Liuzhou

I've been to Liuzhou before, but never visited any attractions. This time, we took a weekend off and rode the high-speed train here, for the luosifen and duck feet pot, and to learn more about Liuzhou's beauty.

The weather was really nice today, and very hot! We arrived at the park early, took the elevator to the top of the mountain to enjoy the U-shaped bend, then wandered around the mountain for a while, found a good spot for photos, and sat waiting for sunset. As evening approached, more and more people gathered at the summit, all coming to watch the sunset and wait for the lights to turn on.

They say Ma'anshan is the perfect place to take panoramic photos of Liuzhou, and the night view is especially beautiful, so we came to check it out. I asked a staff member, who said it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to reach the viewing platform at the top. In fact, I personally made it in 30 minutes, even after resting two or three times—maybe I accidentally took a shortcut? Anyway, it's definitely not as exaggerated as some guides say, like the stairs being super steep or hard to climb. As someone who doesn't usually enjoy hiking, I found it no problem at all!

The biggest feature of Liuzhou is that it is surrounded by a U-shaped river, yet the city area is extremely flat. So finding a high point here is really important.

Equipment you need to prepare:

1. Water (there are no convenience stores along the way, so bring your own)

2. A windbreaker or light jacket (it's windy at the top)

3. A tripod (if you're watching the lights turn on, better bring one, otherwise holding your phone up for nearly 20 minutes can be tiring)

4. Cash (the elevator only takes cash)

「Ma'anshan Park」

Address: No. 178 Pingshan Avenue, Yufeng District, Liuzhou (next to Yufeng Park)

Yaobu Ancient Town is built in the Hui-style architectural style, recreating the simple and ancient appearance of Yaobu Ancient Town, reviving the past prosperity of Yaobu Wharf, showcasing the coexistence of multiple ethnic cultures, and reflecting the integrity and harmony of nature, history, society, ethnicity, culture, and living environment.

Yaobu Ancient Town mainly consists of the ancient commercial street district and the Dong village cultural flavor area. The commercial street district is composed of Zhuang style street, Miao style street, Yao style street, and a waterfront leisure pedestrian street. Inside, there are the Guangxi Guiju Museum, a stage, the Guangxi Folk Custom Museum, and Wenchang Pavilion. The Dong village area features a drum tower square and clusters of Dong houses.

Half city of green water, half city of pink—Liuzhou not only has bauhinia flowers in March but also a permanent bauhinia flower "museum."

Taking advantage of the holiday, we visited Liuzhou's newly opened Bauhinia Cultural and Creative Corridor. There are two exhibition halls, both very beautiful, with few people and a quiet atmosphere, allowing you to appreciate the exhibits at leisure and take photos.

The first exhibition hall displays traditional minority cultures, Liuzhou's intangible cultural heritage, and Liuzhou's characteristic cuisine. At the entrance, there is a painting with the words "Liuzhou"—perfect for taking a photo with "Big Liuzhou."

As a Guangxi native, I felt I had to understand Liuzhou's industry. This weekend we visited the Liuzhou Industrial Museum, which was very impressive. Liuzhou developed from industry, and its industrial history reflects China's modern industrial development. It can be said that "among scenic cities, Liuzhou has the most developed industry, and among industrial cities, Liuzhou has the most beautiful scenery."

The Liuzhou Industrial Museum was renovated from an old textile factory. It consists of an outdoor exhibition area and an indoor one. Outdoors, there are 1980s steam cars, green trains, Huayu No. 1 speedboats, large auto parts stamping machines, etc.—great for taking photos. Many portraits and wedding photos are taken here. The green train has been converted into a 24-hour book bar where photography is not allowed (Friday and Saturday 9:00 to 6:00 the next day; Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 to 17:00 and 19:30 to 22:00).

The indoor exhibition hall has two floors, with three main halls: Liuzhou Industrial History Hall, Enterprise Style Hall, and Ecological Livable Hall, plus one mobile exhibition hall. It displays evidence of the process from traditional handicrafts to modern industrial civilization, along with various graphics and texts. There are charcoal-burning cars and airplanes from modern times, as well as gradually evolved and developed small cars and new energy vehicles. There are also excavators—boys will especially love them.

The Liuzhou Industrial Museum introduces the 100-year development history of Liuzhou's industry, as well as its contemporary industrial situation. Only after coming here did I realize that this small city, besides being the hometown of luosifen, is also a major industrial center in southwest China.

Many locals proudly say that to understand Liuzhou, you must read its industrial history.

We all know Liuzhou is an industrial city, but did you know that deep in its mountains there are also beautiful sceneries, such as Shuanglonggou (Double Dragon Ditch)?

Shuanglonggou Scenic Area is located in the northwest of Rongshui County. It covers about 6,300 acres of primitive forest, with dense trees, multiple waterfalls, lush undergrowth, and fresh air—truly a natural oxygen bar. Two small streams meander through the forest, sometimes visible, sometimes hidden, like two dragons swimming in the woods, hence the name Shuanglonggou.

Shuanglonggou is famous for Guangxi's "first suspension glass bridge," making it a top choice for tourists to explore the primeval forest and walk the glass bridge.

It is located on a mountain above the Miao village, a tourist destination known for primitive deep mountain forest exploration. The scenery is mostly natural, allowing you to experience the beauty of the forest from the ground, among the trees, and in the air, "flying with joy."

Chengyang Bazhai (Eight Villages) consists of eight Dong villages forming a beautiful Dong township. It's just over 20 minutes by car from Sanjiang County, and the road is quite good.

In Sanjiang County, which borders Guangxi, Hunan, and Guizhou, there are eight Dong mountain villages connected by wind-and-rain bridges, forming Chengyang Bazhai. The villages preserve old streets, drum towers, and ancient lanes. People wear traditional costumes and uphold the custom of hundred-family banquets.

Tourism here is just developing, with ongoing construction, but there are already many inns. The best way to visit Chengyang Bazhai is to stay overnight in the village. At dusk, you can avoid the daytime crowds and truly live like a villager, experiencing the local warmth and scenery.

A special privilege of staying in the village is that you can be among the first visitors in the morning—hike, walk, and gaze at the wind-and-rain bridges shrouded in mist—how delightful!

The Dong people have three treasures: the drum tower, the Grand Song, and the wind-and-rain bridge. The Dong Grand Song in Chengyang Bazhai features melodious tunes, elegant rhythms, unique and harmonious multi-part singing, and requires high performance skills, earning it the reputation of "heavenly sound." In 2006, the Dong Grand Song was inscribed on China's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, and in 2009, it was included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.