Guangxi Travel: Winter Tour of Guilin's Scenery - "The Finest Under Heaven" (Photos)

Guangxi's "Guilin's scenery is the finest under heaven" is a world-renowned scenic area. So what is it like to visit Guilin in winter? On January 22, 2007, a reporter joined the last stop of the "South China Tour Group" and chose this location. At 18:53 that day, the reporter and the group departed from Zhanjiang Railway Station in Guangdong on tourist train Y354 heading to Guilin, Guangxi.

Guilin North Station, Guangxi (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

After traveling overnight, the Y354 arrived at Guilin North Station in Guangxi at 6 a.m. the next day. Guilin tour guide Li Guokun was already waiting outside the train to welcome the tourists. She was a quick-witted, enthusiastic, and cheerful young woman. Soon she became friends with the tourists in the reporter's group.

Scenery of the Li River in Guilin (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

In the south, dawn comes late. When we exited Guilin Station, the streets were still dark. The only people visible were citizens doing morning exercises. Guilin is a key scenic tourist city and a famous historical and cultural city in China. It boasts unique national scenic areas and is known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The long-standing reputation of "Guilin's scenery is the finest under heaven" seems to be known to everyone on Earth.

A corner of Yushan Park (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Guilin has a long history. Remains and artifacts of ancient humans have been found at Baoji Mountain, Zengpiyan, Jiaoziyan, Shijia Rock, Dangui Rock, and Chuanshanxia. In January 1940 (the 29th year of the Republic of China), the capital of Guangxi Province was established in Guilin. After liberation, the provincial capital moved to Nanning, and Guilin became a municipality directly under the central government. In September 1998, with the approval of the State Council, Guilin City and Guilin Prefecture were officially merged to form a new Guilin City.

Shaoyin Cave (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Guilin in Guangxi boasts unparalleled karst landforms. The mountains rise abruptly from the ground, with a myriad of shapes; the waters of the Li River meander, clear and mirror-like; the mountains are full of caves, which are deep,奇特, and magnificent; the strange rocks inside the caves are exquisite works of nature. Thus, the "Four Wonders" of Guilin were formed: "green mountains, clear waters,奇特 caves, and beautiful rocks."

Stone Sleeping Buddha (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

After breakfast, the tourists first visited Yushan Park in the north of Guilin City. According to records, Yushan Park, with its beautiful gardens, spiritual temples,奇特 mountains, and deep caves, is the birthplace of Guilin's landscape tours and the origin of Guilin's history. Within the park, Yushan, Huangze Pool, and Shaoyin Cave are known as Immortal Mountain, Immortal River, and Immortal Cave.

Yudi Temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Over 4,000 years ago, Emperor Shun, one of the ancestors of Chinese civilization, visited here during his southern tour. The Qin people built a temple in his memory, which has a history of over 2,000 years. Throughout history, the temple has been visited by countless pilgrims, giving Yushan and Yudi Temple a strong Confucian cultural atmosphere and accumulating a rich historical and cultural heritage.

Scenery of Yushan Park (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The design of Yushan Park is innovative and unique, combining ancient and modern, Eastern and Western elements, and is exquisite and refined. The main attractions, including Yudi Temple, Yiqin Garden, Three Unique Steles, Five Blessings Pagoda, Wenshao Tower, Shaoyin Cave, Nine Heavens, and Meiquan Palace, are all brilliant and fascinating. Under the guidance of a dedicated tour guide at Yushan Park, the tourists thoroughly enjoyed the distinctive Guilin garden.

Li River Cruise in Guilin (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

After that, the reporter and the group drove to the pier on the banks of the Li River in front of the Guilin Art Museum to take a boat tour of the Li River scenery within Guilin city. The Li River cruise generally has several routes, but the main ones are the sightseeing within Guilin city and the truly scenic Li River tour from Mopan Mountain Pier to Yangshuo, covering dozens of kilometers. Unfortunately, due to limited time in Guilin, Guangxi, and the dry season, the tourists did not choose the latter.

Elephant Trunk Hill Scenery (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The boat sailed on the calm river, offering a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery along the banks. When passing Elephant Trunk Hill, the boat stopped for photos. The reporter had previously seen the beauty of Elephant Trunk Hill from the land within the park during a previous visit to Guilin. However, this was the first time viewing the hill from the river. It felt less ideal than the land angle.

