I went to Guilin in October 2008. Guilin is famous for its beautiful karst landscape, and is ranked highly as a travel destination for tourists domestic and foreign.
While in Guilin, remember to take a scenic cruise on Li River 漓江 from Guilin 桂林 to Yangshuo 阳朔.
About 80 km away in the northern hills, there are several terraced rice fields high up in the mountains. These "shangri-la" date back to the Ming dynasty (600+ years ago), and the farmers are mainly of the Li tribe.
Look at the houses, notice that the higher floors are progressively larger than the lower ones?
Many bridges have roofs. They serve a dual purpose, as a bridge and as a social meeting place.
This is the Osmanthus fragrans (桂花), namesake of Guilin city. There are thousands of these trees everywhere we went. It was a coincidence that they were flowering during my visit. Sweet smell fills the air all day long.
North-east of Guilin, 60km away, there is a man-made canal (灵渠) dating back to the Qin dynasty (2000 years ago!). It connects two major river systems in China, viz. the Xiang River 湘江 which flows into the Yangtze River (长江), and the Li River (漓江) which flows into the Pearl River (珠江). It is still navigable today, and the year-round flow of water from Xiang River into Li River, irrigates surrounding areas of Xing'an (兴安) and farmlands along the Li River. This photos was taken at Xing'an, a small town at the head of the canal. Water flow is regulated through a dyke located about 1 km upstream.
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