faction. He advocated a revolution based mainly on the peasants rather than the urban proletariat and guerilla tactics instead of large costly battles. When Zhou Enlai gave his support to Mao's position, the tone of the meeting, and indeed the Chinese revolution, changed.

With Mao and Zhou now in charge of military tactics, the next problem was how to escape a new KMT encirclement forming in the Daloushan mountains around Zunyi. Under Mao's leadership, the Red Army made a series of manoevers to break out of the encirclement in the winter and spring of 1935 without having to fight straight through. In order to break out, the Red Army crossed the Red River (Chishui) four times in a series of deceptions, feints, and counter-marches which enabled the bulk of the Red Army to escape into Yunnan. The prefecture surrounding Zunyi has monuments to the Long March, the Chishui campaign and the revolution in Guizhou.

After the establishment of the People's Republic, a new era for Zunyi's development began. Under Mao's leadership, cities like Zunyi in the Southwest became home to a hidden heavy military-industrial infrastructure known as the Third Front. The purpose of locating heavy industrial and military factories in such remote areas was to create a base for military industry out of the range of US and Soviet bombers. In the event of war, even if eastern and northern China were overrun, the southwest could continue to support a mechanized military effort on the front while Chinese guerrilla armies harassed the invaders behind the lines. Mountains were hollowed out and heavy-industrial factories hidden in remote valleys. Zunyi's hills still contain many such caves and passages - which can be identified by the heavy iron doors leading into mountains.

By plane
There are two airports in Zunyi:



By train
Zunyi lies on the Guiyang-Chongqing rail line and can be easily reached from either city. These days, there are dozens of trains operating on the line each day and most of these trains are high-speed trains. The journey time from Guiyang is only about 50 minutes while the train from Chongqing usually takes no more than one and a half hours.



By bus
Buses regularly travel between Guiyang and Zunyi with the last leaving Guiyang around midnight. Daytime buses can be undersold meaning it is easy to have room to stretch out. Although seats are assigned by your ticket, no one objects if you sit in the empty rows at the back of the bus. The bus usually takes 2-2½ hours.

By car
Although one can arrange to hire a car to travel from Guiyang to Zunyi, it is very expensive. The bus is likely to be just as comfortable and much cheaper.

Get around
Zunyi is a fairly small city but somewhat hilly. As a result you will see comparatively few bicycles. Walking is an option as most of the sights frequented by tourists are within easy walking distance.

By bus
Zunyi has a developed bus network although buses can get crowded at rush hour. In 2008, Zunyi buses still had a rider whose job is to make change and shout the route of the bus in question.

By taxi
Zunyi taxis cost ¥7 at flag fall and given the small size of the city, it is rare to pay more than ¥15 unless one is traveling at rush hour to locations well outside the city-center.

Eat
Zunyi exhibits the same excellent snacks and specialties for which Guizhou as a whole (and Guiyang in particular) is famous. In Zunyi, three local delicacies are worth a mention:


 * Liu Er Ma Mi Pi (刘二妈米皮): This snacking dish made with thick flat rice noodles is eaten by locals frequently as a light meal or to tide off hunger. The red oil sauce makes liberal use of Sichuan pepper giving it a distinctive numbing quality on the tongue. It also leaves a peculiar tickle in the back of the throat making it worth a try. Aside from the red oil sauce, it contains a few scraps of meat and preserved vegetables.
 * Yang Rou Fen (羊肉粉): Unlike its Guiyang cousin, this rice noodle dish dish is made using strips of mutton from the shaggy mountain goat raised for its hair and meat across the hills of Guizhou. Owing to the tastes of locals, yangroufen only comes available in a spicy broth. Addition of extra chilies during the cooking process is optional and you will be asked whether you want it or not. Yangroufen is rich and filling and often eaten for breakfast in Zunyi. Many shops remain open 24 hours making it a popular midnight snack as well. Pickled cabbage and radishes are available in the large glass urns in every shop - just help yourself. This dish is representative of Zunyi people who have a love affair with mutton.
 * Dou Hua Mian (豆花面): Interestingly named, douhuamian literally means "Bean Flower Noodles." It consists of Douhua which is a type of semi-firm tofu served in a semi-clear soup, long flat wheat noodles and a separate bowl containing preserved meat, spices, oil, soy, vinegar and fresh mint leaves. To eat as the locals do, place the bowl with the noodles and tofu behind the smaller dipping bowl. Pull out some douhua or noodles, dip them liberally in the sauce and then consume. At the end of the meal, finish off the solids in the dip and drink the soup from the douhua.

Drink
The town of Maotai, administratively under Renhuai county-level city, is best known for its eponymous liquor, which is widely considered to be China's national liquor. This is a premium type of liquor that is rather expensive, and is often served at state banquets for visiting foreign dignitaries. The distillery is located on the banks of the Chishui river.

Sleep
As a less visited city, the staff at these hotels may or may not be able to speak English.


 * World Trade Hotel is a 4-star hotel in Huichuan District, Zunyi's administrative center.
 * World Trade Hotel is a 4-star hotel in Huichuan District, Zunyi's administrative center.
 * World Trade Hotel is a 4-star hotel in Huichuan District, Zunyi's administrative center.
 * World Trade Hotel is a 4-star hotel in Huichuan District, Zunyi's administrative center.