Featured Picks

Many friends tell me to visit Seven Star Park during my first visit to Guilin, cause’ it’s not only the largest comprehensive park of its kind in Guilin, but it’s very rich in natural scenic spots and cultural relics, so I visit it with great interest, and it really is.

With an area of 400,000 square meters, Seven Star Park perches on the west of Li River, and seven peaks resembling Great Dippers in the sky are available in the park, hence its present name, where the main attractions are the Flower Bridge, Great Dipper, Rosy Cloud over Camel Hill, Rainbow Shadow over Crescent Tower, Dragon-Hidden Cave and Great Mosque as well as Bonsai Garden and Crescent Cave and Guihai Stele Forest.

Setting foot on the park through west gate, and you walk along the 135-meter long Flower Bridge initially built in Xining period of the Song dynasty and spanning over Little East River, on which the Wind and Rain Corridor stands with decorative green glazed tiles, and the bridge we see was rebuilt in 1965. With water flowing quietly under the bridge, the four semi-arches of the bridge forms four round plates by company of their reflections in the water.

Walk out of the bridge and turn left, and you’ll find a vast verdant lawn before your eyes, on the left and right of which are Chinese Nation Glory Square and Crescent Tower respectively. Two huge pieces of artworks are available on the square, of which one is Fresco of Chinese Nation Glory with 105 meters long by 5 meters high, fully displaying the most advanced scientific & technological inventions in Chinese history in the forms of over 100 stone embossments, and the other one is the Century Cauldron with 4.6 meters tall, standing on a granite-structured pedestal, which symbolizes that China flourishes and Chinese people live in peace. Perched at the foot of hill, Crescent Tower is a well-decorated building provides visitors with local snacks.

 

Walk across a lotus pond, and then I come to Camel Hill, which resembles a squatting camel, hence the name. Surrounded by peace trees and decorative bonsais, Camel Hill looks more amazing when it comes to spring every year, where the former U.S. president Bill Clinton delivered one of his speeches on environmental protection.

After a short rest, I visit the 1,100-meter long Seven Star Cave, which is filled with stalagmites and stalactites of various shapes, and it seems as if I were in a wonderland when walking through the cave. My next stop is 265-meter tall Putuo Hill, where the statue of Kwan-yin is enshrined, and it’s composed of Tianshu Peak, Tianxuan Peak, Tianji Peak and Tianquan Peak. After a while, I walk into Xuanfeng Cave, where the air is rather cooler, giving me a sense of refreshment and comfortableness.

In addition to the attractions mention above, Seven Star Zoo, Grotesque Stone Hall and Rock-Climbing Field are available for visitors in the park, attracting thousands of visitors every year, especially families with kids, so you are strongly to visit the park during your first visit to Guilin.

Author: Yang Qingwei

Leave a reply

As the largest and the most picturesque karst-landform tourist area in the world, Guilin is well-known to us all for its verdant mountains and clear water, attracting numerous visitors from all corners of world every year, some of whom write poems for it, some find inspiration from it to draw their paintings, and some even create folk songs for it.

Li River originates from Mao’er Mountain in Xing’an County, runs through Guilin and Yangshuo, and empties into Gongcheng Estuary in Pingle County, of which the 83-kilometer long Guilin-Yangshuo Section boasts its essence for thousands of grotesque peaks and winding river course, just like a blue ribbon floating in the sky. Along Li River scatter over more than 100 attractions, including Nine Horse Fresco, Watching Husband Rock and idyllic-style cottages, which is honored as “Ten-Mile Gallery” by later generations, and the folk custom here is said to be very simple and unsophisticated.

Visitors need no worry about the weather when cruising in Li River, cause’ Li River takes on different looks as weather changes, so you can appreciate grotesque peaks and their reflections in the river on a sunny day and appreciate clouds and mists hovering over peaks on a cloudy day. What’s more, you can appreciate distant peaks partly hidden and partly visible on a rainy day, which is just like a vast natural Chinese brushing painting, turning out that the saying of “Guilin‘s scenery is the best in the world” is true.

The common Li River cruise starts from Jingpingshan Bridge to Liangfeng River to Father & Son Cave to Millstone Hill to Bamboo River Pier to Yangdi to Watching Husband Peak to Nine Horse Fresco, Cool Wind Ferry and then to Xingping Ancient Town and Yangshuo. For those who are returned visitors, you are strongly advised to start your Li River cruise from Yangdi to Yangshuo, during which you can appreciate the essence of the cruise in the least time.

The best time to visit Guilin Li River is from April to June, when the peaks are verdant and water is more bountiful.

        Author: Yang Qingwei

Leave a reply

As a world-famous tourist city, Guilin attracts millions of visitors from all over the world for its rare peaks and blue rivers, highlighted by Li River Cruise.

Large-scale urban redevelopment project has been carried out in Guilin in recent years, with rivers and lakes linked as a system, ancient architectures renovated, old city walls torn down and new ones built, and Guilin takes on a new look with the completion of 88 key construction programs, including Merry Land Holiday World in Xing’an, Baihui Valley in Ziyuan, Peach Resort, Yulong River and Xingping Ancient Town in Yangshuo, Fengyu Rock of Lipu and Huangyao Ancient Town in Hezhou.

