My Visual Travel Experience: Guilin, China

In 2013, my wife and I spent two and a half weeks in China. We had to do a fair bit of research to see which all places to visit, because China is such a large country with so many attractions scattered across it. The two large mega cities of Shanghai and Beijing were obvious choices. Apart from that, we narrowed down on Xi'an, because the Terracotta Warriors had to be seen. Our fourth and last selection for that tour was Guilin, famous for its scenic rock formations along the beautiful Li River.

In subsequent years, my sister in law moved to Macau, so Macau and Hong King became places we regularly visited. From Macau, I also visited the nearby Chinese cities of Guangzhou and Shenzen. So I've managed to travel around a fair bit in China. Language has been a problem, food has sometimes been a concern (I've had my phases of being a vegetarian), but I've still enjoyed my travels and I've been impressed by the country's development levels, its infrastructure (in terms of Manhattan-like skyscrapers, high speed trains and world class airports), its beautiful architecture, and its rich cultural and historical legacy.

Guilin is a city in China having a population of around 975,000 (as of 2010). Such a population would make it a fairly large city in most countries, but going by Chinese standards (where cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Shenzen all have well over 10 million inhabitants), it is a relatively small city. It is situated in Guangxi Province in the south-eastern part of the country. The city borders the scenic Li River and lies on its west bank. It has been classified as a National Famous Historical and Cultural City by the State Council of China. Its main attraction is the splendid Li River with its beautiful hilly formations jutting out of the water.

In 111 BC, the Han Dynasty established Shi’an County. That was the beginning of Guilin. In 507 AD, the region was named Guizhou. In 997, Guangnan West Circuit was established, and it was a predecessor of Guangxi Province, with Guizhou as its capital. In 1367, the name of the region was changed to Guilin Prefecture. In 1921, Dr Sun Yat Sen’s Northern Expeditionary Army started operating out of Guilin. Guilin City was established in 1940. In 1950, the capital of Guangxi Province moved from Guilin to Nanning.

We spent two days in Guilin. On our first day, we explored the city's main sites. We hired a taxi for the day, and our driver was an attractive young local woman. It is so rare to have women taxi drivers, that it was a pleasant change. She spoke just a little bit of English, but was very polite in her demeanour and extremely helpful. On our second day, we went on a cruise down the Li River all the way to Yangshuo County. There, after walking along the famous West Street, we went on a fascinating country-side tour, where we saw fields, water buffaloes, and fishermen using cormorants to catch fish for them!

Guilin's famous Sun and Moon Pagodas stand on Fir Lake. They are also known as the Gold and Silver Pagodas, because of their colours at night.  From the summits of the two pagodas, one gets great views of the city.

Sun and Moon Pagodas

The Sun Pagoda stands at a height of 41 meters and it has a total of nine storeys. The Moon Pagoda is just a little shorter than the Sun Pagoda, and has seven storeys. A 10 meter long glass underwater tunnel connects the two pagodas. Inside the structures, there are many Buddha statues.

Sun Pagoda

Buddha Statue, Sun Pagoda

Moon Pagoda

Buddha Statue, Moon Pagoda

Mulong Lake is a scenic spot, well known for its beautiful artificial lake, the greenery around, and structures like the 45 meter high Mulong Tower and the Mulong Arch Bridge. The lake connects the Li River to the city.

An overview of Mulong Lake

Mulong Tower

Mulong Arch Bridge

Reed Flute Cave is a natural limestone cave. The cave dates back 180 million years! The cave is illuminated by multi-coloured lighting. The length of the cave is 240 meters, and It has numerous stalactites, stalagmites and other rock formations. Some of the inscriptions inside date back to the 8th century AD The cave was rediscovered in 1940.

A Boxwood Carving, Reed Flute Cave

A Bumper Harvest with Vegetables, Reed Flute Cave

Singing Birds and Fragrant Flowers,
Reed Flute Cave

Solitary Beauty Peak is a solitary hill known for its pretty formation. At the top of the hill, there is a temple, and one gets great views of the city. At the base of the hill, there are attractions like Chengyung Palace and Crescent Pond.

Solitary Beauty Peak

Chengyung Palace, Solitary Beauty Peak

Crescent Pond, Solitary Beauty Peak

Alley of Trees, Solitary Beauty Peak

Li River is a tributary of Guijiang River. It has a length of 215 km. Its highlights are the karst mountains and their stunning formations. The stretch from Guilin to Yangshuo County, about 80 km to its south east, is particularly scenic, and there are many cruises for tourists along it. Hello Kitty Hill and Crown Hill are among the notable formations along Li River.

Hello Kitty Hill, Li River

Cruise, Li River

Crown Hill, Li River

Fruit Vendor on a Bamboo Boat, Li River

View from the Dragon Bridge, Li River

Yangshuo County is surrounded by karst peaks and lies along Li River. It has a population of around 300,000. West Street is Yangshuo’s most popular street, and is full of restaurants, hotels, souvenir shops and other stores. Signs are in both Chinese and English, given what a popular tourist destination it is with both local and foreign tourists. 

Le Votre Restaurant on West Street with a karst peak behind,
Yangshuo County

Masks in a store on West Street, Yangshuo County

Water Buffalo (Country-Side Tour), Yangshuo County

Bamboo Boat (Country-Side Tour), Yangshuo County

Cormorant Fishing (Country-Side Tour), Yangshuo County

Guilin was memorable for its beautiful pagodas. The Li River and Yangshuo County stood out for their karst peaks and their scenic rock formations. The rock formations I saw during my cruise down the Li River reminded me of the rock formations jutting out from the sea around Phuket in Thailand. An extraordinarily scenic attraction indeed!