When I first met Guilin in my primary school Chinese textbooks, the lifelike Elephant Trunk Mountain, the crystal clear water of the Lijiang River, and the lush and dense branches of the big banyan tree have long taken root in my heart when I was young. In fact, I said I wanted to go to Guilin a few years ago, but it has been delayed due to the long distance, inconvenient transportation and time problems.
Seeing that 2020 was about to pass because of the epidemic, my uneasy heart was always unable to resist the temptation of distance. It was also when my parents were at home. I had long understood that Yangshuo, Guilin did not need to walk for a long time, and it was also beneficial for my father who had difficulty with legs and feet to play, so I hurriedly made a simple strategy and took advantage of my vacation to start a week-long trip to Yangshuo, Guilin.

From Kaifeng to Guilin, there were originally no suitable trains in the past two years, so we had to fly there. But now there is a direct train from Zhengzhou to Guilin, which takes 13 hours. Guilin Railway Station is very close to Xiangbei Mountain Scenic Area, in the south of Guilin City. Guilin North Railway Station is in the north of the city, relatively close to Diecai Mountain and Fubo Mountain. When I came out of Guilin North Railway Station, I chose multiple bus routes to reach the scenic spot. The wild guides and taxi pickers at Guilin North Railway Station are quite persistent. They will still follow you far after you indicate that you don't need to take a bus, and keep talking with you. Talk and persuade you. If you have already made a strategy in advance, it is recommended to ignore them directly and follow the navigation to the bus stop.

Most of the scenic spots in Guilin City are concentrated together, and two or three days are enough to visit them all. According to the map location, in the northernmost are Diecai Mountain and Fubo Mountain Scenic Areas. The two are not far away, so day trips can be arranged. During the epidemic, the south gate of Diecai Mountain was not open and could only be entered from the east gate.
After entering the east gate of Diecai Mountain, you will see the stone tablet with the best mountains and rivers in Guilin, which is the entrance to mountain climbing. In addition to the main peak of Mingyue Peak, Diecai Mountain also has an Immortal Crane Cave on another hill. However, I haven't reached it. If I have enough time and physical strength, I can also explore the hidden path.


Through a cave from the mountain entrance, it took about 20 minutes to climb to Mingyue Peak. It is the highest peak in the Diecai Mountain Scenic Area and the highest peak in Guilin City. You can watch the sunrise and sunset here.


There are no mountains in Guilin, so it is not particularly difficult to climb up. It takes two hours to walk down the entire Diecai Mountain Scenic Area.


Overlooking Fubo Mountain from Mingyue Peak of Diecai Mountain.


Across the river from Diecai Mountain is the Fubo Mountain Scenic Area. There is a statue of a general bending a bow and shooting arrows at the entrance of the scenic area. Legend has it that this was when General Fubo Ma Yuan marched south and negotiated with the enemy. The place where he shot arrows was the border. The enemy troops were full of joy and wondered how far one arrow could shoot. They did not expect that General Fubo would shoot through three mountains with one arrow and directly to the starting point of the enemy's rebellion. Seeing General Fubo's bravery, the enemy had to retreat angrily.


Entering Fubo Mountain Scenic Area, there is a God of Wealth in the shape of a teapot, which is quite interesting.


In the belly of Fubo Mountain, connected to Huanzhu Cave, there is a scenic spot called Qianfo Rock. The Buddha statues inside are of various shapes and delicate features. They can be climbed to three floors along the escalator. They are valuable works of Buddhist art.


Fubo Mountain is also related to a well-known "Princess Huanzhu" in Qiongyao dramas. Huanzhu Cave was the place where Princess Huanzhu was imprisoned. The big iron bell you saw when you entered the door and the large iron pot in the middle of the corridor that thousands of people ate were originally stored in Dingyue Temple. During the Anti-Japanese War, the iron bell and iron pot were moved here due to the damage to the temple. These two objects were also forged by Princess Huanzhu to pay tribute to her deceased father.




From Qianfo Rock in Huanzhu Cave, you can climb to the top of Fubo Mountain in less than half an hour. Looking at the scenery of Guilin's urban area, I was waiting for the sunset on the top of Fubo Mountain. The sun set in the west and the mountains were piled up, which was beautiful.




