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Voykit pocket guide · China
Weining
威宁
Spend a half‑day to a full day in Weining: see Cao Hai Lake (boat ride) and wander the old town; stay overnight if you want lake sunrise.
Weining is a small city of about 1.3 million in Guizhou, best known for the nearby Cao Hai Lake bird sanctuary and its ethnic‑minority old town. A day covers the lake and town; an extra night lets you catch sunrise over the marshes.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 威宁
- Best months
- Oct–Mar (wintering birds arrive late October)
- Avoid
- Jun–Sep (hot, fewer birds)
- Stay
- 1 (optional for sunrise) nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥80–120 excl. bed · Mid ¥150–250 excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Taxi within town | ¥5 |
| Boat hire (1 h) at Cao Hai Lake | ¥120 |
| Cured ham snack | ¥20–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Weining Caohai Airport
- 4C feeder airport, expected operation end‑2025
Typical fares
- Taxi town centre → Cao Hai Lake
- ≈ ¥5 flat (check)
- Boat hire (1 h)
- ¥120 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Taxis run on flat rates (¥5 within town, ¥10‑15 for longer trips). No meter; agree on price before boarding. Boats on Cao Hai Lake cost ¥120 per hour.
See and do
Known for
- Cao Hai Lake
- Black‑necked crane wintering
- Miao cured ham
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Cao Hai Lake | Taxi or Didi from town centre, ~15 min | ≈30 min round trip + boat time |
Sleep
- Lanwan Hotel
- Building 8, Guanhai International, Binhai Avenue; taxi or Didi from centre
- Yuduo Hotel, Central Pedestrian Street branch
- Kaixing Road, ~1.2 km (0.7 mi) from Caohai Railway Station; walk or taxiKaixing Road, ~0.7 mi (1.2 km) from Caohai Railway Station; walk or taxi
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | 对不起duìbuqǐ |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxiè |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duōshǎo qián? |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kěyǐ shuākǎ ma? |
| Where is the toilet? | 厕所在哪里？cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Taxi meters are obsolete; confirm fare (¥5‑15) up front.
- Boat operators may charge higher than the posted ¥120/hour rate; ask locals for the standard price.
Weining is generally safe; watch traffic when crossing streets and verify taxi fares.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Weining yet. Suggested stay: 1 (optional for sunrise) nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Cao Hai Lake
- Black‑necked crane wintering
- Miao cured ham
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Weining, revision 5124526 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5124526
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/weining). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.