Guilin's Scenery and Li River Charm: A Travelogue of Guilin and Yangshuo

A long time ago, I heard a song with lyrics that went: 'I want to go to Guilin, but when I have time, I have no money; when I have money, I have no time.' Guilin, renowned for having the most beautiful scenery under heaven, is a dream destination for many travelers. Now I finally had the chance to experience the beauty of Guilin's landscape. Although July in Guilin wasn't scorching hot, it was exceptionally humid—not the best season for tourism. This likely explained why there weren't many tourists at the attractions during this trip, along with the fact that the pandemic hadn't yet ended.

After landing at noon, the first stop was the Solitary Beauty Peak–Jingjiang Prince City Scenic Area. Jingjiang Prince City was the princely residence of the Ming Dynasty's Jingjiang Prince, built even earlier than the Forbidden City in Beijing. Solitary Beauty Peak stands within the city, a solitary mountain rising abruptly from the ground.

Gate of Jingjiang Prince City

Currently, Jingjiang Prince City is part of the Guangxi Normal University campus, so the gate bears the university's sign. The entrance ticket includes a guided tour. Upon entering, visitors receive an audio guide device and wait in a lounge until enough people gather for a guide to lead them into the scenic area.

The Chengyun Hall is the main hall of the Jingjiang Prince Mansion. The current building was reconstructed in 1947 and once served as the office building of the Guangxi Provincial Government. The carved balustrades and stone steps in front of the hall are original Ming Dynasty relics. Inside the hall, there is an introduction to the history of the Jingjiang Prince Mansion.

There are two notable stone carvings on Solitary Beauty Peak. One is the massive carving of "Southern Pillar of Heaven," and the other is a poem from which the famous line "Guilin's scenery is the finest under heaven" originates.

The Origin of "Guilin's Scenery Is the Finest Under Heaven"

Leaving Solitary Beauty Peak, the guide leads visitors into a cave. The walls inside are adorned with carvings of historical figures and several "fu" (blessing) character stone carvings left from the Ming Dynasty princely mansion. Here, the guide talks about fate and the customs surrounding the character for blessing, which didn't interest me much. Then we entered a shop where souvenirs could be purchased.

The last attraction was the Imperial Examination Hall. Although Guangxi was a remote province, during the imperial examination era it was a feng shui treasure land that produced many top scholars, earning fame nationwide. In the hall, there was an interactive activity: each visitor received an exam paper to answer in a small examination cell. The questions were simple, all based on what the guide had mentioned. Then two papers were selected, and those candidates were dressed in champion's robes for photos and given a certificate. There was a catch: the two selected individuals were expected to give a gift of money to the presenters following custom. In our group, two teenagers were chosen, likely deliberately by the staff. Each of their parents ended up paying 100 yuan. Based on my experience, it's best to just listen to the guide during tours; I avoid participatory activities even if they claim to be free, to avoid being tricked.

Imperial Examination Performance in the Examination Hall

After the guided tour, free time began, and we could climb Solitary Beauty Peak. The peak is 66 meters high from the ground, with stairs leading to the top. At the summit, there's a sign reading "First Peak of Guilin," offering a panoramic view of Guilin city.

Guilin has a commercial street called Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, where you can shop and eat. We had a meal of Li River beer fish there.

Near the pedestrian street is a park with two tall pagodas known as the Sun and Moon Twin Pagodas. We looked at them from a distance but didn't go inside.

Guilin's Sun and Moon Twin Pagodas

The next morning, we visited the Longji Rice Terraces Scenic Area. We drove there ourselves; when there aren't many tourists, you can drive into the scenic area. The Longji Rice Terraces consist of several Zhuang villages, with the most representative attraction being the Golden Pit Terraces. From the scenic area entrance to the Golden Pit Terraces is 23 kilometers, taking about an hour by car due to winding mountain roads. The Golden Pit Terraces are the only part of the Longji Rice Terraces with a cable car. Taking the cable car to the Golden Buddha Summit viewing platform offers a magnificent panoramic view of the terraced fields.

