Liuzhou | Dive into the Beautiful Scenery, This Is the Landscape of Liuzhou

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When I mentioned to friends that I was going to Liuzhou, everyone's first reaction was: going to eat Luosifen!

But for me, a photography enthusiast, going to Liuzhou was not just for Luosifen.

As a neighboring city to Guilin, which is renowned for having the world's best landscapes, Liuzhou not only boasts rich natural scenery but also a strong ethnic cultural atmosphere.

Compared to popular spots like Guilin and Yangshuo, it is more off-the-beaten-path and offers more fun in exploration.

This time, we came to Sanjiang County, Rongshui County, and Rong'an County of Liuzhou to experience Liuzhou's picturesque mountains and waters.

Let me tell you about the sights here one by one.

When the train stopped at Sanjiang Station, it was the afterglow of sunset. As a small station, not many passengers got off here, and there were few tourists on the square outside the station, only a few locals enjoying the cool breeze.

After a satisfying dinner that evening, we began to look forward to the next day's itinerary.

Chengyang Bazhai (Eight Villages) was our first stop in Sanjiang County. The green mountains, clear waters, and the sprawling gray-roofed houses were exactly what I imagined a Dong village to look like.

Chengyang Bazhai is only 18 kilometers from Sanjiang county town. It consists of eight connected Dong villages and covers a very large area. If you want to explore carefully and take photos slowly, it's worth staying here for two days and one night.

Since we didn't have much time, we only visited the connected Ma'an Village, Ping Village, and Yan Village.

In a Dong village, the must-see highlights are the wind and rain bridges and drum towers. These two types of structures are indispensable in every Dong village.

Chengyang Bazhai is an ancient village with real history, ancient architecture, and various cultural heritages preserved.

Even now, a large number of locals still live here, and most of the houses we saw are their homes.

The traditional houses, costumes, and culture here are presented to us through local renovations. Such a village that is not overly commercialized is always endearing.

Chengyang Bazhai is built along the mountains and rivers, so the scenes here are always layered. Under the wind and rain bridge, the river flows gently, rice paddies are lush, lotus flowers bloom freely, and in the distance, wooden houses rise layer upon layer.

Standing here, doing nothing, is already beautiful.

When visiting an ethnic village, one thing not to be missed is renting a set of ethnic costumes to wear.

The rental service here is really affordable. For only 20-30 yuan, you can rent a beautiful set of ethnic costumes, and the styles and quality are quite good. The staff at the rental shop will dress you up from head to toe.

The Yan Village Drum Tower is one of the more essential viewing spots in Chengyang Bazhai. It is a wooden structure built entirely with mortise and tenon joints. Inside the drum tower, local elderly women are weaving cloth, working skillfully with their hands, passing on the ancient craft.

Time passed quickly as we strolled through Chengyang Bazhai, enjoying the views and taking photos. I and my travel companion fell in love with this niche, less commercialized ancient village.

If I have the chance, I will definitely come back and stay for a few days.

Attraction tips:

Ticket: 95 yuan

Opening hours: 07:30-22:00

Recommended visit duration: 3-4 hours

Address: Pingyan Village, 20 kilometers north of Guyi Town, Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Liuzhou City

Before coming to Sanjiang, I thought the Great Dong Village was a traditional scenic spot. Only upon arrival did I realize that the Great Dong Village is actually composed of several small sites within the county town.

We chose to visit Sanjiang Drum Tower, the Wind and Rain Bridge, and the Dong Township Bird's Nest.

Compared to the overwhelming ethnic architecture in Chengyang Bazhai, the buildings of the Great Dong Village are perfectly integrated with modern architecture. I could feel that this place is inclusive.

Sanjiang Drum Tower stands by the Xun River. It is also a pure wooden structure with mortise and tenon joints. You can go up the drum tower for only 15 yuan.

The interior of Sanjiang Drum Tower is stunning. Various timbers of different thicknesses and lengths support this tall building. Climbing the wooden stairs all the way up, the higher you go, the more thrilling it becomes, and the more you admire the superb craftsmanship.

Unlike the wind and rain bridges in the ancient village, Sanjiang Wind and Rain Bridge is a large bridge that allows motor vehicles. It spans over the county town, spreading out the ethnic elements.

Although surrounded by modern buildings, the wind and rain bridge does not look out of place. This kind of place always seems to carry a fairy-like aura. The mist over the Xun River and the distant mountains made me like this small town even more.

