Exploring the Magical Beauty of Guilin: A Guide to China's Picturesque Jewel

Guilin sits in southwest China. It is famous for tall limestone hills, strange rock towers and old customs. The city mixes green scenery with old style Chinese life plus ranks high on the list of places travelers visit.

The best known hills in Guilin include Elephant Trunk Hill, which looks like an elephant lowering its trunk to drink from the river and gives wide views of the water. Fubo Hill holds old temples but also a lookout point. Duxiu Peak stands alone besides Jiumahua Mountain offers quiet paths. Each hill shows rock carved by wind and rain as well as belongs on any travel plan.

The Li River runs for eighty three kilometers. It passes sharp limestone towers and fields of rice or vegetables. A boat ride gives calm views and clear photos. Small villages line the banks - they keep old houses also daily routines that have changed little for generations.

Below ground, Red Flute Cave glows under colored lights that hit stalactites and stone curtains. Qixingyan also called Seven-Star Cave, hides an old riverbed next to hundreds of rock carvings etched by people long ago. The two sites join natural shapes with human history.

Quiet gardens dot the city. They hold flowering trees, ponds and lawns where people rest. Nearby villages keep stone lanes, hand craft shops plus yearly festivals. During the Rice Dumpling Festival, villagers race narrow boats woven from fresh bamboo and rice leaves.

Local food earns praise. Guilin rice noodles soak in spiced broth but also sell across the nation. Lotus leaf duck arrives at the table after hours of marinating stuffing and steaming inside a fragrant leaf. A bowl of noodles as well as a plate of duck round out a trip to one of China's most striking regions.