Beautiful Places On Earth

Guilin in Chinese language literally means “Forest of Sweet Osmanthus”. This is due to a large number of sweet osmanthus trees grown in the city. When the osmanthus trees blossom, they produce strong fragrance.

Guilin is situated in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the west bank of the famous Li River. Guilin’s geographical feature is of a typical karsts formation. The city is famous for its “3 hills 2 caves, 2 rivers 4 lakes” scenery. The 3 hills are Elephant Trunk Hill, Wave Subduing Hill and Folded Brocade Hill while the 2 caves are Seven Star Cave and Reed Flute Cave. The 2 rivers are the Li River and its tributary, Peach Blossom River. The 4 lakes are the Rong Lake, Shan Lake, Gui Lake and the Mulong Lake. Besides, the entire Guilin city is surrounded by Lipu Mountains, the Cat Mountains and Yaoshan Mountains.

Besides “3 hills, 2 caves”, Guilin’s other attractions are Jingjiang Princes City, Seven Star Park and night cruise that travels through 2 rivers 4 lakes scenic area, just to name a few. Of course, you should also not miss out on the nearby Longji Rice Terraces.

Guilin’s scenery has long been lauded as the best among all under heaven. Read my Guilin travelogue here.

Guilin a true beautiful place

Longji Rice Terraces literally means Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces is located within the Longsheng County northwest of Guilin City, Guangxi Province, China. It is home to some of the most stunning rice terraces in the world.

Longji Rice Terraces was built by Yao and Zhuang minorities who have lived there for generations since the Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368). The most popular rice terraces in Longji are the Pingan Zhuang Rice Terraces and the Jinkeng Hongyao Rice Terraces. The rice terraced fields were built along the slope from the foot of the hill up to the hilltop. The highest elevation of the terraced field here is approximately 1,180 meters above the sea level while the lowest elevation is approximately 380 meters above the sea level. Looking down atop, the rice terraces resemble great chains or ribbons as they wind from the foot to the top of the hill. I had been there myself and trust me, the scenery is breathtaking!

The Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, Longji China

To get to Longji Rice Terraces, one would have to take a bus from Guilin to Longsheng. Then you have to get down at Heping Village on route to Longsheng. At Heping Village, there are plenty of buses and vans going up to both Pingan and Jinkeng Rice Terraces. September till November each year is the best time to view rice terraces as the paddy rice ripens during this period, thus the rice fields would turn into golden color.

Li River is a river in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Prefecture, China. It originates from the Maoer Mountains and flows through Guilin, Yangshuo and Pingle. The total length of Li River is 437 kilometers, with one section of 160 kilometers especially famous for its breathtaking scenery.

Li River scenic area is the world’s largest karsts landforms with hills and waters. Karsts landforms are landscapes shaped by the dissolution of limestone over million years. These landscapes display distinct features and underground drainages. Among the most famous sceneries along the Li River is Huashan or Picturesque Mountain. Under the sunshine, Picturesque Mountain appears ever colorful in the eyes of tourists. The imagery of Picturesque Mountain has also featured on the Chinese 20 Yuan note.

Not to miss out is the city of Guilin, located on the west bank of Li River. Guilin, literally means “Forests of Sweet Osmanthus”, has long been renowned for its unique scenery. The Li River cruise starts at Guilin and ended in Yangshuo. Yangshuo is a town situated on a small plain between a number of karsts peaks on one side of Li River. It is also accessible from Guilin by bus. There is a popular Chinese saying, “Guilin scenery is the best among all under heaven, but Yangshuo has it better than anywhere else”.

Li River

Li River Cruise

You will definitely include Guilin, Yangshuo and Li River in your next trip, won’t you? This is a sample Guilin/Yangshuo tour itinerary.