Guilin
Guilin, standing in the middle of a karst region, features a typical karstlandscape. Characteristics of Guilin scenery are its oddly-shaped solitary hills rising out of flat ground, transparent waters winding through the region, intricate caves in various shapes and exquisite stones. Therefore, Guilin is considered as one of the most beautiful cities in China.
The Lijiang River - A well-known part of the Guilin River, it flows from the Piled Festoon Hill to "Bilian Peak" in Yangshou, covering a distance of 83 kilometres. This green ribbon-like river runs zigzag through a multitude of hills against a backdrop of steep peaks, luxuriant flowers and green hills along the shores are mirrored in the blue water, giving the visitor a poetic inspiration. In drizzly days, the peaks embraced by clouds and mists and river
Elephant Trunk Hill (xiangbi Shan) - The hill is at the confluence of the Lijiang River and Yangjiang River inside the city. This hill is so named because it outlines a vivid image of an elephant sipping water from the river with its trunk. Between the body and the trunk there is a round-shaped space, known as "water moon" arch, which is about 10 metres high and 20 metres deep. The river flows through the arch resembling a "bright-moon". Sailing through the arch, one feels like being under a huge arch bridge.
Seven-Star-Rock Cave - Formerly known as "Qixia Cave" and "Bixu Rock", It is on the Seven star-Rock hill to the east of Guilin. The cave presents a twisted extension of more than one and a half kilometres. This cave, the biggest and the most fascinating cave of Guilin, includes "Liudongtian Cave" and Liangdongfu Cave, offers numerous spectacular views and is big enough to hold ten thousand visitors at a time; originally, the cave was an underground channel and became a tourist attraction as early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581 A.D.-907). Inside the cave, well-developed stalactites and stalagmites form numerous fantastic scenes such as `Monkey Picking Peaches`, `Two Lion Fighting for a Ball`, or in the shapes of fruits, forests and gigantic waterfall.
