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Astronomy Town in Guizhou province

Updated:October 16,2020 L M S

Located in Pingtang county on the southern tip of Southwest China's Guizhou province, Kedu town used to be an obscure quiet place with a history of more than 700 years that was only known by the local people.

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An aerial view of folk dwellings in Kedu town, Pingtang county, Southwest China's Guizhou province. [Photo/ VCG]

In the town, there are a large number of preserved ancient folk dwellings and military defense structures. Agricultural tools that have been handed down for generations over the past 1,000 years can be found in the town, as can stone mortars, stone mills, water pumps, wooden looms and spinning machines. The town also carefully preserves its traditional culture and festivals, including a folk song duet, sacrificial rituals, and the Yangxi Opera, a local stage art originating in southwestern provinces of China.

Things however changed for Kedu with the completion of a 500-meter aperture spherical radio telescope nearby in 2016. Kedu now encompasses an Astronomy Town designed according to the standard of a national 5A-level tourist attraction. The Astronomy Town is a base for astronomical scientific research and youth education, and a destination for tourists with a scientific focus.

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A bird’s eye view of Pingtang Astronomy Town of Guizhou province.. [Photo/ VCG]

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A 500-meter aperture spherical radio telescope in the Astronomy Town in Kedu town, Guizhou province.[Photo/ VCG]