Guilin

Guilin (Standard Zhuang: Gveilinz), formerly romanized as Kweilin, is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is situated on the west bank of the Li River and borders Hunan to the north. Its name means "forest of sweet osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant sweet osmanthus trees located in the region. The city has long been renowned for its scenery of karst topography.

Guilin is one of China's most popular tourist destinations, and the epithet "By water, by mountains, most lovely, Guilin" (Template:Zh) is often associated with the city. The State Council of China has designated Guilin a National Famous Historical and Cultural City, doing so in the first edition of the list.

History

Before the Qin dynasty, the Guilin region was settled by the Baiyue people. In 314 BC, a small settlement was established along the banks of the Li River.

During the Qin dynasty's (221–206 BC) campaigns against the state of Nanyue, the first administration was set up in the area around Guilin. The modern city was located within the Guilin Commandery, which is the origin of the modern name "Guilin".

In 111 BC, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty, Shi'an County (Template:Zh) was established, which could be regarded as the beginning of the city.

In AD 507, the town was renamed Guizhou (Gui Prefecture, Template:Zh).

In 634, Lingui County was established at the modern site of Guilin, under Gui Prefecture. In 868, Pang Xun rebelled against the Tang from Gui Prefecture.

Guilin prospered in the Tang and Song dynasties but remained a county. The city was also a nexus between the central government and the southwest border, and it was where regular armies were placed to guard that border. Canals were built through the city so that food supplies could be directly transported from the food-productive Yangtze plain to the farthest southwestern point of the empire.

In 997, Guangnan West Circuit, the predecessor of modern Guangxi, was established, with Guizhou as the capital. In 1133, Guizhou was renamed Jingjiang Prefecture (Template:Zh). In 1367, the name was changed to Guilin Prefecture (Template:Zh).

In 1921, Guilin became one of the headquarters of the Northern Expeditionary Army led by Sun Yat-sen. In 1940, Guilin City was established. Guilin was the provincial capital of Guangxi before 1912 and from 1936 to 1949.

Guilin became one of the most important military, transport, and cultural centers of China during World War II. The city drastically expanded as refugees from all over China poured in, and by 1944 its population had grown from 70,000 pre-war to more than 500,000. It hosted intellectuals and artists including Guo Moruo, Mao Dun, Ba Jin, Tian Han, Xu Beihong, Feng Zikai and many others.

In 1950, the provincial capital of Guangxi was moved from Guilin to Nanning.

In 1981, Guilin was listed by the State Council as one of the four cities (the other three being Beijing, Hangzhou, and Suzhou) where the protection of historical and cultural heritage, as well as natural scenery, should be treated as a priority project.

Administrative divisions

File:伏波山.JPG

Statue of Ma Yuan at Fuboshan, Guilin.

File:抗戰時期的桂林.jpg

Streets of Guilin during World War II

Guilin administers seventeen county-level divisions, including 6 districts, 8 counties, 2 autonomous counties, and 1 county-level city.

• District:
  • Xiufeng District ()
  • Xiangshan District ()
  • Diecai District ()
  • Qixing District ()
  • Yanshan District ()
  • Lingui District ()
• County-level city:
  • Lipu city ()
• County:
  • Yangshuo County ()
  • Lingchuan County ()
  • Xing'an County ()
  • Quanzhou County ()
  • Yongfu County ()
  • Ziyuan County ()
  • Guanyang County ()
  • Pingle County ()
• Autonomous county:
  • Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County ()
  • Longsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County ()

Map
Xiufeng Diecai Xiangshan Qixing Yanshan Lingui Yangshuo County Lingchuan County Quanzhou County Xing'an County Yongfu County Guanyang County Longsheng County Ziyuan County Pingle County Gongcheng County Lipu (city)

Geography

File:Txu-oclc-10552568-ng49-10.jpg

Map including Guilin (labeled as KUEI-LIN (KWEILIN) (Walled)) (AMS, 1954)

Guilin is located in northern Guangxi, bordering Liuzhou to the west, Laibin to the southwest, Wuzhou to the south, Hezhou to the southeast, and within neighbouring Hunan, Huaihua to the northwest, Shaoyang to the north, and Yongzhou to the east. It has a total area of Template:Convert. The topography of the area is marked by karst formations. The karsts surrounding Guilin are made of Triassic period limestone and dolomite rocks. The Li River flows through the city.

