Historic city · Industrial centre · Guizhou
Zunyi
遵义
Seat of the Bozhou chieftains, the Zunyi Conference and the Maotai distilleries
Zunyi is a prefecture-level city in northern Guizhou, on the route between Guiyang and Chongqing. It is known for the Zunyi Conference of January 1935, a turning point of the Long March; for Hailongtun, the fortress of the Yang chieftains inscribed as one of the UNESCO Tusi Sites; and for the town of Maotai, where China's best-known baijiu is distilled.
Key facts
Overview
Zunyi occupies the north of Guizhou between the Dalou Mountains and the Wu River, bordering Chongqing and Sichuan. The city proper lies on the Xiang River, while its wide jurisdiction includes the Chishui valley in the west, with the town of Maotai and the red sandstone landscapes of Chishui, and the tea country of Meitan and Fenggang in the east.
For seven centuries the region was the domain of the Yang family of Bozhou, one of the most powerful hereditary chieftaincies of the south-west. In the twentieth century it became a site of revolutionary memory, and today its economy is dominated by the baijiu industry of the Chishui valley.
Names and nicknames
播州
The historical name of the region under the Yang chieftains, still used in the name of Bozhou district.
转折之城
“city of the turning point”
Official epithet referring to the Zunyi Conference.
History
In 876 the Yang family took control of Bozhou and ruled it, nominally under the Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming, until 1600, when the Ming crushed the rebellion of the last chieftain, Yang Yinglong, at his mountain fortress of Hailongtun and divided the territory into regular prefectures. The name Zunyi is taken from a line of the Book of Documents. In the nineteenth century the local scholars Zheng Zhen and Mo Youzhi made Zunyi known for learning. In January 1935 the Central Red Army occupied the city, and the enlarged Politburo meeting held in a warlord's residence gave Mao Zedong a decisive voice in military affairs. During the war against Japan, Zhejiang University moved to Zunyi and Meitan.
876
The Yang family comes to Bozhou
Beginning of the longest-ruling hereditary chieftain house of the south-west.
1257
Hailongtun fortified
The Yang chieftains built the mountain fortress to resist the Mongol advance; it was later rebuilt as their stronghold.
1600
Fall of Hailongtun
A Ming army of more than 200,000 men took the fortress, ending Yang rule; Bozhou was divided into Zunyi and Pingyue prefectures.
January 1935
Zunyi Conference
The enlarged Politburo meeting criticised the previous military leadership and brought Mao Zedong into the core command of the Red Army.
January–March 1935
Four crossings of the Chishui River
The Red Army's manoeuvres across the river in the west of the region, celebrated in Communist Party history.
1940–1946
Zhejiang University in Zunyi and Meitan
Under president Zhu Kezhen the university continued teaching and research throughout the war.
2015
Hailongtun inscribed by UNESCO
Listed as part of the Tusi Sites together with sites in Hunan and Hubei.
Landmarks
Historic site
Zunyi Conference Site
遵义会议会址
The two-storey brick house of a local commander where the conference took place, with an adjoining memorial museum.
Historic site
Hailongtun
海龙屯
Ruined mountain fortress of the Yang chieftains north-west of the city, with stone gates on a steep ridge; part of the Tusi Sites World Heritage listing.
Street or quarter
Maotai Town
茅台镇
Distillery town on the Chishui River in Renhuai, where the air smells of fermenting sorghum; home of Kweichow Moutai and many smaller producers.
Nature
Loushan Pass
娄山关
Pass through the Dalou Mountains on the old road to Chongqing, scene of a Red Army battle in 1935.
Historic site
Tomb of Yang Can
杨粲墓
Southern Song stone tomb of a Bozhou chieftain, known for its fine relief carving.
Neighbourhoods
Honghuagang
红花岗区
The old city centre on the Xiang River, with the conference site.
Huichuan
汇川区
Newer district to the north with government offices and the high-speed station.
Food
Mutton rice noodles
羊肉粉
Rice noodles in a clear mutton broth with chilli oil; the version from Xiazi is the most famous.
Douhua noodles
豆花面
Wide noodles with soft tofu and a chilli dipping sauce.
Meitan Cuiya tea
湄潭翠芽
Flat green tea from Meitan, one of the largest tea-growing counties in Guizhou.
Culture
Zunyi's identity combines the heritage of the Bozhou chieftains, a strong tradition of Qing scholarship and the revolutionary history of 1935, which draws large numbers of domestic visitors. The Chishui valley has its own culture of baijiu making, with rituals around the annual cycle of steaming, fermenting and distilling sorghum that begins at the Double Ninth Festival.
Mountains and nature nearby
Getting around
- Zunyi station lies on the Chongqing–Guiyang high-speed line.
- Zunyi Xinzhou Airport serves the city; Maotai Airport in Renhuai serves the distillery area and Chishui.
- Expressways link the city with Guiyang, Chongqing, Renhuai and Chishui.
Day trips
Chishui
赤水
Red sandstone gorges, waterfalls such as Shizhangdong and forests of tree ferns; part of the China Danxia World Heritage site.
Tucheng
土城古镇
Old river town on the Chishui with a museum of the Red Army river crossings.
Meitan
湄潭
Tea county with the former site of Zhejiang University's wartime campus.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Zunyi Municipal People's Government — Zunyi Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Tusi Sites — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Zunyi — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)