Despite economic growth and tourist boom, Guilin remains its charm as one of China’s most scenic cities. Its peculiar landforms of limestone mountains and numerous caverns make Guilin the prettiest wonder on earth. It is ranked the second on the list of China’s ten best scenic spots.
Tourist Attractions
Lijiang River
Lijiang River is the soul of Guilin scenery. It is the river of poems and paintings. The transparent River twists in and out among the grotesque pinnacles and hillocks like a jade ribbon. From Guilin to Yangshuo, the 83-km-long waterway forms a gallery of landscape painting. The scenery often changes with the changing days and seasons. Take a boat and enjoy yourself with the wonderful scenery of peeks, rivers, sunshine and reflections on the water. Guilin is a fairyland in the world with "Fascinating Views of Three Hills", "Nine Horses in Picture Hill", "Places of Interest in Xingping" and "Green-Lotus World" etc.
Travelling on Li River is indeed a wonderful experience, enjoyment and exploration, because it is always like an endless beautiful sonata of hills and waters.
Elephant-trunk Hill
Elephant-trunk Hill is also called Elephant Hill, which stands majestically at the confluence of the Li River and Taohua River. The green water of Li River in front of it and the clear spring at the foot made the Elephant Hill one of the most famous hills in Guilin City. It is deemed as the symbol of Guilin. The Elephant Hill has Shuiyue Cave, Elephant's Eye Stone, Pagoda for Samantabhadra, Yunfeng Temple ant Taiping Tian Guo Revolutionary Relics Exhibition Hall. The reflection of the space between the elephant’s trunk and body resembles a bright moon in the water. With a fabulous scenic view, the Elephant-trunk Hill is another tourist attraction worth a visit.
Banyan Lake and Fir Lake
Banyan Lake and Fir Lake are located in the centre of Guilin city - Banyan Lake is west and Fir Lake is east with the Yang Bridge as the boundary. The Banyan Lake surface is so smooth that it looks like a mirror. It charms visitors with its calm character in the noisy environment of the downtown. To the north of the lake is ancient banyans and Banyan Shadow pavilion.
On the other side of Banyan Lake is Fir Lake. It faces Li River in the east and the Elephant Hill in the south. There is a group of mushrooming pavilions with clear water reflection. Nowadays, both lakes are surrounded by hotels, stores, theatres and a library.