As the afterglow of the sunset slowly fades at the end of the horizon, you can walk down the mountain. The entire Fubo Mountain Scenic Area takes about 1 hour.


After exiting the gate of Fubo Mountain Scenic Area, walking up the Li River, you can see Xiaoyao Tower in about ten minutes.


Xiaoyao Tower protects the town and has a panoramic view of the blue sky. You can see the shadows of the Li River flowing across the pavilion close to the pavilion, and you can see the green peaks rising one after another from a distance. Climbing the tower is free, and the night view is really beautiful! And next to Xiaoyao Building are Dongxi Lane and Zhengyang Road Pedestrian Street. When you are tired, you can go directly to enjoy delicious food!



Dongxi Lane, also known as "Zhengyang East Lane" and "Zhengyang West Lane", is the only historical district left over from the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Guilin and the birthplace of many time-honored brands in Guilin.


The Guilin snacks I bought in Dongxi Lane called "Horseshoe Cake" cost three for ten yuan. It looks crystal clear and translucent, and it doesn't stick to your teeth when eating soft and glutinous.







Dongxi Lane is adjacent to another Guilin 5A-level historical and cultural scenic spot. There is a saying that Guilin is known after reading all the royal city-Duxiu Peak-Jingjiang Palace.


Jingjiang Royal City was built in 1372. It is large-scale and has a deep door and a strong city. Nowadays, you can not only appreciate the majesty and solemnity of the former royal palace, but also touch the vicissitudes of the 600-year city wall with your own hands. The home of Kong Sizhen (also known as "Huanzhu Princess"), the only Han family in the Qing Dynasty, is located in this deep palace forbidden area of the former royal palace. At the beginning, Ms. Qiongyao visited the palace and was impressed by the story of Princess Huanzhu, so she created our annual summer vacation reruns of the divine drama.


The ticket for Jingjiang Palace is 120 yuan, which personally feels a bit expensive. In fact, it's not very playable inside. Climbing Mingxiu Peak, the main thing is to understand the history of Jingjiang Palace and even Guilin. This scenic spot is on the campus of Guangxi Normal University. It seems that after 6:30 p.m., you can enter the park through the side door with your student ID card of Guangxi Normal University. When I was preparing to leave the park at dusk, I did see many college students running and reading books in the scenic area.


After entering the Jingjiang Wangfu Scenic Area, free tour guides equipped in the scenic area will lead tourists to explain and browse the way. I have never had any favorable impression of this kind of free explanation, but it will still induce consumption in the end. But be careful and follow the explanation.


In the ninth year of Shunzhi, the new owner of the palace, Kong Youde (the father of Princess Huanzhu), defeated and committed suicide. He set fire to the palace, and turned the palace to ashes.


It is a pity that several royal palaces are smart enough to watch from afar and not be able to enjoy them inside.




At Duxiu Peak Reading Rock, you can also find the authentic cliff stone carvings "Guilin's mountains and rivers are the best in the world" left by Wang Zhenggong, a native of the Southern Song Dynasty 800 years ago. This is where the ancient famous saying "Guilin's mountains and rivers are the best in the world" began.


Under the guidance of free tour guides, the Jingjiang Palace Scenic Area allows tourists to experience Tuofu and take the imperial examination. The top scorer in each examination will receive discounts to purchase some souvenirs, photography and other services. This is a matter of opinion, and I scoff at it.




There is a unique peak in Jingjiang Palace, known as a pillar in the south sky. You can climb it with a ticket. The peak is not high and you can reach the top in half an hour.




The peak of Duxiu Peak is the best place to enjoy the scenery of Guilin. It has been longed for by celebrities since ancient times. Xu Xia, a traveler in the Ming Dynasty, traveled to Guiyue for more than a month, but regretted that she had not climbed Duxiu Peak. I ancient the road and enjoy the beautiful scenery by myself!


If you have time, you can wait for the sunset on Duxiu Peak and see the prosperous night view of Guilin City surrounded by mountains.