Walking downhill to the parking lot at the scenic area entrance takes about an hour and a half, passing through Dazhai Village, which has many farmhouse inns offering food and accommodation.

Leaving the Longji Rice Terraces, we returned to Guilin city to visit the Guilin Museum.

The museum is very new, likely recently built. It features exhibits on Guilin's history, folk customs, and gifts presented to Guilin by foreign dignitaries.

That night we stayed in Xing'an County, Guilin. The next morning, we visited the Lingqu Canal Scenic Area in Xing'an County. The Lingqu Canal is an ancient water conservancy project comparable to the Dujiangyan Irrigation System in Chinese history. It is one of the oldest canals in the world, completed and opened to navigation in 214 BCE. Originally built for military purposes, it played a crucial role in Qin Shi Huang's unification of the Lingnan region. Today, the Lingqu Canal Scenic Area is essentially a park, featuring ruins of ancient water conservancy facilities along with some reconstructed buildings. Many local residents come here for morning exercise.

Inside the scenic area is the Four Sages Shrine, a courtyard-style building with statues of four historical figures who contributed to the construction of the Lingqu. In the courtyard of the shrine, there is an attraction called "Ancient Tree Swallowing Stele." A 780-year-old dogwood tree is gradually engulfing a Qing Dynasty Qianlong-era stone stele, consuming it at a rate of 1 centimeter every three years.

An important relic in the Lingqu Canal is the Doumen (sluice gate). The Doumen is a structure with the function of a ship lock. Though unremarkable in appearance, it predates modern ship locks by more than 1,000 years.

Across from the entrance of the Lingqu Canal Scenic Area is the Xing'an County Museum, which also serves as the Lingqu Exhibition Center. It provides information on the history of the Lingqu and the functions of its various parts.

Leaving the Lingqu, we drove to Yangshuo County. It wasn't until the third day in Guilin that we finally enjoyed the scenery of the Li River. A famous attraction at the Li River Scenic Area is the scene on the back of the 20-yuan banknote. This spot is located along the Li River near Xingping Ancient Town in Yangshuo. There are several viewing platforms along this stretch of the riverbank where you can see the exact scene matching the back of the banknote. Taking your own photos is free. Each viewing platform has professional photographers who charge 20 yuan per photo, printed on the spot. Local people also carry a pair of cormorants on a shoulder pole, which you can borrow as a prop for an additional 10 yuan. Around the viewing platforms, there are many private parking lots charging 20 yuan per vehicle with no time limit.

Xingping Ancient Town, like many ancient towns in China, has become a commercialized street. We took a quick look and didn't linger.

Street in Xingping Ancient Town

Leaving the Li River, we headed to the Silver Rock Scenic Area in Lipu County. This is a karst cave attraction, quite large in scale, with a developed tourist route of about 2 kilometers. Upon entering the cave, you receive an audio guide that automatically introduces the sights as you walk. Having visited a few karst caves before, I found the characteristics of such attractions are mostly similar, as the guide says: "three parts resemblance, seven parts imagination." Inside the cave, there are sights such as "Buddha Preaching Sutras," "Single Pillar Supporting the Sky," and "Hunyuan Pearl Umbrella." In the height of summer, the temperature inside the cave is not high, but the humidity is extremely high, making it a bit hard to breathe after a while.

On the last morning in Guilin, we visited the Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area. Elephant Trunk Hill is the symbol of Guilin. The scenic area isn't large, essentially a park within the city. Entering through Gate 1, we first saw the back of Elephant Trunk Hill, where there are stairs to climb to the top. Because the weather was very humid and hot, we didn't climb.

After crossing a sheet metal bridge, there is a viewing platform that offers a full view of Elephant Trunk Hill—the familiar iconic image of Guilin.