Guilin Travel Guide

Guilin Travel Guide
I have visited more than 80 countries and over a hundred cities. I
have found that no city can surpass the beauty of Guilin."

"Guilin is really a bright pearl in China."

-- Former US President Nixon

Guilin is regarded in China as the country's most picturesque city.
Two crystal-clear rivers meander through the city, which is encircled
by mountains with unusual & bizarre rock formations and caves.

Two crustal movements of the earth took place about 200 and 180
million years ago thrusting the limestone sediments out of the sea
bottom. They were forced upwards more than 200 meters to the surface.
This karst formation was molded through many years of erosion by the
wind and rain to became the hills and rocks with unusual shapes .
There are many complete karst (Limestone sites), which are of high
scientific value and tourist value.

Guilin is named after the fragrance of osmanthus tree and saw its
first inhabitants in Qin Dynasty over 2,000 years ago. Guilin
prospered and flourished in Tang, Song, Ming and Qing under patronage
from succeeding Emperors.

It is currently home to 12 ethnic nationalities with a total
population of 1,260,000 in the city and surrounding area.

Guilin's reputation as one of the world's most a beautiful places has
become established over hundreds of years and ranks second on China
list of the 10 best tourist destinations.

Location
Guilin is located 109¡ãE longitude and 24¡ã N latitude in the northeast
of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The Guilin Government area covers
an area of 4,195 square kilometers. It is in a basin surrounded by the
Yuecheng Range , Ocean Hill, Jiaqiao Range and Tianping Hill. Guilin
is located almost due west of Hong Kong and about 1 hour by air.

Guilin is in subtropical and monsoon zone with warm and moist
climate.The altitude is 140-160 meters. All this makes Guilin a unique
natural experience for the visitor.

The Li River meanders through Guilin from north to south. Most of
Guilin city lies on the western bank of the Li River.