According to the map, the southeast of Jingjiang Palace is Seven Star Park. The most famous parks are Qixing Mountain and Qixing Rock. Tickets to the scenic spots are not expensive, but you need to buy a ticket if you want to see Qixing Rock. Personally, if you don't plan to visit other caves in Guilin, you can visit here. After all, Yangshuo, Guilin has too many karst cave themed scenery.
Legend has it that three camels stopped in Guangxi, one in Yangshuo, one by the Lijiang River, and the third one was lying in Qixing Park. I didn't visit Qixing Rock because I had been to other caves, so the most impressive impression on me in the entire Seven Star Park was the exquisite camel in the picture below. Whenever the sun shines brightly, Camel Mountain is colorful and spectacular. It is also one of the legendary eight scenic spots in Guilin-Hushan Chixia.


There is a statue of an official beside Camel Mountain. He was a Lei Liquor Man in the late Ming Dynasty. He was good at poetry and literature, and he often drank without getting drunk. After his death, people buried him at the foot of Camel Mountain, surrounded by peach blossoms, remembering his joy and help and loyalty. Nowadays, peach blossoms are still the same, osmanthus trees are full of forests, and the red glow of smoke pots is even more dazzling.



Since ancient times, there have been ancient temples in famous mountains. Although the incense is not strong, the indifferent cultivation of the monks in the temple is probably the essence of Buddhist rites. Qixia Zen Temple is located at the west gate of the scenic area. I entered through this gate, but I can travel all the way east and cross the entire Seven Star Park.


In this special year of 2020, epidemic prevention and control is the top priority, and the cute comic tips of temples are quite interesting.


Seven Star Park is the largest comprehensive park in Guilin. In addition to many historic sites, there are also a series of patriotic education bases such as the Martyrs Cemetery.


The wide and huge China Light Square was just in time for the autumn outing of local primary school students when I went there. The happily chasing children seemed to bring me back to my childhood memories in an instant. At that time, I was also wearing a red scarf and carefree.


There are many wild monkeys next to the crescent moon building in Qixing Park. After decades of life, they have become unscrupulous in the park and are not afraid of humans. Although they cannot be as wild as the monkeys in Mount Emei, if you feed the monkeys with food, you should not deliberately tease or anger them.



The Huaqiao is close to the main entrance of Seven Star Park. If you enter from the main entrance of the park, you will definitely pass by the Huaqiao. Huaqiao is the oldest bridge in Guilin. It was built in the Song Dynasty and spans the Xiaodongjiang River with a total length of 135 meters. Every spring and summer, the grass grows and the orioles fly, flowers bloom everywhere, flowers bloom everywhere, flowers bloom along the bridge, and green bamboos are everywhere on both sides, hence the name of the Huaqiao.

It takes about three to four hours to visit the entire Seven Star Scenic Area. There are four gates in total. Due to the time constraints, I have to go to Zizhou Park after visiting Seven Star Park, so I enter through Qixia Gate and exit through Longyin Road Gate. You can arrange the route reasonably according to your travel distance to avoid going back.

It takes about 20 minutes to walk from Longyin Road Gate of Seven Star Park to reach Zi Zhou Park. It is rumored online that this is the best place to view Elephant Trunk Mountain, a landmark in Guilin. In fact, in my opinion, it is just looking at Elephant Trunk Mountain from another angle, which is the right face of the elephant.


Zizhou Park is actually an island. In the Tang Dynasty, it was named after the island was inhabited by a family surnamed Zi. The island is shaped like a boat floating in the water, so it is also called a floating island. It is located on the east bank of the Li River and faces Xiangshan Park across the bank, so you can overlook Elephant Trunk Mountain across the Li River.


Overall, my impression of Zizhou Park is not particularly good. It may be related to the low playability. Wave after wave of tourist groups. The noisy sound of horns is urging and introducing. Although the scenic spot is not large, the most important thing is to take a look at Elephant Trunk Mountain from the shore, so you can either walk for half an hour to the observation deck by the Li River, or spend 20 yuan to take a scenic spot sightseeing bus. It's a bit similar to Juzizhou Head in Changsha, but the overall scenery is much worse than Juzizhou Head.


There are many celebrity sculptures on Zizhou Island to highlight the historical and cultural sense of this scenic spot.


