GUILIN/PING AN BONUS TRIP
Kathryn Maier
If you want to get out of the big cities and see a traditional rural area but you're susceptible to altitude sickness or don't have a full four days for the colorful ethnic-minority people of Yunnan Province, you might want to replace the Lijiang/Zhongdian portion of the itinerary with a two-night visit to an ethnic-minority area not nearly as many hours away: Guilin and the village of Ping An, set among the Longsheng rice terraces about a three-hour flight from Beijing. Coming here means trading the high elevation of the mostly untouristed Tibetan Plateau for the subtropical lowlands (and denser crowds) of southern China, and the friendly Naxi ethnic group for the outgoing—sometimes brash—Yao people and the more reticent Zhuang people, but you'll still get a feel for the rural side of China. A note on weather: Unlike Yunnan, which is best from late spring to mid-autumn, fall is by far the best time to visit Ping An; springtime is rainy, which makes walking the village paths difficult, and summer is stiflingly hot and humid. This is an area that's best walked—and be forewarned, a visit here involves a good deal of trekking on very rocky paths and up and down lots of steps—so dry, temperate climates are a necessity.

Catch the morning flight from Beijing, which arrives in Guilin shortly after noon. From here, it's an hour's drive to the Hotel of Modern Art, which sits about 35 minutes outside this city of 600,000 people, a major tourist destination for its natural scenery and proximity to the lovely Li River (Dabu Town; 86-773-3868-7888; yuzile.com; doubles, $270-$320). Set on the grounds of Yuzi Paradise, a peaceful 1,500-acre sculpture park, the hotel will seem like an oasis of calm after the crowds and fast pace of Beijing. Its modern but minimalist decor incorporates plenty of bright colors, plush fabrics, and whimsical touches, such as the high-backed chairs fit for a giraffe that you'll see in the reception area. Each of the 49 rooms is decorated differently, but you might opt for No. 2210, a standard twin decorated in a mod sixties style, with hot-pink accents and a great view of the surrounding jagged limestone peaks of the famous Karst Mountains, a landscape often shown in traditional Chinese paintings.

Tempted as you'll be to stay inside and gaze at the mountains from your room, go downstairs instead and hop into one of the hotel's golf carts (which resemble cartoonish Model Ts) with a hotel staffer for a guided tour of the Yuzi Paradise Sculpture Park, founded in 1998 by a Taiwanese real-estate tycoon. The park, unlike many tourist attractions in China, shows that real care has been paid to its aesthetics, and a trip here is a reprieve from the hustle and crowds that can make so many other sites an exhausting experience. Stop first at the park's atelier, where you can watch its artisans as they sculpt, fashion furniture for the hotel, or work on larger pieces for the grounds. Then it's back to your cart to tour the well-manicured grounds, which are punctuated by some 200 sculptures—including standouts like Flying on Water, an elegant white fanlike shape rising from the waters of a shallow lake, and Average Hectic Day, a tall bronze jumble of simple forms—created by artists from around the world. When you're done driving around, swing by the two gift shops at the International Art Center near the hotel; the painted teacups and vases make great souvenirs.