A Family of Three Visits Liuzhou - Part 1

Hello everyone, our family of three is native to Liuzhou. A bowl of luosifen has spread the name of Liuzhou across the Great Wall, across the length and breadth of the country, and even made it famous abroad, filling us with immense joy. To provide friends visiting Liuzhou with a reference for an additional scenic route, and to contribute a little to Liuzhou's tourism development, we recommend a tour route. For accurate description, our family of three personally walked the entire route and took notes. Without further ado, let's get to the point.

Route (Walking):

East Gate Tower → Wenhui Bridge → Confucian Temple → Dengtai Pavilion → Panlong Mountain → Yaobu Ancient Town → Industrial Museum

November 5, 2023, temperature 32-20°C, cloudy.

Before starting the tour, we first went to a nearby XX Ganlao Rice Noodles (dry-mixed noodles) recommended by friends from other places online. At 9:15 we arrived at the noodle shop on Luochi Road. The noodles cost 8.5 yuan (Liuzhou soup noodles and Guilin rice noodles are mostly 7-8 yuan). After eating, our evaluation: few noodles, little meat, too limited meat variety (only two types), no side dishes (usually there are sour beans, pickled bamboo shoots, pickled vegetables, radish pickles, etc.). Based on the configuration alone, 8.5 yuan is a bit expensive. The noodles were to taste. I ordered sliced noodles (flat), the noodles were very sticky and didn't taste good; the meat, two thin slices of char siu were average, and the other—I'm not sure if it was crispy pork—was sweet? After finishing the noodles, I added some soup, which tasted like plain broth. Overall, the three of us unanimously agreed it wasn't good. Later, when we talked with friends and colleagues, they all thought it was terrible. This is really not the usual taste of Liuzhou rice noodles, so we do not recommend it.

First Stop: East Gate Tower

At 9:35, we arrived at the East Gate Tower located at the (north) end of Wenhui Bridge. It opens at 9:00 am, no reservation or ticket required. The tower was originally built in the Tang Dynasty, and the current structure was rebuilt in 1875, covering an area of 8,000 square meters. Inside, there are the tower itself, 'East Gate Past Events', the former site of the Liuzhou County Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the former site of the Gui-Liu District Working Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The East Gate Tower stands by the Liujiang River. The building on the city wall has two floors. The first floor is the 'Wudi Pavilion' dedicated to Guan Yu, and the second floor houses an ancient sand table of Liuzhou. The former Liuzhou prefect Liu Zongyuan wrote poems 'Ascending Liuzhou City Wall and Sending to Zhangzhou, Tingzhou, Fengzhou, Lianzhou' and 'Ancient East Gate Walk'. The tower shows traces of the passage of time. Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, wrote a poem titled 'Ode to the Guard of Liuzhou City'. Having experienced decades of warfare and knowing hardship well, he expressed his concern for this important frontier town. A city tower, a stretch of land—over the long river of time, what passes away is history, what remains is memory. Tour time: 30 minutes.

Second Stop: Wenhui Bridge

We left the East Gate Tower at 10:10. Just outside the East Gate is Wenhui Bridge. Friends seeing it might think the bridge looks a bit strange, as if it's split. Indeed, this bridge is actually two sister bridges built over a decade apart. It's recommended to walk on the left side in the direction of travel, as the scenery is better and you can see the following attractions. After crossing the bridge, the head of the bridge is Jiahe Mountain; those interested can climb it.

Third Stop: Confucian Temple

After a 20-minute walk, we arrived at the Confucian Temple at 10:30. No reservation or ticket required. Opening hours: 9:30-16:30 (closed on Mondays), and 19:30-22:00 in the evening. Liuzhou Confucian Temple was consecrated by the 75th direct descendant of Confucius himself, so it is considered authentic. If you have academic pursuits, it is recommended to pay respects to Confucius at the Dacheng Hall. Then ascend the Wenchang Tower and experience the feeling: 'Touch the tower as a brush, dip the river as ink, take the platform and Jiahe as the desk, and the world as a canvas, to paint my beautiful Liuzhou.' Tour time: 30 minutes.