The appearance of the Dong Township Bird's Nest in Sanjiang County is somewhat similar to Hakka tulou, but this building is not a residence but a performance center. The most famous show in Sanjiang County, "Sitting with the Girl (Zuo Mei)", is performed here.

If you have time in the evening, you can come here to watch the show, which starts at 8 pm every night.

"Sitting with the Girl" tells the story of free love between young Dong men and women. The entire performance lasts 75 minutes, from 20:00 to 21:15.

The performance presents the story of a Dong couple from meeting to marriage. The plot progression includes a large number of ethnic songs and dances, making us marvel that all ethnic groups are naturally good singers and dancers.

The stage design of the Dong Township Bird's Nest is also carefully thought out. Around the stage, there are flowing rivers and representative Dong buildings such as drum towers and wooden houses.

The entire performance is rich in scenes and captivating.

Attraction tips:

Performance ticket: 100 yuan

Performance time: 20:00-21:15 daily

Address: No. 23, Dongxiang Avenue, Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Liuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

This Dong Tiangong (Dong Palace) is located directly opposite the hotel we stayed at, the Jingxiang Hotel, so we visited it on the way.

It is a typical Dong architectural complex, with towering drum towers and layered wooden houses. Although the scenic area is not large, the entire landscape is exquisite and compact.

This is also a great place to take photos in ethnic costumes. With many scenes and few people, you can shoot freely.

Unlike the natural villages of Chengyang Bazhai and the urban functions of the Great Dong Village, Dong Tiangong is a scenic spot built specifically for sightseeing.

It presents Dong architecture and culture within a small world. Drum towers, flowing water, small bridges, and ancient pavilions allow us to understand everything about the Dong people more intuitively.

On the way from Sanjiang County to Rongshui, we passed the Xiancaotang Lingzhi Transparent Factory. We were always curious about Lingzhi (reishi mushroom), so we decided to stop by.

This is not a shopping point but a scenic spot. In the yard, various flowers are in full bloom, and small fish swim freely in the lake.

We followed the guide lady all the way and learned everything about Lingzhi.

The exhibition hall here recreates the living environment of Lingzhi and also uses intuitive pictures and texts to let us understand the growth process of Lingzhi.

For the first time, I learned that the most precious part of Lingzhi is the spore powder it produces. Lingzhi without spore powder is actually no longer valuable.

The Xiancaotang Lingzhi Transparent Factory has many large equipment for cultivating and growing Lingzhi, and can collect spore powder uniformly.

Here, spore powder and spore tea are also sold. If there are elderly people at home, you can also buy some here.

Leaving Sanjiang County, we drove all the way to Laojun Cave in Rongshui County.

Laojun Cave is a rich scenic area with karst caves, mountains, bridges, and garden architecture. The entire scenic area requires walking throughout.

Laojun Cave is not a newly built attraction; it is a treasure site with a long history. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, many literati, including Xu Xiake, have left poems, travel notes, and inscriptions here. This shows that the landscape here has been praised by the world since ancient times.

Passing through the Xu Xiake Memorial Corridor, we entered a seemingly inconspicuous entrance and entered this karst cave full of strange rocks.

Inside the cave, it is sometimes open and sometimes narrow. Large and small stalactites form various shapes, and from their shapes, many stories are derived.

Legend has it that this cave was discovered when a goat fell into it, and the shepherd found it while searching for the goat. Inside the cave, we indeed found a stalactite that looks quite like a goat.

Although I have been to many karst caves, every time I see this natural wonder, I am still amazed.

After crossing a beautifully shaped suspension bridge, we began a long uphill climb. This path took us to see the layers of mountains in Guangxi's landscape.

Along the way, we encountered a high-altitude swing. Friends who like excitement must try it.

Climbing all the way up, we finally reached the glass platform at the top. Standing here, we could overlook the layers of hills in the distance.

These are typical mountains of Guangxi, rolling hill after hill spread across the land. The mountains here are not steep but beautiful and peculiar.

As a northerner, such scenery is rare, so I marveled at these mountains for a good while.

Leaving the glass platform and descending, another karst cave appeared before us.

In my opinion, this cave is the most stunning part of the scenic area. Inside the huge cave, a wide river flows through. The cave is vast and empty, with a cool breeze.

Looking back at the entrance of the cave, the huge opening in the stone mountain is breathtaking. Such is the uncanny workmanship of nature, and we were fortunate to witness it.