The newly-developed attractions shine brightly in Guilin, just like stars in a dark night, so one can easily find an attraction in all directions in the city, which absolutely makes you happy and comfortable. Now let’s take a tour in Guilin downtown to explore more, where you are recommended to visit Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubo Hill, Folded Brocade Hill, Solitary Beauty Peak and Seven-Star Park.

1. Elephant Trunk Hill

Situated in the intersection of Peach Blossom River and Li River, it gets its name from a huge elephant trunk-shaped rock drooping into the water, which looks like an elephant drinking water from the river, and it has become the symbol of Guilin.

2. Fubo Hill

As the legendary site where the Han-era General Fubo tries his sword, it’s in an elegant style with Li River flowing in the east and peaks towering, where the mountains, rocks, streams, bamboos, gardens and cultural relics are available, titled “Fubo Wonderland” by later generations.

3. Folded Brocade Hill

By the side of Li River, in the northeast of Guilin, it’s composed of Bright Moon Peak, Divine Crane Peak, Looking Around Peak and Yuyue Peak, forming a tripod together with Solitary Beauty Peak and Fubo Peak, and the main attractions here are Folded Brocade Pavilion, Wind Cave, Folded Brocade Tower, Watching River Pavilion and Holding Cloud Pavilion. Standing on the top of Holding Cloud Pavilion offers you a panoramic view of Guilin, which is filled with poetic and picturesque atmosphere.

4. Solitary Beauty Peak

Perched at an ancient imperial mansion, it’s titled “Southern Heaven Pillar” for its steepness and height, boasting the most time-honored scenic spot in Guilin.

5 Seven-Star Park

Lying on the west bank of Li River, it’s noted for seven connected peaks within it, boasting the largest comprehensive park in Guilin, where the main highlights include Great Dipper, Rosy Cloud over the Camel Hill, Rainbow Shadow over Crescent Tower and Guihai Stele Forest as well as Seven-Star Cave.

You are recommended to visit Guilin downtown at least three days. On the first day, you are supposed to visit Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubo Hill and Folded Brocade Hill. On the Second day, you visit Seven-Star Park and Solitary Beauty Peak. On the third day, you are strongly recommended to book a tour with China Highlights to cruise along Li River, which is the essence of your Guilin travel, and I bet your Guilin experience will never be forgotten for the rest of your life.

Author: Yang Qingwei

Leave a reply

Xingping Ancient Town is situated in the middle reaches of Li River (Li River – Yangshuo Section), which is often ignored by visitors taking a Li River Cruise, however, if you slow down your footsteps and walk into it, you will realize that it’s really a highlight along Li River, and the reasons why you are recommended to visit it are as below.

First of all, the most fantastic attractions such as Nine Horse Fresco along the Li River are next to Xingping Ancient Town, so a number of returned visitors come to Xingping Ancient Town directly to start their Li River cruises, appreciating the essence of Li River Cruise from Xingping to Yangdi, who watch the most attractions in the least time.

Second, by riverside of Li River in Xingping stands a unique 300- meter tall mountain – Laozhai Mountain. Don’t overlook its height, cause’ standing on its top offers you wider view and more wonderful scenery: Li River flows from north to southeast and then makes a big turn to southwest, running along 200 towering peaks on its way, and the peaks contrast pleasantly with their reflections in the water and the trees on the banks, making you wonder that you were in another world.

Third, 2 kilometers from Xingping Ancient Town is a small village initially built in 1506 and still well preserved, where the ancient buildings cover an area of 1.5 hectares in a distinctive style, featuring blue bricks, black tiles, flying eaves, painted pillars and carved beams, which set off Carp Peak, Golden Tile Peak, Ingot Peak and Pen Rack Peak on the opposite riverbank. In the winter of 1921, the provisional president of Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen, visited the village and stayed here for a night. Coincidentally, the U.S. president Bill Cliton visited the village in July of 1998, so the village is called President Village by later generations.

Owing to its rich and colorful natural scenery and cultural relics, Xingping Ancient Town allures more and more visitors from all over the world each year.

Author: Yang Qingwei

Leave a reply

China Highlights has been invited to attend the World Travel Market 2012 in London from 5th to 8th November. World Travel Market (WTM), one of the most influential global travel events, is a must-attend, four-day, business-to-business event for the travel industry. The 2012 WTM will deliver expert advice and professional industry knowledge on the tourism industry from some of the major fields, including airlines, cruises, hotels, and business networking. We are at stand AS277. See China Highlights' WTM exhibitor page. We will display our most popular tours, with activities including hiking on the Great Wall, the Li River cruise, learning Chinese cooking, and making Chinese kites in a Beijing Hutong. You can see videos of the most interesting and famous attractions in China on our big screen. China Highlights, a leading online travel platform since 1998, specializes in tailor-made and customizable China tours. Tens of thousands of customers a year have an unforgettable China experience with our knowledgeable English-speaking guides, well-selected hotels, and authentic restaurants. Contact us for a tour of China your way!

Related Links

• About Us
• Why Choose Us

Leave a reply