A Leisurely Independent Trip in Guangxi

After lying low for over a year because of the pandemic, at the start of spring in March I felt the urge to plan another long-distance trip.

This time the destination—Guangxi. With its long history and gorgeous scenery, Guilin's karst landscapes, Beihai's Silver Beach... In early spring, it's a perfect place for a pleasant climate and sightseeing.

I've been to many places in Guangxi before, like Guilin, Nanning, Beihai, Wuzhou, Chongzuo and other cities. This trip is city-focused and laid-back—no flights, no long drives; long-distance travel by green train (soft sleeper) and short distances by high-speed train.

I set this relaxed Guangxi independent trip as Nanning, Beihai (including Weizhou Island), and a city tour of Liuzhou.

Passing Guilin North Station.

I felt a wave of nostalgia seeing the food carts on the platform. On long-distance train trips in the past, I always loved hopping off at each stop to check them out and sample local specialties—now you won't see such carts at high-speed rail stations.

Towards evening, I arrived at the hotel, dropped off my luggage and walked into the nearby San Jie Liang Xiang (Three Streets and Two Alleys).

San Jie Liang Xiang dates back to the Song Dynasty. It's one of Guangxi's historic and cultural quarters, home to the only preserved residential cluster from the Qing Dynasty to the Republican era in Nanning.

Dinner: sampled Nanning's famous laoyou fen (old friend rice noodles) and roast goose rice at the venerable Wanguo Restaurant.

The Yong River winds through Nanning. After dinner, I strolled along the riverside greenbelt, taking in the lovely scenery on both banks.

At night, a boat cruise offers even more beautiful views of the city's illuminations and lets you feel the bustle of Nanning.

I took the metro to Qingxiu Mountain, changing from Line 1 to Line 3 at Jinhu Square. The Qingxiu Mountain metro station goes under the Yong River—one of the deepest stations I've ever seen, giving a Chongqing long-escalator vibe.

Qingxiu Mountain is one of Nanning's best-known scenic spots, sitting right by the Yong River. Here you can climb Dragon Elephant Pagoda for panoramic views of mountains and water, or wander through the gardens admiring a variety of flowers.

Now it's a wonderful place for spring outings and flower viewing, but unfortunately the peach blossoms on Peach Blossom Island had just faded.

I've included a photo my classmate took a few days ago of the peach blossoms—they were still in full bloom then.

An ancient poem says: 'The green hills are forever young; travelers feel the joy of spring. I bring the spring colors up the mountain, and mountain flowers greet spring in bloom.' Unknowingly I spent a whole day at Qingxiu Mountain. You can walk, take a battery car, or ride the mini train. It's best to buy the ¥50 unlimited mini-train ticket so you can hop on and off as you like.

After dinner, I took a walk on Zhongshan Road food street.

I spent another half-day revisiting San Jie Liang Xiang in the daylight.

At noon, I hopped on a bullet train from Nanning South Station to Beihai.

The hotel I'd booked faced the sea and was backed by a centuries-old street.

I watched the sunset from the seawall.

In the evening: strolling along Beihai Old Street.

Beihai Old Town was established in 1883. The street is lined with arcade buildings blending Chinese and Western styles, elegant parapet walls peeking through, and the road paved with blue bricks and flagstones—rustic and timeworn, revealing the street's profound history. It's definitely a must-visit spot in Beihai.

I took another half-day to wander around Beihai Old Street in the daytime.

At noon, I arrived at the international passenger terminal.

I boarded a luxury ferry and after nearly one and a half hours reached Weizhou Island.

Weizhou Island lies 21 nautical miles south of Beihai, with a total area of 24.74 square kilometers. It's one of China's largest and youngest volcanic islands. The island is lush, with a pleasant climate, enchanting scenery, and especially known for its unique sea erosion and marine deposition landforms, volcanic lava, and spectacular living coral.

When I arrived at the Weizhou Island dock, the guesthouse owner came in person to pick me up. A battery car took us along broad roads, wooded paths, and the shoreline, through banana groves and banyan trees to a cozy guesthouse. From the room balcony I could see the sea and watch the sunset.

After putting down our bags, we headed straight to the beach. Rented an umbrella and deck chairs, sipped coconut water, gazed at the ocean, and enjoyed the sea breeze.

Rented a small electric car to continue a round-the-island tour.

First stop: Crocodile Hill Scenic Area. This is the volcanic crater of Weizhou Island, with strange rocks and cliffs, waves crashing against the shore, and stunning bay scenery.

The National Geopark monument square.

Finally, drove back to Shiluo Kou Beach and lay in the car waiting for the sunset!

Woke up naturally, after breakfast went for another walk by the sea and a leisurely wander through the village.

At noon, boarded the luxury ferry again to return to the mainland.

Back in Beihai, I stayed near Silver Beach.

Silver Beach, on the southern coast of Beihai, is made of high-grade quartz sand. Under the sun, the white, fine sand sparkles silver, hence the name. Known for its 'long flat beach, fine white sand, warm clean water, gentle waves, and no sharks,' Beihai Silver Beach is called 'China's No.1 Beach.'

A helicopter on Silver Beach.

In the evening, I took a walk on Silver Beach.

Morning: Golden Bay Mangrove Forest.

