Situated in the northeast comer of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the southern part of China, the city of Guilin has long been renowned for its most beautiful mountains and rivers for centuries. Due to the karst formations, weirdly-shaped hills, sharp jutting peaks, underground rivers and eaves can be found everywhere, presenting scenes of rare beauty.

Guilin Facts

At approximately the same latitude as Miami and 150 metres above sea level, the city covers an area of 27.800 sq. km. with a population of 534.08 million presenting 12 nationalities of Han, Hui, Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Dong, etc.

In 1940 it was established as a municipality.

Lying in the subtropical zone, Guilin enjoys a warm climate and abundant rainfall, with an annual precipitation of 1,900 mm. The average temperature is 63°F, with 81°F as the maximum in the warmest months of July and August and 43°F as the minimum in the coldest months of January and February.

Guilin Attractions

Guilin has a long history of over 2,000 years. There is a wealth of ancient relics here, including over 2,000 stone tablets and Buddha idols engraved on the cave walls. All of them have substantial meaning.

It is said that since ancient times the landscape of Guilin has been second to none under Heaven (the scenery in Guilin is the best under Heaven). Great poet Fan Chengda (1126-1193) of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) said," The strange sight of Gui Mountain should be ranked first under Heaven. "Li Zengbo of the Southern Song Dynasty acclaimed," The mountains and streams of Guilin are second to none under Heaven. "Till the Qing Dynasty when poets changed the word" stream "into" waters, "hence the popular saying:" The mountains and waters of Guilin are second to none under Heaven, "or rather," The landscape of Guilin is second to none under Heaven." It is said that Guilin is unique in four aspects: verdant mountains (enchanting hills), lovely waters (limpid water) , strange caves (fantastic caverns) , and charming rocks (wonderful rocks), and in addition there are four excellent views : deep ponds WW , dangerous shoal , flowing springs, and torrential waterfalls . It takes years to appreciate each of these features. Besides the four uniqueness’s and the four excellences, the four seasons should also be taken into consideration. The landscape in Guilin changes in four seasons.

Guilin Entertainments

Local operas include the Caidiao Opera (Lyric Drama) and the Gui Opera.

The caidiao Opera "The Third Sister Liu" is based on the folklore of the Zhuang nationality in Guangxi. It depicts in a concentrated and typical way the intelligence and wisdom of the labouring people, their strong will of daring to and good at struggle against the landlord class as well as their revolutionary dauntlessness in opposing oppression. The opera is full of wit and humour, presenting beautifully the bright and cheerful disposition of the heroine. It gained enormous popularity among audiences throughout the country and has been made into a movie. The Gui opera is one of the local operas of Guangxi and developed from a court opera. It has a history of over 1,000 years. There are more than 200 traditional theatrical pieces, which are more or less the same as those of the Beijing opera.

The Gui Opera Troupe of Guilin often puts on performances in the Gui Opera Theatre including "the Magistrate Tang Examines the Noble Lady", "the Lover Hidden in a Wardrobe", and other pieces. Besides, acrobatics, ballad singing and film are also available for the evening performances.

Climate

Located in the subtropical zone Guilin enjoys a genial climate and abundant rainfall. The annual temperature averages 18.8° C with 28.3° C as the maximum in the warmest months of July and August and about 8° C as the minimum in the coldest months of January and February.


Guilin is reputed as a city with "the most beautiful hills and rivers on earth. Its fantastic scenery and cultural heritage attract millions of tourists each year from both home and abroad.