The Liu Zongyuan embossed in the picture below is the place where tour groups come one by one to take photos. The staff of the scenic area will take photos of everyone here for free. Finally, the photos from the Elephant Trunk Mountain Observation Deck will be added to make them into small key chains and give them to tourists for free. However, if you want to buy large high-definition photos, you will need to spend money. Anyway, I ended up buying a family portrait amidst the chaos of admonishing sales.


Among the few attractions, this Zijiazhou Pavilion is the drop-off point for sightseeing buses in the scenic area, behind the Liu Zongyuan embossed in the above picture. The crowded tour groups regrouped here. After a brief explanation by the tour guide, they took the tourists to a waterfront wooden plank road next to Zijiazhou Pavilion. However, there will be several vendors writing calligraphy and painting on site in the middle of the plank road. When I stop to observe them, there will still be some elderly people who will happily buy them. If I hadn't followed a tour group, I would have ended the trip in less than an hour when I came here.



Anyway, when you come to Guilin, you will never miss an attraction no matter what. It must be the Elephant Trunk Mountain Scenic Area. In order to avoid encountering tour groups and make viewing attractions a tragedy like watching heads, I chose to enter from Gate 1 of Xiangshan Park at around 8 o'clock in the morning the next day.
Gate 1 is the closest to the Elephant Trunk Mountain Climbing Entrance. Gate 2 is the gate that most tour groups choose to enter and exit because it is the closest viewing platform for the best view of Elephant Trunk Mountain. There is plenty of time for self-guided tours, so I took my time to visit and climb Elephant Trunk Mountain.


After entering through Gate 1, I found several cute little elephants!


It takes about half an hour to climb the low Elephant Trunk Mountain. For those whose legs and feet are not particularly inconvenient, you can still easily reach the top.


There is a Praxian Pagoda on the top of Elephant Trunk Mountain. It is no longer possible to visit the tower. You can go around the tower and worship piously. There are only two stupas in China that worship Pu Xian, one is in Mount Emei in Sichuan, and the other is in Elephant Trunk Mountain in Guilin. From a distance, it looks like a sword hilt inserted on the back of an elephant, and also looks like a quaint treasure vase, so it is called the "Sword Handle Tower" or "Treasure Bottle Tower".




After coming down from Elephant Trunk Mountain, you can go directly to the elephant trunk and admire the elephant trunk up close! It's better to look at it up close than from a distance. When viewed up close, it's just a weathered hole. If you are willing to spend extra money on a sightseeing boat, it should be the best way to see Elephant Trunk Mountain.


After taking photos from the elephant trunk, you can turn in the opposite direction, follow the trail around Elephant Trunk Mountain, return to the entrance of Gate 1, pass through a pontoon bridge, and you will come to the other bank of the river. You can walk another ten steps, and you will suddenly see it.
The picture that may have been seen countless times on online TV is just presented in front of you. This place is located at the intersection of the Li River and the Taohua River. Its mountain shape resembles an elephant stopping by the Li River to drink water. It is regarded as a scenic spot of the city emblem of Guilin City and is also the reason why many people come to Guilin. Raise the camera, ignore the background people that will always exist, and leave memories that are only yours.


After passing the best viewing location on Elephant Trunk Mountain, we arrived at Love Island. If you listen to the tour guide's explanation and pass on the mountains far away by the river to be lovers, it will not be for anything else but for people to take photos from another angle.




The creative sculptures on Love Island are quite good. This scenic spot is also a place for local residents to exercise in the morning. It is free before 6:30 in the morning, but people who exercise in the morning need to leave after 9:00 to make room for tourists who come from afar.


I really didn't find anything to do with the so-called Xiangshan Mystery Land and Mysterious Elephant Village. Fortunately, it's not far away and I can stroll around in five minutes. I guess the purpose of the scenic area is to divert people, allowing tourists to go out directly through Gate 3 after visiting the mysterious Elephant Village.







Leave Xiangshan Park, walk for about 5 minutes, cross a road, and you will reach another landmark scenic spot in Guilin City-the Sun and Moon Twin Towers.


The Sun and Moon Twin Towers are the world's tallest copper tower, the tallest copper building, and the tallest underwater tower. They are also a cultural landmark in Guilin City. The Twin Towers, together with the Puxian Pagoda on Xiangshan and the Shoufo Pagoda on Tashan, are both known as the "Four Towers are Beautiful."