• Hills and mountains: Diecai Hill (), Elephant Trunk Hill, Wave-Subduing Hill (), Lipu Mountains, Kitten Mountain, the highest peak of Guangxi, and Yao Hill ()
• Caves: Reed Flute Cave, Seven-star Cave

Climate

File:Guilin (579528340).jpg

Fog on the Li River

Guilin has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa, bordering on Cwa), with short, mild winters, and long, hot, humid summers. Winter begins dry but becomes progressively wetter and cloudier. Spring is generally overcast and often rainy, while summer continues to be rainy though is the sunniest time of year. Autumn is sunny and dry. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from Template:Convert in January to Template:Convert in July, and the annual mean is Template:Convert. The annual rainfall is just under Template:Convert and is delivered in bulk (~50%) from April to June, when the plum rains occur and often create the risk of flooding. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 14% in March to 53% in September, the city receives 1,487 hours of bright sunshine annually. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from Template:Convert (though an unofficial record low of Template:Convert was recorded on 25 January 1940) to Template:Convert.

Demographics

According to the 2020 Chinese census its population was 4,931,137 inhabitants and 2,148,641 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of 6 urban Districts plus Lingchuan County now being conurbated. According to the 2010 Chinese census, the largest ethnic group in the prefecture-level city was Han Chinese, accounting for 84.53% of the total population. This was followed by Yao at 7.79% and Zhuang at 4.81%. Citizens of Guilin's urban area speak a dialect of Mandarin, while Pinghua is predominantly spoken in suburbs and surrounding areas.

Economy

File:桂林一院两馆北阙.jpg

Guilin Museum and Library

• The GDP per capita was ¥41891 (ca. US$6569) in 2020, ranked no. 134 among 659 Chinese cities.
• Local industries: condoms, pharmaceutical goods, tires, machinery, fertilizer, silk, perfume, wine, tea, cinnamon, herbal medicine
• Local agricultural products: Shatian Pomelo, summer orange, Fructus Momordicae, ginkgo, moon persimmon, Lipu Taro, Sanhua Alcohol, pepper sauce, fermented bean curd, Guilin Rice Noodle, water chestnut, grain, fish and dried bean milk cream in tight rolls

Until 1949 only a thermal power plant, a cement works, and some small textile mills existed as signs of industrialization in Guilin. However, since the 1950s Guilin has added electronics, engineering, and agricultural equipment, medicine, rubber, buses, textile, and cotton yarn factories. Food processing, including the processing of local agricultural produce, remains the most important industry. More recent and modern industry features high technology, and the tertiary industry is characterized by tourism trading and service.

Citizens of ASEAN states do not need a visa to visit Guilin if part of a tour lasting a maximum of 144 hours (not including the day of arrival).

Transportation

Air

File:GuilinAirport.jpg

Guilin Liangjiang International Airport

The airport is Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (ICAO:ZGKL, IATA:KWL). Airlines that fly to the airport are:

• China Eastern
• Asiana Airlines
• China Southern
• Air China
• Hainan Airlines
• Shanghai Airlines
• Shandong Airlines
• Xiamen Airlines
• Tianjin Airlines
• EVA Air
• Air Asia
• Beijing Capital Airlines
• Hebei Airlines

Rail

File:Guilin North Railway Station (cropped).jpg

Guilin North railway station

Guilin has several high-speed rail stations, Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Guilin, and a new station in the Lingui District. Guilin station and Guilin North station are on the Hunan–Guangxi railway, Hengyang–Liuzhou intercity railway and Guiyang–Guangzhou high-speed railway, the main railways connecting Guangxi with central and southern China. Arriving at North Station, high-speed trains between Guilin and Changsha and Beijing came into operation in December 2013. In December 2014, high-speed operations began connecting Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Guiyang, and Shanghai. This made it more convenient for people to come to Guilin. It takes only about 2 or 3 hours from Guangzhou to Guilin, 9 hours from Shanghai to Guilin, and 13 hours from Beijing to Guilin. Trains traveling between Kunming South and West Kowloon stations (for example) stop at Guilin West railway station.

Urban

File:(CHN-Guangxi) Guilin Bus 桂C11797D K99 2024-11-25.jpg

A BYD K8S double decker bus operating in Guilin

The city's public transportation includes bus routes and taxis. Guilin is the leading city in Mainland China operating double-decker buses regularly on major routes; in its main street, the double-deckers run one by one almost every minute. Sightseeing boats also run on the city's canals and lakes.

A Guilin Metro is planned for 7 lines by 2040 with 117 stations and a total length of 273.2 kilometres. Line 1 is planned to have been opened by 2025, and it will be 29.23 km with 13 stations.