Golden Bay Mangrove Ecological Leisure Resort is a prime spot rich in coastal wetland charm and fishing culture, comprising a mangrove viewing belt, Golden Beach, and the main park. Here you can experience the breathtaking beauty of 'A solitary wild duck flies alongside the sunset clouds; autumn water shares the same hue as the boundless sky.' The dense mangroves sway like a graceful green fairy bathing in the light green seawater.

At noon I went to Qiaogang Style Street for lunch.

Qiaogang Style Street is one of Beihai's most popular food streets, lined with seafood barbecue joints, regional cuisine restaurants, and snack shops at budget-friendly prices. It's especially lively at night. Since this area is home to resettled Vietnamese Chinese, you can also enjoy authentic Vietnamese dishes.

That night I stayed at a hotel next to the train station.

Woke up naturally. Since I chose a hotel right by the station, I was able to leisurely enjoy a delicious breakfast at the restaurant.

At noon: took the bullet train from Beihai Station to Liuzhou.

Liuzhou is a famous industrial city with rich cultural history, surrounded by green mountains and embraced by rivers. The typical karst landscape gives Liuzhou beautiful natural scenery of 'lucid hills, clear rivers, fantastic caves, and pretty rocks.'

Liuzhou boasts deep historical and cultural heritage, with three major museums: Liuzhou Museum, Liuzhou Industrial Museum, and Liuzhou Bailian Cave Ancient Human Site Museum. So after checking in, I quickly grabbed a taxi to the Liuzhou Industrial Museum. Unfortunately, the indoor exhibition had just closed, so I could only view the outdoor display area.

Next, I headed to Yaobu Ancient Town to find a place for dinner.

Yaobu Ancient Town, a shining pearl on the 'Hundred-Mile Liujiang River,' boasts prime river views and serves as Liuzhou's urban parlor. Since it wasn't the weekend and there was a light drizzle, there were few visitors.

They say you absolutely cannot miss a bowl of authentic luosifen (river snail rice noodles) when in Liuzhou!

So we made a point to find a luosifen shop and ordered the classic luosifen with extra snails on the side.

Liuzhou's luosifen, Sanjiang oil tea, and Liucheng cloud slice pastry are all national geographical indication products—definitely must-try delicacies. We had luosifen in Yaobu Ancient Town, sampled Sanjiang oil tea at the hotel, and bought Liucheng cloud slice pastry to bring home for the family.

After breakfast, I first went to Wuxing Commercial Pedestrian Street to get a glimpse of the city's vibe.

Then I visited nearby Liuhou Park.

Liu Hou refers to Liu Zongyuan, the great Tang Dynasty literary figure and former governor of Liuzhou. This park was built to commemorate him. Liu Zongyuan was a Tang writer, thinker, and one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song.

Right across from Liuhou Park is the Liuzhou Museum.

After visiting the museum, we walked a short distance to the Lvyuan Restaurant in the Liuzhou Hotel to taste authentic Liuzhou cuisine.

In the afternoon, I went to Longtan Park.

Longtan Park is lush with trees, nestled among hills, with fresh air and quite a few visitors.

After leaving the park, I went back to the hotel for a short rest.

In the evening, I went to Liuhang Cruise Terminal for a night cruise on the Liujiang River.

The Liujiang River breeze was gentle. Neon lights glittered on both banks, bustling streets were full of people. The city's hillsides, waterfalls, and musical fountains along the river, illuminated by colored landscape lights, sparkled like strings of translucent night pearls, reflecting in the winding Milky Way-like river to create a magical night scene of the Dragon City.

Woke up naturally and visited the Liuzhou Cuisine & Food Culture Museum nearby. This museum, the first food-themed museum in the Guangxi region, fully showcases Liuzhou's culinary culture and the charm of 'new-style Liuzhou cuisine.'

We first enjoyed a Liuzhou-style morning tea, then explored the museum in detail.

Next, we headed to Ma'an Mountain Park. Ma'an Mountain, meaning 'Saddle Mountain' for its shape, is one of the eight ancient scenic sights of Liuzhou. Situated on the south bank of the Liujiang River in the city center, it echoes with Yufeng Mountain to the east and is the highest peak in central Liuzhou. From the foot of the mountain, a stone path leads to the summit (we took the elevator straight up and then walked down to enjoy the views). At the top, the entire cityscape of Liuzhou unfolds before your eyes.

In Liuzhou, these electric mini cars roam everywhere on the streets—a local sight of their own. They're cheap, eco-friendly, super convenient, and I heard that designated curbside parking spots in the city are free.

In the evening, I boarded the green train soft sleeper for home.

Farmhouses in Xiaoshan.

Passing Hangzhou and the Qiantang River.

After a 20-hour journey,

I arrived at Shanghai South Station in the afternoon.

After a one-hour transfer wait, I hopped on another train heading towards my warm home.

A brief 12-day relaxed trip: three cities, two rivers, three old streets, and one island.

A few tips:

1. Accommodation, transport including ferry tickets and admission tickets were all booked online, very convenient.

2. For the whole trip, only Qingxiu Mountain in Nanning, the mangrove forest in Beihai, and the island entry fee for Weizhou required tickets; all other attractions were free.

3. On Weizhou Island, if you want to see the sunrise and beaches, stay on the east side; for sunsets and sandy shores, stay on the west side.