Guilin

Guilin

Guilin is reputed as being one of the world's most beautiful places with its karst landscapes, clean rivers, idyllic countryside, majestic rice terraces, and ethnic minorities. It is in South China's Guangxi Region, close to Hong Kong and Guangzhou to the southeast, and now 4 hours’ ride from Chengdu by train.

Guilin is a small southern Chinese city with approaching a million people. The city is particularly scenic, set amongst karst hills such as Folded Brocade Hill, Fubo Hill, and Solitary Beauty Peak. The views from these hills are marvelous, with lush hills dotting and surrounding the city, and two green rivers — the Li and ‘Peach Blossom’ — running through.

Unlike other fast-developing Chinese cities filled with high buildings, most developments in Guilin are limited to about 20 floors so that they don’t dwarf the hills and spoil the view. The city has a relatively relaxed atmosphere and slow pace, where you can see locals enjoying chatting, playing cards, or just walking slowly in parks or along the rivers and lakes.

 

The Best Times to Visit

Guilin is in China’s subtropical (bordering temperate) monsoon zone with four distinct seasons and high humidity.

Although Guilin is suitable for traveling all year round, the best time to travel there is from April to October when the weather is comfortable and the scenery is charming.

 

What to see

1) Karst Landscapes

The karst scenery of Guilin is characterized by its green hills, clear water, pretty rocks, and mysterious caves.

Karst mountains continue in the Li River valley for a hundred miles. Rising sharply at odd angles, the limestone peaks look like giant bamboo shoots growing out of the green plain.

The best karst hills you can visit or climb include Xianggong Hill, Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubo Hill, and Folded Brocade Hill, all of which are along the Li River.

The karst caves in Guilin are huge in size and offer a majestic display of underground features, such as stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars, stone curtains, and more. The most famous caves are Reed Flute Cave and Crown Cave.

2) Idyllic Countryside in Yangshuo

Yangshuo is regarded as having the most beautiful countryside in China due to its idyllic landscape and leisurely rural lifestyle.

As you venture out into the countryside, you can see water buffalos grazing in the rice fields, fishermen fishing with cormorants, women washing clothes by the river with karst peaks in the background, and old men chatting in a village square under the shade of a big tree…. This should be the China you imagined.

Popular activities to explore the countryside are hiking, biking, and bamboo rafting on the Yulong River.

Remember to Get interact with locals such as visiting a local family, and let them share you their stories of countryside life. This is a true benefit of your Guilin trip.

 

3) The Longji Rice Terraces

The rice terraces in Longji look just like the scales of a huge dragon’s back (”Longji” means ‘dragon’s back’) as they proceed in tiers down the mountain ridges.

The best times to see the rice terraces are around mid-May when they are irrigated and September to October when the crops are turning golden. A large number of hikers and photographers visit the area during these months.

 

4) Ethnic Villages and Culture

Longji is home to the Zhuang and Yao ethnic groups. There are many minority villages, such as Ping'an, Dazhai, Longji Ancient Zhuang Village, and Huangluo Yao Village.

They offer you access to see the locals, who still wear their traditional clothes, and their traditional houses on stilts (diaojiaolou ‘hanging feet buildings’), while experiencing authentic ethnic minority customs.