Photo at Elephant Trunk Hill (Photo: Huang Zhiguo)

Elephant Trunk Hill is named for its shape, which resembles a giant elephant drinking water from the Li River with its trunk. It is also simply known as Elephant Hill, measuring 108 meters in length, 100 meters in width, and covering an area of 13,000 square meters. It is spectacular and lifelike, with the Water Moon Cave between the trunk and legs, creating the wondrous scene of "Elephant Hill and Water Moon." Elephant Trunk Hill is a symbol of Guilin city and its emblem.

Gate of Seven Star Park (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

After the 50-minute boat tour on the Li River, the tourists arrived at Guilin's Seven Star Park. Although the reporter was visiting the park for the second time, it fulfilled a regret: it made up for not visiting Seven Star Cave on the first visit. This is because Seven Star Cave has been a renowned cave wonder in China since ancient times.

Entering Seven Star Park (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

As a national AAAA scenic area, Guilin's Seven Star Park is located on the east bank of the Li River, covering an area of over 120 hectares. It is the largest and most concentrated comprehensive park in Guilin city. Looking east from Liberation Bridge, one can see seven peaks formed by the four peaks of Putuo Mountain and the three peaks of Crescent Moon Mountain, arranged like the Big Dipper, especially vivid when viewed from above. Thus, the seven peaks are collectively called Seven Star Mountain, and the park is named accordingly.

Crescent Moon Mountain at Seven Star Park (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Seven Star Park features beautiful peaks, clear streams,奇特 stone forests, deep caves, and unique charm, bringing together the essence of mountains, water, caves, stones, courtyards, plants, animals, and cultural relics. Its main attractions include the Flower Bridge, Putuo Mountain, Seven Star Cave, Camel Peak, Crescent Moon Mountain, Longyin Cave, Guihai Stone Forest, and the "Light of China" Square. It is a must-visit for all tourists to Guilin, Guangxi.

Flower Bridge at Seven Star Park (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Upon entering the park, the tourists first came to the Flower Bridge. The Flower Bridge is the oldest bridge in Guilin, built during the Jiaxi period of the Song Dynasty. It is located at the main gate of the park, spanning the confluence of the Xiao Dongjiang River and Lingjian Stream, with a total length of 135 meters. The bridge features a covered corridor, with green glazed tiles on the bridge pavilion and solid stone on the bridge body, exhibiting strong ethnic style.

Swans swimming (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Every spring and summer, flowers bloom in profusion, and the bridge is surrounded by peach blossoms and green bamboos. The small bridge is hidden among "the stream full of flowing water half full of flowers," hence the name Flower Bridge. The current Flower Bridge is a four-arch bridge rebuilt in 1965 based on the original, built with blue stone. Under the bridge, the four semi-circular arches and their reflections in the water form four jade plates, resembling full moons, just like the beautiful scene of "Flower Bridge Rainbow Shadow" described in the poem: "Four round moons accompany the lotus, half enter the clear river, half turn into rainbows."

Memorial Stone at Seven Star Park (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

On the Flower Bridge, tour guide Xiao Li pointed to a pavilion on the mountain, explaining that it was the song-dueling stage for the film "Liu Sanjie" (Third Sister Liu). This immediately sparked great interest among the tourists, who took photos on the bridge.

"Light of China" Square (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The tourists strolled leisurely through the park and soon arrived at the "Light of China" Square between Putuo Mountain and Crescent Moon Mountain. The "Light of China" Square has a total area of 13,520 square meters. It features two large artworks: one is the "Light of China" stone carving mural, 106 meters long and 5 meters high, composed of over 100 stone carvings, integrating China's four great inventions and other scientific and technological achievements, reflecting the essence of five thousand years of Chinese civilization.

Century Tripod (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The second is the Century Tripod, 4.6 meters high, supported by four legs, standing on a circular granite pedestal, symbolizing national peace and prosperity. The tripod weighs 24 tons and is carved from a single piece of curved stone. During festivals, the flowers and plants surrounding the Century Tripod create a particularly dazzling sight. These two artworks form a new landscape of Seven Star Park.