Walking around the lake to the entrance, the entrance fee is 42 yuan. Personally, if you are not interested in Buddhist culture, you can only enjoy the scenery by the lake.




The golden one is the Sun Tower with an elevator that can directly reach the highest floor for views. The Twin Towers of Riyue were rebuilt in 2001 on the basis of the Tang Dynasty Buddhist Pagoda. There is an underground palace between the two towers. When the water level on the lake drops, the top beam of the underground palace connecting the two towers can still be seen from the ground.


The underground palace on the ground floor of the Rita displays too many exquisite and precious Buddhist relics. Since Buddha statues are not suitable for taking pictures, only some stone bricks are photographed as souvenirs.


The underground palace passages connecting the Sun and Moon Twin Towers are all exquisite Buddhist murals, which are majestic and solemn.




The Twin Towers of Sun and Moon can be viewed along the banks of fir Lake. The best time to watch is at night. The lights of the Twin Towers will be on every night. One is golden and the other is silver. The visual effect after the lights are extinguished during the day is not good. The lights at the attractions go out at 11 o'clock every night.
It is said that the night view of Guilin is the most beautiful. The best way to visit the beautiful scenery of the two rivers and four lakes is by boat, but the price is high. There is a guide online that says that if you don't want to spend money on a boat, you can walk by the lake and still see the beautiful night. But I took a practical measurement at night and found that you can still see the night view of the Sun and Moon Twin Towers by the lake. However, people have planted dense trees on the bank to block your view. If you want to see the beautiful night view of Elephant Trunk Mountain, I'm afraid I have to spend money on a boat.


Going out from the Twin Towers of the Sun and Moon, there are several yellow houses next to the bank. That is Li Zongren's official residence. Because my father liked domestic war films, he was more interested in this legendary figure of the Republic of China and insisted on going to Li Zongren's official residence to have a look. Those who are interested in this place must pay attention to the time of retreat. They cannot enter half an hour in advance.


My understanding of Li Zongren is still the Battle of Taierzhuang in history textbooks. In recent years, I have watched movies such as "The Founding of a People's Republic of China" and become familiar with his gratitude and resentment with Chiang Kai-shek, and even his legendary life.


The main color of the official residence is yellow, making it rich and elegant.


I remember that when Li Zongren was elected acting president during the great cause of founding the country, Chiang Kai-shek coldly refused to shake hands with him. The photo of our leader shaking hands is displayed at the first place in the official residence. Thinking of it, history is really rolling, and the situation is changing.






Li Zongren's official residence was my last stop in Guilin, and my trip ended in less than an hour. If you want to see the night view of the Twin Towers of Sun and Moon, you can also come to Li Zongren's official residence in the afternoon, then have dinner, and you will see the Twin Towers of Sun and Moon in Shanhu.


A five-minute walk from Li Zongren's official residence and after a traffic light, there is Guilin No. 3 bus that takes you directly to the Ludiyan Scenic Area. The Ludi Rock Scenic Area is a relatively distant attraction in Guilin. In fact, it is only 5 kilometers away from the city center. However, because other attractions are too concentrated, going to the Ludi Rock is a bit cumbersome.


Next to the Reed Flute Rock ticket office, you can purchase additional tickets and take this small train to shuttle between the jungles and directly to the entrance of the cave. The ticket price for the small train is 35 yuan. Personally, I feel that if I don't want to make my children happy with me, or if there is an elderly person who has difficulty with his legs and feet, it's okay to walk there. After all, the entrance to the cave is not far, about ten minutes 'walk.


The ticket price of Reed Flute Rock is high, and one to twenty tourists have to wait at the entrance of the cave to follow the scenic spot guide into it. It takes about an hour to get out of the cave. Although you need to go up and down stairs during this period, the safety maintenance work in the scenic area is well done.


The stalactites in the caves are lifelike, and the explanations given by the scenic spot guide are even more impressive. Try to follow the tour guide closely when visiting, because the lights of every attraction in the cave cave are controlled by the magnetic card key in the tour guide's hand and will only come on after swiping it. It is commendable that the free tour guide of Reed Flute Rock explained carefully from beginning to end and did not promote other invisible consumption behaviors.