Attraction tips:

Ticket: 80 yuan

Opening hours: 09:00-17:00

Recommended visit duration: 2-3 hours

Address: 204 Provincial Road, Rongshui Town, Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, Liuzhou City

We planned to stay at the tent hotel next to Shuanglong Gully that night, so both Shuanglong Gully scenic area and Mengwu Miao Village, which are not far from the hotel, were included in our day's itinerary.

It took only a few minutes to walk from the hotel to the entrance of Shuanglong Gully. It was around 4 or 5 pm, and the summer heat still lingered, but walking into the forest of the scenic area, we could feel a bit of coolness.

Shuanglong Gully | Go Hiking in a Primitive Forest Oxygen Bar

We walked along the lakeside boardwalk, surrounded by dense green forests. The forest coverage here is very high. Walking further, we saw many fairytale-like scenes. Combining the forest with fairy tales is a unique idea here.

The glass suspension bridge at the top of the mountain is the end of the uphill path. Walking on the suspension bridge, looking at the dense forests on both sides, the air seemed a bit fresher.

After reaching the end, there were three ways to descend: walking down the original path, taking the high-altitude zip line, or the jungle roller coaster.

We chose the jungle roller coaster. Compared to the excitement of the zip line, riding a small car through the jungle slide was more fun.

Attraction tips:

Ticket: 128 yuan (including Mengwu Miao Village)

Opening hours: 09:00-17:00 (last admission at 16:30)

Recommended visit duration: 2 hours

Address: Guxuan Tun, Rongshui Town, Rongshui County, Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, Liuzhou City

At first, I thought Mengwu Miao Village was just a later-built commercialized village for tourism. But after a detailed understanding, I learned it is a Miao village with a story.

The residents of Mengwu Miao Village originally lived in the surrounding mountains with inconvenient transportation, leading a very poor life. Later, with the help and planning of the government, their original stilted houses were disassembled, numbered, and moved to the new Miao village.

This relocated Miao village has been transformed into a Miao cultural experience park centered on Miao culture, which also improved the lives of the residents living there.

Mengwu Miao Village, with its super cute name, is small but rich in content.

It has ethnic characteristic buildings, a winding river, and large rice paddies outside the village.

It has a commercial atmosphere, but it is not unpleasant. People gather around tables by the river, eating and laughing. Such a scene of everyday life is moving.

For girls, it is a must to rent ethnic costumes for photos.

Outside Mengwu Miao Village, there are many shops renting costumes, priced from 20 to 50 yuan. The shops also help with simple styling.

Later, while taking photos in the Miao village, we noticed there should also be teams offering photography services. If you can't take good photos yourself, you can look for shops that provide photography services.

Wearing the jingling costume, we walked through the Miao village in the evening, naturally blending into the lively crowd, looking for good photo spots.

Watching the Miao village from dusk to the lights coming on, and then to late night, I think I have fallen in love with the night here.

Attraction tips:

Ticket: included in the 128 yuan ticket for Shuanglong Gully (free entry after 17:00)

Opening hours: All day

Recommended visit duration: 2 hours

Address: Rongshui Town, Rongshui County, Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, Liuzhou City

Longnv Gully was the biggest surprise of our trip.

Because we heard from the driver that the road there was under construction and easily caused hours of traffic jams, we even thought about giving up on this place.

Later, on the driver's suggestion, we decided to leave at 7:30 in the morning. Starting early made it less likely to get stuck. Indeed, when we reached the construction section, there was no traffic jam yet, and we passed smoothly.

When we arrived at the scenic area entrance, we saw large terraced fields. The view was very vast and layered.

We walked down the path beside the terraced fields, hearing the sound of water in the distance. Soon, the cool river appeared before us.

How delightful it is to encounter a green pool in summer. The cool river water rushed along the riverbed towards the distance, also bringing us coolness.

Although we had to walk quite a bit, we were shaded by large tree canopies all the way. Coupled with the scenery, we didn't feel tired but instead found it very interesting.

The most stunning thing in Longnv Gully is this pool of water.

Earlier, during drone shooting, we had spotted a green pool hidden among the mountains and forests. Now standing beside it, we were still amazed.

The water was like a piece of green emerald fallen into the mortal world, clear and bright, spotless and pure. Watching people playing in the water, it was probably the simplest joy of summer.

