About Guilin

 

Overview

 

"Guilin's scenery is the most beautiful under heaven," so goes a Chinese saying describing the immortal beauty of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region's Guilin. Boats float down the charming Li River as limestone karst mountains just from the ground like dragon's teeth.

 

While Guilin is far from the crush of other Chinese cities, it is becoming developed and is a major tourist destination. Like many places in China, its history can be traced further back than many nations in the West during the Han dynasty, Guilin became the political and economic center of Guangxi and continues to thrive today.

 

Know more

 

Although Guilin is a city, many sights are located within the town or a short distance away. The Solitary Beauty Peak, located on the campus of the Guangxi Normal University, projects out from the ground like giant spike. The climb to the peak is steep, but the view from the top is worth the effort as you'll be able to take in teh surrounding countryside and the Li River. At the bottom of the peak is Wang Cheng, which was a Ming dynasty palace where the regional imperial exams were held.

 

With half its base sticking out into the Li River, Wave-Subduing Hill is located in the northeast of Guilin, near Solitary Beauty Peak. Folded Brocade Hill another well-known peak, offers cool relief with the aptly named Wind Cave. Reed Flute Cave has some of the best scenery in Guilin with stalactites and stalagmites casting distorted shadows that contort to the shifting multi-colored lights. To the south of town is Elephant Trunk Hill, Guilin's best known sight.

There is the Ling Canal in Xing'an Country 70km north of Guilin. Built from 219 to 214 B.C, it's considered one of China's three engineering marvels beside the Great Wall and the Dujiangyan irrigation system in Sichuan. The canal can be seen in the market town of Xing'an.

Must see

 

Traveling along the Liver River

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The charming Li river, one of the major attractions of the Guilin/Yangshuo region, has been described as "a green silk ribbon with hills like jade hairpins' and is ideal for exploration on a boat. The meandering 65km cruise lasts 5 hours and takes you past a /panorama of bamboo groves, sleepy villages, karst peaks and fisherman on rickety bamboo fafts fishing with cormorant birds. Most cruises go down river to Yangshuo and then bus it back to Guilin, though some cruise begin from Yangshuo and go upriver to Guilin. The Best times are Spring and Autumn; the Summer can be overwhelmingly hot and muggy while the winters have low water levels.

 

Along teh cruise, you'll pass by whimsically named formations given by tourists of old, though a strong imagination may be needed to fully visualize their namesake. South of Millstone Hill and the gray-bricked riverside billage of Daxu is Bat Peak with cliffs resembling bats. Further along is Dragons Play in the Water, the rocky outcroppings dive into the water, inspiring a legend that dragons were sent here by the Jade Emperor to retrieve the fragrant flowers that grow in abundance during Spring.

 

Looking Out for Husband Rock resembles a woman with a young child on her back gazing longingly down the river for the return of her husband.

 

Following is Caoping Village and on the eastern bank is Crown Cave, which has a deep underground river. continuing on the the village of Yangdi, the small villages along the river are typical of the architecture found in this region.

 

Before reaching the village of Xingping, you'll meet the Boy Worshipping Guanyin, which resembles a toddler kneeling in prayer, giving his respects to the Buddhist goddess of mercy.

 

After that is the Nine Horses Painting Hill, a jagged outcropping with the imprint of a wild herd of horses, though these horses can be clusive, most peop/le can only see seven.