Thousands of Hangzhou residents took advantage of government travel subsidies during the G20 summit to enjoy a vacation of a lifetime in the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture.

To avoid overcrowding and ease security concerns during the G20, authorities in Hangzhou gave its residents a week off from Sept 1 to 7 and offered a range of deals to encourage people to get out of the city for a few days.

Qiandongnan prefecture also offered visitors from Hangzhou preferential rates from Sept 1 to Oct 7, as a thank you for the city’s support for its local development.

As local tradition dictates, visitors are welcomed by Miao people carrying bowls of wine at the north gate of Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village. The tourists were also given traditional gifts from the area.

The first batch of visitors from Hangzhou toured Kaili city, Leishan county and Zhenyuan ancient town to get an intimate look at the culture in Qiandongnan prefecture and the ethnic diversity on show there.

Visitors from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province enjoy a traditional long table meal in the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture on Sept 4. [Photo/news.gog.cn]