Guilin is famous for it's beatiful sceneries. If you want to know something about Guilin China, the sceneries in Guilin and Guilin tourist related imformation are the first thing first to most people.

Situated in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guilin is regarded as the most beautiful place in China and is one of the must-see destinations for most foreign tourists. According to an old Chinese saying, "Guilin is the most beautiful place under the heaven." Its shapely-rising limestone towers and crystal-clear waters are often portrayed in Chinese artworks. Adding to its natural beauty are many fascinating caves.

Guilin has a long history. It was founded in the Qin Dynasty in 314 BC. It became increasingly important following the construction of a canal joining the river with another further north, providing a transport link with the Yangzi. The imperial court could thus send food and provisions by water from the Yangzi plains to its armies in the far south. It became the provincial capital in the Ming Dynasty, and remained so until 1914, when the capital was moved to Nanning.

Since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, Guilin has developed a fledging industry, producing a variety of products such as pharmaceutical goods, tires, machinery, fertilizers and silk. From its noted profusion of flowering cassia trees, which have a strong sweet scent, it produces a number of specialties including perfume, wine, tea, cinnamon, and herbal medicine.

There are quite a lot noted scenic spots within the city. Among them are a hill standing in solitary loftiness in the center of the city; the Elephant Trunk Hill, the city's symbol, so named because of its resemblance to an elephant's sipping water from the Lijiang River with its trunk; the Piled Festoon Hill that is broken here and there with its rock strata exposed on its sides like piles of fancy festoons; and the Crescent Hill that is named after its moon-shaped cave opening.

There are two fantastic caves in the Guilin, the seven-star cave, which derives its name from the arrangement of surrounding peaks resembling the pattern of the stars of the Great Bear constellation, and Reed-Flute Cave, named after the reeds growing around the cave mouth. They both contain spectacular stalactites and stalagmites.

The city also boasts other beautiful hills, such as the Fubo Hill, which is supposed to restrain the waters of the Li River, and Nanxi Hill that stands magnificently like a huge screen.

The boat trip from Guilin along the Li River presents one of the finest excursions on your tour of China. The journey downstream to Yangshuo offers 30 miles of breathtaking scenery.

One of the first points of interest is the pagoda-capped Elephant Trunk Hill, or Xiangbishan, long used as the symbol of Guilin. A little further downstream you will pass, on your left, Pagoda Hill with a Ming Dynasty pagoda on top. East of it stands Chuanshan, or the Hill with a Hole. Then begins a series of beautiful scenes that unfold as you glide away from Guilin on your journey south.

Coming close to the Erlang Gorge, a huge cliff comes into view. This is the famous Picture Hill or Nine Horse Mural Hill that resembles horses of different colors in different positions.

The river is wide and flows gently near Huangbu (Yellow Cloth) Beach area. Seven graceful peaks are likened to seven quiet young girls standing shoulder to shoulder. The fabled Xingping Wonderland begins here. Xingping is a famous, ancient town. Caishi Hill looms high in front of the town, with thick bamboo groves in the back. The cruise ends at the colorful market town of Yangshuo.


Major Tourist Attractions in downtown Guilin:

Elephant Trunk Hill
The hill is at the confluence of the Lijiang River and Yangjiang River inside the city. This hill is so named because it outlines a vivid image of an elephant sipping water from the river with its trunk. Between the body and the trunk there is a round-shaped space, known as "water moon" arch, which is about 10 metres high and 20 metres deep. The river flows through the arch resembling a "bright-moon". Sailing through the arch, one feels like being under a huge arch bridge.

Fubo Hill
It is located to the east of the city with half of the hill reaching into the Lijiang River. The hill stands in solitary loftiness with a thrusting peak. It seems to restrain the swelling water when the river is raising with violent torrents and waves, hence the name Fudo (restraining waves). On the hilltop there is a Fudo Temple and the Returning Pearl Cave. At the foot of the hill, there are other scenic spots.

Seven Star Park and Seven Star Cave
Formerly known as "Qixia Cave" and "Bixu Rock", It is on the Seven star-Rock hill to the east of Guilin. The cave presents a twisted extension of more than one and a half kilometres. This cave, the biggest and the most fascinating cave of Guilin, includes "Liudongtian Cave" and Liangdongfu Cave, offers numerous spectacular views and is big enough to hold ten thousand visitors at a time; originally, the cave was an underground channel and became a tourist attraction as early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581 A.D.-907). Inside the cave, well-developed stalactites and stalagmites form numerous fantastic scenes such as "Monkey Picking Peaches", "Two Lion Fighting for a Ball", or in the shapes of fruits, forests and gigantic waterfall.

Reed-Flute Cave
The cave is at the Guangming Hill about six kilometres northwest of Guilin. This huge cave, eroded out of karst formation and with a maximum height of 18 metres and width of 93 metres. This ancient scenic spot dates back to more than 1,000 years ago, It has been widely claimed as Art Galley of Nature" because of its dazzling beauty of strange karts formation and marvellous scenery.

Two Rivers and Four Lakes
Guilin's Two Rivers Four lakes is a park-like scenic area. As the name suggests it consists of two rivers and four lakes. The two rivers are the Li and Taohua (Peach Blossom) Rivers. The three of the four lakes are named after trees that grow along their banks and the fourth is named after a cave located nearby. The four lakes are the Rong (banyan tree) Lake, Shan (Chinese fir) Lake, Gui (Osmanthus tree) Lake, and the Mulong (Wooden dragon) Lake. The Mulonghu Lake is named after the Mulong Cave which overlooks the lake. The cave is located in Guilin's Diecai Hill Park.

The four lakes are surrounded by beautiful ancient trees and flowering plants. There are pavilions, statues, and stone carvings scattered around the area. Guilin's ancient South Gate, part of the ancient city walls is located between Rong and Gui Lakes. The area is very beautiful and quite peaceful. In the middle of Ronghu lake is an island with a teahouse. The island is built in the style of a Chinese garden with rock formations, bridges, and beautiful plants. There is also a marble boat docked next to the island. The centerpiece of the island is a teahouse built in traditional Chinese style architecture. There visitors can sit overlooking the lake while enjoying a cup of China's wonderful tea. To get to the island, visitors must cross a marble zigzag bridge. There are two identical arched marble bridges located next to each other between Rong and Gui Lakes. There are several pavilions located on the banks of Gui Lake.

They are wonderful places to sit and enjoy the beauty and peace of the area. Shan Lake is famous for its Twin Pagodas, the Sun and Moon Pagodas. The 9-storied Sun Tower is 41 meters high, made of solid bronze, while the 7-storied Moon Tower is 35 meters high, made of wood and glazed tiles. They have become another symbol of the city of Guilin. Both pagodas are located in the middle of the lake. The Moon Pagoda can be reached by a bridge, but the Sun pagoda must be reached by an underwater passage located between the two pagodas. Altogether there are 19 bridges connecting the two rivers and four lakes. These 19 bridges are styled after famous bridges at home and abroad.