Public colleges and universities

• Guilin University of Technology
• Guilin Medical University
• Guilin University of Electronic Technology
• Guangxi Normal University
• Guilin University of Aerospace Technology ()
• Guilin University

Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

Scenic spots

• The Li River connects Guilin and Yangshuo County
  The Li River connects Guilin and Yangshuo County
• Ship tour on Li River
  Ship tour on Li River
• Longsheng Rice Terrace (Ping An)
  Longsheng Rice Terrace (Ping An)
• Cuiping Village
  Cuiping Village
• Xingping Village
  Xingping Village
• Rafts sailing down the Yulong River in Yangshuo, a county of Guilin
  Rafts sailing down the Yulong River in Yangshuo, a county of Guilin
• Sun and Moon Pagodas in Shan Lake
  Sun and Moon Pagodas in Shan Lake
• Reed Flute Cave
  Reed Flute Cave
• Scenic view of the town from Seven-star Park
  Scenic view of the town from Seven-star Park
• Longji rice terraces
  Longji rice terraces

Template:Sister project

Scenic spots around Guilin include:

• Jingjiang Princes City, a royal complex dating from the Ming dynasty that lies near the center of modern Guilin
• Reed Flute Cave
• Silver Cave
• Li River
• Yangshuo
• Seven-Star Cave and Seven Star Park ()
• Camel Mountain () and Elephant Trunk Hill
• Piled Festoon Hill ()
• Crescent Hill ()
• Fubo Hill ()
• Nanxi Hill ()
• Erlang Gorge ()
• Huangbu (Yellow Cloth) Beach ()
• Moon Hill
• Longsheng Rice Terrace
• Daxu Ancient Town ()
• Xingping Ancient Town ()
• Duxiu, Solitary Beauty Peak ()
• Liusanjie Landscape Garden ()
• Yao Hill ()
• Sun and Moon Pagodas ()

Cuisine

File:Doufuru.JPG

Guilin pickled tofu

Guilin cuisine is a mixture of Cantonese cuisine and Zhuang cuisine. It is known for its snacks and the use of spices, especially chili. Guilin chili sauce (), used widely in cooking by locals, is made of fresh chili, garlic, and fermented soybeans, and is considered one of the city's Three Treasures (). The other two of the Three Treasures are Guilin Sanhua Jiu (), a variety of rice baijiu, or liquor distilled from rice; and Guilin pickled tofu.

File:Guilin mifan.jpg

Guilin rice noodles

Guilin rice noodles have been the local breakfast staple since the Qin dynasty and are renowned for their delicate taste. Legend has it that when Qin troops suffering from diarrhea entered this region, a cook created the Guilin rice noodles for the army because they had trouble eating the local food. Specifically, the local specialty is noodles with horse meat, but this dish can also be ordered without the horse meat. Zongzi, a dumpling made from glutinous rice and mung bean paste wrapped in a bamboo or banana leaf is another popular delicacy in Guilin.

Quotes

"I often sent pictures of the hills of Guilin which I painted to friends back home, but few believed what they saw."

- Fan Chengda (Chinese Song dynasty scholar)

"Guilin's scenery is best among all under heaven." (Template:Zh)

- Popular Chinese quote

International relations

Twin towns—Sister cities

Guilin is twinned with:

• Template:Flagdeco – Nishikatsura, Yamanashi, Japan – Lingchuan County
• Template:Flagdeco – Kumamoto City, Japan – Guilin
• Template:Flagdeco – Toride City, Japan – Guilin
• Template:Flagdeco – Miho, Ibaraki, Japan – Lingui
• Template:Flagdeco – Jeju, South Korea
• Template:Flagdeco – Hastings, New Zealand
• Template:Flagdeco – Toruń, Poland
• Template:Flagdeco – Orlando, United States
• Template:Flagdeco – Tlaxcoapan, Hidalgo, Mexico
• Template:Flagdeco – Langkawi, Malaysia

The Guilin relationship with the New Zealand city Hastings started in 1977, after a research scientist, Stuart Falconer, identified several common areas of interest between the two cities, including horticulture and their rural-urban mix. In 1997 Guilin commenced an exchange relationship with Ōta, Gunma, Japan.

In popular culture

Guilin was used as a second unit filming location for the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, serving as the basis for the exterior landscape shots of the planet Kashyyyk, alongside the shots used in Phuket, Thailand.

Notable people

• Bai Chongxi, general and politician
• Jiang Zhenbang, badminton player
• Li Zongren, general and warlord, vice-president and acting president of the Republic of China
• Ma Junwu, scientist, educator and politician
• Ou Hongyi, climate activist
• Ouyang Xiadan, news anchor for China Central Television
• Pai Hsien-yung, writer
• Qiao Zhenyu, actor and dancer
• Shi Zhiyong, weightlifter
• Tang Jingsong, general and politician, first president of the Republic of Formosa
• Daniel Weihs, Israeli professor of aeronautical engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

See also

• Bai Chongxi
• Alcoholic drinks in China
• Li Zongren
• Hạ Long Bay, a popular tourist destination in Vietnam with similar karst formations
• Chinese ship Guilin

Further reading

• "Guilin (China")—Britannica Online Encyclopedia

External links

• Guilin Government Official website Template:In lang