Continuing forward, beautiful scenes kept appearing: small waterfalls, colorful pools one after another.

I had to exclaim again at the mountains and waters of Guangxi, truly enchanting.

Attraction tips:

Ticket: 25 yuan (boat ticket 20 yuan)

Opening hours: 09:00-17:00

Recommended visit duration: 3 hours

Address: Liangding, Guixiu Tun, Rongdi Village, Rongshui Miao Autonomous County

Leaving Longnv Gully, we drove all the way to Shimen Xianhu Scenic Area in Rong'an County.

Compared to the delicate beauty of the previous mountains and waters, the scenery here is more vast and breathtaking. Although it is not a very famous or popular scenic area, I think it is really worth visiting.

Not long after entering the scenic area, we saw the glass bridge and glass walkway hanging on the mountainside. Although glass bridges and walkways are common nowadays, due to the unique landform here, the glass walkway here has some special features.

Walking on the glass walkway, a huge stone mountain gateway appeared in front of us. It was truly a stone gate. If you hadn't come deep into the scenic area to explore, who would have imagined such a stunning scene here?

Such a scene is exactly like those in Xianxia (fantasy martial arts) dramas.

We climbed up the stone steps and eventually reached a viewing platform, where we could overlook the unique peaks and rivers of Guangxi.

I can never resist such layered landscapes.

Leaving the viewing platform and continuing downward, a peculiar landscape appeared again.

Shimen Mountain, due to geological collapse, formed three sinkholes, creating a natural wonder of one mountain connecting three caves. There is also an underground river under here called "Wolong River" (Crouching Dragon River).

As we walked forward, surprises kept coming. Hidden under this stone gate was an even more stunning karst cave. A river flowed through the cave, and here you can take a small boat to enjoy the cave.

This is the uncanny workmanship of nature. It always makes us discover new surprises in continuous exploration, sometimes making me exclaim continuously, other times leaving me speechless.

Those hills that looked all the same from the outside actually contained such a hidden paradise inside.

As long as you're on the road, there will always be new discoveries.

During our visit to Shimen Xianhu Scenic Area, we didn't encounter many tourists. It is niche and low-key.

I hope more people can see this unique landscape here; it is worth it.

Attraction tips:

Ticket: 128 yuan (sometimes there are ticket discount events)

Opening hours: 09:00-18:00 (enter before 16:00)

Recommended visit duration: 3 hours

Address: Xianhu Scenic Area, Shimen Village, Daliang Town, Rong'an County, Liuzhou City

Our trip lasted three days and two nights, staying one night in Sanjiang County and one night in Rongshui County.

In Sanjiang County, we chose Jingxiang Hotel, which should be one of the best hotels in Sanjiang county town. The hotel's decoration style, service, and restaurant were all very good.

The hotel is only a few minutes' walk from the city center.

For the second night, we stayed at the very popular tent hotel near Shuanglong Gully.

It is nestled between mountains and rivers. Opening the room door, you can enjoy mountain and lake views, and it also offers high privacy.

The hotel also has a swimming pool, basketball court, barbecue area, etc. We met many locals bringing their kids for the weekend.

This hotel must be booked early, especially on weekends when it is very difficult to get a room.

Leaving Shimen Xianhu Scenic Area, we drove back to downtown Liuzhou, and our trip ended here.

The three-day itinerary was fulfilling. We not only experienced the customs of the Dong and Miao ethnic groups but also enjoyed the delicate or vast natural landscapes.

Guangxi is not just Guilin and Yangshuo; Liuzhou also has many niche landscapes worth exploring.

This trip ends here, and I look forward to meeting Liuzhou's mountains and waters again next time.

Travelogue Directory:

1. Chengyang Bazhai | A Simple Dong Village Among Rice Paddies and Flowing Water

2. Great Dong Village | A Small City Full of Life and Smoky Atmosphere That I Love

3. Dong Tiangong | A Niche Photo Spot Encountered by Chance

4. Xiancaotang Lingzhi Transparent Factory | A Journey to Learn About Lingzhi

5. Laojun Cave | Layered Mountains Above, Strange Rocks Below

6. Shuanglong Gully | Go Hiking in a Primitive Forest Oxygen Bar

7. Mengwu Miao Village | A Miao Village "Relocated" from Elsewhere

8. Longnv Gully | A Green Pool Hidden Among Mountains and Forests

9. Shimen Xianhu | The Scene from a Xianxia Drama