Photo inside Seven Star Cave (Photo: Huang Zhiguo)

In Seven Star Park, Putuo Mountain is the main body of the park. It consists of four peaks from the northwest of Seven Star Mountain: Tianqu, Tianxuan, Tianji, and Tianquan. It is 265 meters above sea level, and because the mountain enshrines Guanyin Bodhisattva, it is commonly called Putuo. Putuo Mountain is rich in sights, with many caves and pavilions. Among them, Seven Star Cave is the most famous, while the pavilions group of Qixia Pavilion and Bixu Pavilion is particularly unique.

Stalactites in the cave (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

At the western foot of the mountain is Yuanfeng Cave, where cool breezes blow even in the height of summer. From here, walk north along the osmanthus tree-lined path to Putuo Gate, and then ascend the mountain. On the mountain, there are multiple sights such as Putuo Stone Forest, Putuo Tower, Guanyin Cave, and Xuanwu Pavilion. Continue to the Star-Picking Pavilion on Tianji Peak, and from the pavilion, look around to see the magnificent scenery described by the Song Dynasty poet Liu Kezhuang: "A thousand peaks stand in the wilderness, a single river embraces the city." Putuo Mountain has many cultural relics and historical sites, with over 200 stone carvings. The most precious include Yan Zhenqing's "Xiaoyao Tower" from the Tang Dynasty, Fan Chengda's "Bixu Ming" from the Song Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty relief "Turtle and Snake in One."

Scenery inside Seven Star Cave (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Since most of the tourists were middle-aged or elderly, they did not climb the mountain. Instead, they went directly to visit Seven Star Cave. Seven Star Cave, also known as Qixia Cave or Bixu Cave, is located on the western hillside of Putuo Mountain. Over the long years, rainwater has continuously seeped in, dissolving limestone and crystallizing inside the cave, forming various stalactites, stalagmites, columns, curtains, and flowers, creating many magnificent and fascinating scenes, earning it the title of "Fairy Cave."

Great Wall Model (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Seven Star Cave is magnificent and deep, with spectacular scenery. The cave has three layers, and the entire tour route is 814 meters. The middle layer is currently open for tours, divided into six grottoes, with a maximum width of 43 meters and a maximum height of 27 meters. The cave temperature remains around 20°C all year round.

Exquisite and beautiful (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Since the Sui and Tang dynasties, Seven Star Cave has been a tourist attraction, leaving behind many poems and inscriptions. Ming Dynasty painter Zhang Wenxi called it "The First Grotto Heaven" and engraved it on the stone wall, becoming the first sight visitors see upon entering the cave.

"The First Grotto Heaven" Inscription (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

After exiting Seven Star Cave, the tourists took their last group photo of this trip in front of Camel Peak. Camel Peak is located behind Putuo Mountain and resembles a crouching camel. Because it also looks like an ancient wine pot, it is also called Hu Shan (Pot Mountain). At the end of the Ming Dynasty, a famous Jiangnan scholar lived here in seclusion and planted peach blossoms everywhere.

Photo in front of Camel Peak (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Every spring, peach blossoms bloom profusely, covering the area in a sea of red clouds, as if draping Camel Peak in rosy clouds, creating an extremely beautiful scene. Known as "Camel Peak's Rosy Clouds" in ancient times, it is one of the ten major scenic spots in Guilin. In July 1998, after holding an environmental protection symposium with Chinese civilians in the bonsai garden beside the mountain, US President Bill Clinton delivered an environmental speech on the lawn in front of Camel Peak.

Guilin Railway Station (Photo: Huang Zhiguo)

Finally, the reporter and the group arrived at Crescent Moon Mountain in Seven Star Park. Crescent Moon Mountain is located south of Putuo Mountain, directly facing the "Light of China" Square. The mountain is named for a crescent-shaped rock on its hillside, resembling a new moon when viewed from afar. Crescent Moon Mountain has the Crescent Moon Tower, where vegetarian cuisine has a history of a hundred years. That evening, the group had their last dinner of the South China tour at the Crescent Moon Tower at the foot of Crescent Moon Mountain. On the morning of January 24, 2007, the reporter and the group began their return journey on train Y364 from Guilin Railway Station, taking their last photo of the winter Guilin tour before boarding. (Text and photos: Feng Ganyong)