Guilin
Brief Introduction
Just as Xian is a must when you travel to China, so is Guilin. The stunning landscape in which the city is situated has a kind of magic that is all its own. The strangely shaped hills, or karsts, with the verdant vegetation ranging from bamboo to conifers together with wonderful caves make Guilin such an attraction for tourists.
Local Culture
Guilin is also an important cultural city with a history encompassing more than 2000 years. The city has been the political, economic and cultural center of Guangxi since the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). As a centre for tourism, Guilin boasts magnificent natural beauty and many precious cultural relics. The colorful ethnic background lends a touch of mystery that enhances its fame.
Shopping and Food
Guilin International Tourism Commodity Wholesale City is one of the largest wholesale markets for tourist souvenirs in China. You can find Guilin paintings, stones, root carving as well as Burmese jade ware, Fujian woodcarving, Qingtian stone carving, Yixing clay pot, Suzhou embroidery, and Hunan embroidery.Every evening, thousands of locals and travelers will rush into the Guilin Zhengyang Buxing (pedestrian) Street for shopping, entertainment and dining. The dazzling lights from various shops, the bubbling people, the multifarious goods justify this stree's reputation as "the first street in western China".
Guilin's central location in Ling Nan has given it a cuisine that is influenced by the food of Canton, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Fujian. In recent years, however, Sichuan and Cantonese dishes have become the most popular. The development of tourism, too, has had an effect on eating habits, as local snack foods are enjoyed by tourists from around the world.
Among the more popular of these local snacks are Guilin rice noodles (mifen), nun noodles, chestnut glutinous rice dumplings (banli zong), stewed duck with gingko, lotus-leaf duck, and stewed duck with ginger. Some of the specialties of the region are described below.
Entertainment
From modern nightclubs, romantic night cruise to folk customs center on the Li River, travelers can enjoy or relax themselves thoroughly. The Li River Yinzuo Ferry is located at No.2 Dock, Binjiang Road on the west bank of Li River. This luxury ferry integrates ballroom, bar and Karaoke together. Travelers can admire the fantastic scenery on both banks and enjoy the modern entertainment.
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Li River Ethnic Night is made up of Li River Night Cruise and Dancing in the Water Pavilion. The water pavilion is located at No.2 Dock, Binjiang Road on the west bank of Li River, next to the Li River Yinzuo Ferry. Travelers can watch the ethnic performance and then enjoy a cruise along the Li River. Li River Folk Customs Center is located where Li River meets the Xiaodong River. Travelers will appreciate the ethnic customs, arts, cuisines and architecture. Enjoying the singing, dancing performance and ethnic costume show as well, travelers are sure to find tasting the ethnic delicacies a memorable experience.
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Transportation
Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL) is 26 km (16.2 miles) from the city center. Over 50 airlines connect Guilin with domestic cities as well as foreign counties such as Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, etc. In particular, airlines schedule several flights daily to and from major cities like Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Guiyang, Haikou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Kunming, Macau, Nanjing, Nanning, Qingdao, Sanya, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Taiyuan, Wuhan, Xian, Zhengzhou, Dalian, Shantou, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Tianjin, Jinan, Wenzhou, Changsha, Fuzhou, and Zhuhai.
By Train
Guilin Railway Station (South Station) is to the south of the city center but is more conveniently situated than the North Station. The two stations have some thirty trains each arriving and leaving daily, as the city is the hub of the Nanling Mountain and central China. The North Station is situated in the suburbs of the city and has less convenient links with the center. Guilin's major trunk routes link it with Anhui, Beijing, Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, and Shanghai, Sichuan and Zhejiang. International trains from Beijing to Hanoi, Vietnam, pass Guilin twice a week, so do the trains from Hanoi to Beijing.
By Bus
Coaches link Guilin to surrounding cities like Yangshuo, Quanzhou, Lipu, Longsheng, etc. There is an express high way from Guilin to Liuzhou. Long-distance sleeper coaches run between provincial cities like Beihai, Nanning, Wuzhou, Yulin, etc, and cities in the Pearl River Delta such as Dongguan, Guangzhou, Jiangmen, Panyu, Shunde, Zhongshan and Zhuhai, Puning, Shantou and Zhanjiang in Guangdong Province, Changsha in Hunan Province, Wuhan in Hubei Province, Fuzhou in Fujian Province and Sanya in Hainan Province and more.
Tourist Attractions
Li River and Li River Cruise
Li River symbolizes the area, as this picturesque river is a major component of Guilin scenery. As it sparkles in the sunlight the river meanders through lush mountains like a liquid jade belt. A cruise along the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo is an unforgettable experience. As you take in the stunning scenery there's something interesting to see at almost every bend in the river. Between spectacular limestone peaks you'll see graceful bamboo groves, farmers tending rice paddies, and lumbering water buffaloes pulling carts or cooling off in the river. You may see fishermen gliding along on their narrow bamboo rafts, and if you're very lucky you might see one of the famous fishing cormorants. Boats depart from various wharves, according to the height of the river at different times of the year.
Elephant Trunk Hill
Elephant Trunk Hill (Xiangbi Hill) Located at the confluence of the Taohua (Peach Blossom) River and the Li River, this Hill is too famous to be missed. The Moon-over-Water Cave and the Moon-through-Hill Cave make up the unique Li River Twin Moons, with one moon over the water and the other in the sky.
Fubo Hill
Fubo Hill (Wave-subduing Hill) is famous for its six beauties: hills, water, caves, stones, courts, and cultural relics.
Reed Flute Cave is 5 km (3miles) from downtown in northwest suburb of Guilin. Here the scenery is focused on caves, and their rural setting. Within the cave there are enchanting stalagmites, stone pillars, stele, stone curtains and stone flowers. This wonderland is referred to as Nature's Museum of Art. From as early as the Tang Dynasty, this cave has attracted tourists many of whom have left murals, of which seventy-seven are well preserved.
Seven-Star Park
Seven-Star Park is located on the bank of Li River, crossed by Xiaodong River. The park got its name owing to seven peaks looking like Charles' Wain. This is the largest and most popular park in Guilin with the longest history. Hills, rivers, caves and stones are highlights of this park. Seven -Star Cave is a must see. Due to diastrophism, rocks crystallized and formed into stalagmites, stone pillars, stele and stone curtains. This is the most famous of the scenery in Guilin.
Moon Mountain
The Moon Cave is named for its giant archway (about 50 meters, 980steps). Be prepared for the local hawkers, who will pester you to buy water, and are very persistent and don't forget to wear your hiking shoes, for it's so many steps to climb.
Terraced Field in Longji area
The terraces look like great chains or ribbons as they wind from the foot to the top of the hill. They were built from the Yuan dynasty to the beginning of Qing dynasty by the minority peoples of the area. A 40 minute walk up the stone covered paths and steps reveal the Dragon's Backbone, which is called "The champion of the terrace world".
Biking in Yangshuo
Experience the hustle and bustle of the Yangshou traffic for 5 minutes before you escape onto the country roads, lanes and tracks of the distinctive and beautiful Yangshou countryside. Biking through the paddy field and orchards that surround the famous mountains will give a fascinating insight into life in rural China.