Guilin Landscape -- Countless green mountains rise from the water

Author: Wang Xiaodong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Guilin, located in Guangxi, China, is a world-renowned tourist destination and a historic and cultural city. "The landscapes of Guilin are the best under heaven" is a praise for the scenic beauty of Guilin. Within a radius of over 100 kilometers around Guilin, there are lush green mountains, towering peaks, and the beautiful Li River, winding through the city. Along the 83-kilometer Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo, "countless green mountains rise from the water," creating a poetic and picturesque scene that is refreshing and uplifting. The history of Guilin dates back over two thousand years, when Qin Shi Huang dug the Ling Canal to connect the Xiang River and the Li River, establishing Guilin as a key town in the southern frontier. Over the millennia, countless poems, essays, and other literary works praising and describing the landscapes of Guilin have been passed down through various forms of cliff carvings. From prehistoric cultural sites dating back tens of thousands of years, to Ming Dynasty stone tombs, to the numerous cliff carvings and sculptures scattered throughout Guilin, as well as the quaint old towns, the lush mountains, clear waters, unique caves, and beautiful rocks of Guilin have been enriched with a rich cultural heritage. Guilin is a typical karst landscape area. Several hundred million years ago, it was still the seabed, with thousands of meters of limestone deposited. Due to tectonic movements, the rocks deep underwater rose, the sea retreated, and the land was formed. After another approximately 70 million years of weathering, erosion, and dissolution by rainwater, the Guilin landscape with its towering peaks, winding clear waters, magnificent rocks, and deep caves finally took shape. Guilin is also a city with a diverse ethnic population, where eleven ethnic groups—Han, Zhuang, Miao, Yao, and others—live together, numbering about 1.25 million people. The different ethnic groups, their unique clothing, and customs in Yao Mountains, Dong Villages, and Miao Mountains make Guilin's folk culture colorful, attracting numerous domestic and international tourists. In 1982, the Guilin Li River Scenic Area was listed by the State Council as one of the first batch of national-level key scenic areas. In 1982, Guilin was also included in the first batch of 24 national-level historic and cultural cities announced by the State Council. Today, Guilin has become a world-famous tourist city, attracting a large number of Chinese and foreign tourists every year. With the increasing number of visitors, the tourism service facilities in Guilin have also been rapidly developing. Now, there are more than 20 air routes that can fly directly to Hong Kong and other major domestic tourist cities. Today, when visiting Guilin, in addition to the Guilin landscape tours, tourists can also choose from a variety of attractions and activities such as the Longsheng Huaping Primitive Forest in the surrounding areas, the ancient Qin embankment of the Ling Canal in Xing'an, and the Zijiang Rafting.