Guilin

Guilin is located in the autonomous province of Guangxi which is home to the Zhuang people. Guilin is mainly known for its karst mountains. In addition, there are a number of worthwhile sites to see.

At the entrance of the Ludi cave, the famous painter Huang Xu put up his studio.  In his pictures, the ink is not added with a brush but blown with his lips.

The Ludi Cave – also known as the Reed Flute Cave – is a very large, colorfully lit limestone cave with stalagmites, which still looks very natural.  In the Chinese style, every stone has some interpretation; here for example we have the Statue of Liberty from New York.   We are certain, however, that it was not around when the cave was created.  Interpretations stem from the still present Chinese belief of ghosts and demons.

You can experience excellent performances of the folk dances of minority peoples in the Spring Theater. 

At night Guilin is awash in brilliant colors.  The people seem to love the evening atmosphere and spend a lot of time outdoors.  Although Guilin largely belongs to the country, it also shows itself to be a large, modern city.  The shopping is just as good as in western cities.

The city’s pagodas hold more than one record in the Guiness Book of Records; for instance, the world’s largest pagoda built in copper.

The Seven Star Park is a mix of park, zoo and relaxation area.  Worthy of a visit is the 106 m long stone memorial, which presents China’s 7000 year history in symbolic pictures.  Aside from a panda and a tiger, the Seven Star Park contains other natural wonders such as the Camel’s Hump Mountain, in front of which Bill Clinton once held a speech on environmental protection. 

The view from the Duxio summit shows the breathtaking backdrop of the famous karst mountains.  Unfortunately at the time of our visit, there was only a limited view since the weather was not clear

The most famous landmark in Guilin is Elephant Trunk Hill.  Surrounded by tourists, attractive members of China’s minority peoples pose for photographers.

Elephant Trunk Hill  is a clear example that even a city like Guilin must struggle with the forces of water during times of flooding.

Despite a water temperature of 8°C, we saw many people who were taking their morning bath in the river.

On Fubo Mountain, there is a system of caves with over 300 statues and buddhas  carved in stone.

The 85 km long journey along the Li River between Guilin to Yangshou is one of the most popular destinations in the province.  On the other hand the landscape is extremely strange. Also the many ships  travelling the same route and the fresh fish beeing sold by local fisherman during the trip is usually not to be seen. 

You can experience memorable and fascinating images of water buffalo, cormorants, villages of Chinese minority groups, sheer rock cliffs and simple people working, even simple fisherman, who are not disturbed in the slightest by tourist boats.

In the surrounding areas, there are a series of other worthy sites, such as Moon Mountain, or a 1500 year old tree whose laden branches must be artificially supported.

To a great extent, Guilin lives from tourism.  The city invested a large amount in the “Dreams of Colours“ project. Four lakes and two rivers are connected by locks. Around 20 bridges – all symbolic imitations of famous bridges worldwide such as the Tower Bridge or the Golden Gate Bride, cross the canal system.  At night from the boat with the lights shining around you, you can enjoy the colorful backdrop of the city.  The glass bridge is the absolute highlight.  The bridge, completely made of glass, was constructed for $200,000. However, it is only open to the public on special occasions. 

We did not really plan a visit to a zoo in China.  However, the visit to see the tiger and bears at the Guilin Zoo was definitely worth it.  Currently, the zoo is home to around 250 tigers including several white Siberian tigers, as well as 350 bears and several lions.  In addition, we experienced various artistic performances that reminded us of shows of the 1950s and 1960s in Europe.  The artistic equestrian events provided a good impression of the riding artistry of the peoples of the Mongolian prairie region.
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