Fourth Stop: Dengtai Pavilion

At 11:00 we left the Confucian Temple, took a small path beside the west wall of the temple, and walked 10 minutes to reach Dengtai Pavilion. Beyond Dengtai Pavilion is a downhill path. The foot of the hill is a platform above Liuzhou's largest man-made waterfall. At this time, the bougainvillea on the platform are blooming quite well. Passing through the platform, you can reach Panlong Mountain. At 11:20, we arrived at the climbing point.

Fifth Stop: Panlong Mountain

Climbing up, we reached the shorter peak in 10 minutes. Along the way up, we passed the place where Xu Xiake once described as 'The tower beyond the world is nowhere to be found, and there is a separate sky within the pot.' On the peak there is a Pangu Temple. In front of the temple is a platform, and behind it is the Panlong Pagoda, which can only be climbed to the second floor. If you have the energy, you can go to the taller peak; you have to descend first and then climb up again. At the top is the Wenguang Pagoda. In the past, you could go to the top. I climbed it more than ten years ago; it was very steep and narrow. Now the stairs from the second to third floor have been removed, so you can only go up to the second floor. We didn't go this time. We went straight down the mountain, and at the foot is Yaobu Ancient Town.

Sixth Stop: Yaobu Ancient Town

At 12:00 we reached the foot of the mountain. Turning left and walking five minutes brings us to Yaobu Pier in Yaobu Ancient Town. You can go down the stairs on the right side of Yaobu Pier to the Liujiang River's waterfront promenade. You can enjoy the river view, or during the waterfall's open hours, experience standing under the waterfall. Waterfall opening hours: ① Workdays 19:30-22:30; ② Weekends and holidays 10:00-12:00, 14:30-16:30, 19:30-22:00. After going down to the waterfront, you can walk forward to the second upward staircase on the right (after the water bus stop) and go up to return to Yaobu Ancient Town. You can have lunch in the ancient town, but most shops open in the afternoon. At noon, the luosifen shops are still open. Having a bowl of luosifen and then a cup of milk tea is also nice. We didn't choose to have lunch in the ancient town because we wanted to eat rice dishes, so we continued walking. We first arrived at the Liuzhou Industrial Museum opposite the ancient town, then went to the Utopia Music City next to the Citizen Square for lunch. Utopia Music City and the surrounding Sunshine 100 community have many dining options. In the evening, you can come to the ancient town for dinner and then enjoy the nightscape, which is also very beautiful.

Seventh Stop: Liuzhou Industrial Museum

We arrived at the Industrial Museum at 12:40. As an old industrial city, Liuzhou allows you to experience at the Industrial Museum that 'among industrial cities, Liuzhou has the most beautiful landscapes; among landscape cities, Liuzhou has the strongest industry.' Opening hours: 9:00-16:00, closed on Mondays. Reservation required via WeChat official account. Since it was lunchtime, you can first have lunch nearby and then come back. We just passed by, didn't go in, and went directly to the Sunshine 100 area for lunch.

Lunch: Utopia Music City and Surrounding Sunshine 100 Shops

There are many dining options here: luosifen, dry-mixed noodles (Guilin rice noodles), Xiaolongbao, wontons, bakeries, steamed bun shops, fast food, hotpot, beef offal, sushi, home-style dishes, milk tea, etc. The variety is greater and cheaper than in the ancient town. You can search for yourself.

Conclusion: We set off a bit late; you should probably start a little earlier. From the noodle shop to the lunch place, we took 3 hours and 20 minutes, covering 14,400 steps and 7.86 kilometers. Remember to bring enough water according to the weather, as there aren't many places to buy drinks along the way, and you'll need to climb a mountain, so water is essential. We hope everyone can come to Liuzhou and experience one car, one river, one flower, one bowl of noodles, and one city. We hope this is helpful. If there are any shortcomings, please forgive us.