This snowman is crystal clear, and a real snowman is nothing more than this.




Another major feature of Reed Flute Rock is the naked-eye 4D movie visual show. Movies will appear directly above the cave, but there will be an hour off at noon every day. If you go, you must grasp the time.






Lion sending off guests is the last attraction in the cave. If there is also Qixing Rock or Yangshuo's Yinzi Rock in the journey plan, you can choose one of several places. After all, there are too many similar cave landscapes in Guilin.


After exiting the cave, you can walk back to the parking lot and bus stop along the wooden plank road at the water's edge. I had just received the visual impact of stalactites in the cave for more than an hour, and after coming out, I felt very comfortable looking at the pastoral scenery with beautiful mountains and rivers. There are many local people selling reed flutes at the entrance and exit. They cost a few yuan each and make a sound like the chirping of birds. Reed Flute Rock is in Guangming Mountain, and the entrance to the cave is halfway up the mountain. It is named because the entrance used to be full of reed grass that can be made into flutes. Those with children can buy a reed flute and take it back as a souvenir.



It took me two days to visit many major attractions in Guilin City with my parents. Personally, I felt that it only took two or three days to stay in Guilin City. After all, the scenic spots in Guilin City are not too far apart.
Guilin doesn't eat too much food, and the most famous one is rice noodles. Local people can eat rice noodles for three meals a day, especially breakfast, which makes us from the north uncomfortable. If you go to eat authentic Guilin rice noodles, don't ask how much a bowl costs. Instead, you will directly report to the boss how many taels of rice noodles you want to eat. Generally, boys will have three taels, and girls will be full for two taels.




In addition, Shizi Street is located in the center of Guilin City. It is the most convenient place to live here for travel. If you want to take a Lijiang cruise ship, you can also take the bus from the city to Mopanshan Pier at Shizi Street. The fare is 20 yuan per person. In peak season, you must buy tickets at the public number in advance.
This kind of tourist shuttle bus only runs one or two times a day. It starts at Dingfu Tourism Distribution Center and ends at Mopanshan Wharf. The time to pass the Cross Street bus stop is about 7:30 in the morning. Because many cruise ships to enjoy the Li River are tour groups or self-driving, not many people take this tourist shuttle bus. You must be patient when waiting for the bus at the bus stop, otherwise you will always suspect that the tourist shuttle bus has been suspended.


There are many ways to travel the Li River on water. I took this cruise ship that went directly to Longtoushan Wharf in Yangshuo. The whole four-hour water journey was carried out. Cruise ships are divided into three stars and four stars. The higher-cost-effective cruise ship is a three-star cruise ship, which will be one to two hundred yuan cheaper than a four-star cruise ship. However, lunch meals are at your own expense, and you can also bring some food on board. The starting point of the four-star cruise ship is Zhujiang Wharf next to Mopanshan Wharf. The cruise ship is decorated better, and the most important thing is that it includes a buffet lunch.


After the cruise ship sets off, you can board the deck and enjoy the visual impact of Guilin's mountains and rivers for more than four hours. No matter rain or shine, the scenery is different, it will have its unique charm.


There will also be such bamboo raft-style boats with electric motors in the Lijiang River, but they will be suspended from 9:00 to 12:00 every day to make way for three-star and four-star cruise ships. Although this kind of small boat looks like a bamboo raft, it will have the roar of motors, which is a bit of a ruin for the scenery. If you want the tranquility of bamboo raft rafting, I suggest going to the Yulong River after arriving in Yangshuo. This will be described in detail in my travel notes in Yangshuo, so I won't go into it here.






Just like the poem that has been passed down through the ages-Guilin's mountains and rivers are the best in the world, and the jade and Luo green meaning can be seen.

If Guilin is compared to pearls, then the Li River is a necklace that connects pearls. From the ignorance in primary school Chinese texts to today's practice of mountains and rivers as an adult, I have eliminated a lingering thought in my heart. After seeing the mountains and rivers of Guilin under the sunny day, I greedily hoped to see the City of Bagui in the misty rain again.
If you have the opportunity, come back and step into this auspicious land of Guizhou! Indulge in this landscape again!