Brief description

Guilin is famed for the beautiful scenery that surrounds it and makes it one of China' s foremost tourist attractions. Situated on the west bank of the Li River in Guangxi Autonomous Region in the south of the country, Guilin' s dreamlike landscapes, which are created by its verdant limestone pinnacles, rich vegetation and peaceful water views, have been an inspiration to poets and painters for centuries. According to a common Chinese saying, the city' s mountains and rivers are the "finest under heaven." A scene of Guilin' s mountains reflected in the waters of the Li River appears on China' s 20 yuan banknote. The city' s name means "forest of sweet osmanthus", after the profusion of sweet osmanthus trees that fill the city with fragrance throughout the summer.
Major attractions of Guilin include Li River, which offers a host of beautiful water views, Elephant Trunk Hill, the site of a scenic cave and an elegant Ming dynasty pagoda, Reed Flute Cave, a limestone cave of extraordinary beauty, and Seven-Star Park, which contains in its small area a remarkable variety of cultural and natural attractions. The surrounding region also offers rich cultural and scenic rewards. An activity that never fails to captivate visitors is a cruise down the 83-km stretch of the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo. The boat passes through countryside of unequalled beauty, every bend in the river offering views of soaring mountains, peaceful water views and timeless rural scenes. The town of Yangshuo itself, with its bustling multicultural West Street and opportunities for cycling and hiking, is a popular stopping-point for visitors.
Guilin is also an important cultural center with more than 2000 years of history. It assumed strategic importance when the Emperor Qin Shihuang (221-210 BC) ordered the construction of a canal linking the Xiang and Li rivers. The city has been the political, economic and cultural center of Guangxi since the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD), and has inspired countless generations of poets and writers. Many of their works in praise of Guilin survive in the landscape itself, in the form of rock carvings and inscriptions. These, together with traces of prehistoric cultures and monuments of successive Chinese dynasties, contribute to a powerful sense of cultural richness and continuity that pervades Guilin.
Today, Guilin is one of the most important tourist destinations in China, and it is not surprising to find that tourism is critical to the health of the city' s economy, generating almost 30 per cent of revenue in 2006. However, Guilin' s other strategic industries are strong contributors: there are over 900 enterprises in the city' s main industrial zone alone, with equipment manufacture, automotive products and electronics and IT being especially important sectors.
Culturally, the region is the birthplace of two unique forms of Chinese opera: Gui opera and Cai opera, both of which are performed nightly in Guilin. The ethnic diversity of the area also enhances its appeal to visitors: 28 of China' s ethnic minorities enrich Guilin' s cultural life, including the Zhuang, Yao, Hui, and Miao people. The Li River Folk Customs Center is a useful source of information on minority customs and folkways.
Guilin cuisine is known for its snacks and for its combination of sweetness with spices, especially chili. The region is famous for Guilin chili sauce (Guilin laliaojiang), which is used widely in cooking by locals. Guilin rice noodle (Guilin mifen) has been the local breakfast staple for centuries and is a delicious mixture of noodles, fried peanuts or soybeans, chopped scallions and thinly sliced meat. Zongzi, a glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in a bamboo leaf, is another popular local snack. One of the city' s most famous banquet dishes is steamed Li River Mandarin fish, prized for the tenderness and delicacy of its flesh.
Guilin' s long history and cultural diversity mean that the city offers a wide range of attractive local products. They include decorative stones, stone sculptures, jade sculptures, embroidered silk balls, bamboo and wood sculpture and painted fans.

Location /Climate

Guilin is located in the northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region at 109°45'' longitude and 24°18'' latitude, at an elevation of about 140 meters above sea level. It is situated in a broad basin formed by the Li River, which winds through the city from north to south. Most of Guilin city lies on the river' s western bank.

Guilin is in the subtropical and monsoon zone with four distinct seasons. The general climate is mild with plentiful rain. The average temperature is 18.9 degrees C (66 F). The coldest month is January with an average temperature of 15.6 degrees C (60.1 F) and the hottest is July, when the average temperature is 28.3 degrees C (82.9 F). Guilin' s annual rainfall is about 1,926 mm (76 inches). Around 60 per cent of this total falls in the rainy months of April, May, June and July.

Area & Population

History

The Emperor Qin Shihuang (221-210 BC) established three prefectures in the region, one of which he called Gui Lin. It was located on the ''Guixiang Corridor,"  which was an important passage connecting central and southern China. The strategic importance of Guilin was enhanced by Qin Shihuang' s decision to build the Ling Canal, which effectively provided a passage from the Yangtze to the Pearl River estuary by linking the Xiang and Li rivers. During the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280 AD),Guilin served as the capital of Shi'an Shire, and during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), the city flourished and grew in size and importance. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279) Guilin was the capital of the area encompassed by the modern Guangxi Autonomous Region and Hainan Province. The importance of Guilin was further enhanced under the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), as it became the residence of successive generations of Jingjiang princes - all influential descendants of a grandson of the Taizu Emperor. Guilin was the capital of Guangxi from the Ming Dynasty till 1912, after which the location of the capital moved several times before finally settling in Nanning in 1949. During the war against Japanese aggression, Guilin was the site of an air base from which many attacks were launched against Japanese forces. The city was heavily damaged in an unsuccessful battle to prevent occupation by Japanese troops in 1944, and was held by the Japanese from November of that year until July 28, 1945. In 1981, this ancient city was listed by the State Council as one of four Cities (the others being Beijing, Hangzhou and Suzhou) where the protection of historical and cultural heritage, as well as natural scenery, should be a national priority.