Sights in Guǎngxī
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Silver Beach
This is what most Chinese tourists come to Běihǎi for: Silver Beach, a long stretch of silvery-yellow sand with so-so waters, about 8km south of the city centre. There's a host of midrange, doll's-house-lookalike hotels and a number of places to eat, serving expensive but very fresh seafood. Take bus 3 (Y2) from the central bus station; it runs until 10pm.
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Aquarium
If the popular Zhongshan Park is too rocking with senior citizens disco dancing, then head northeast to the more derelict part of town and the northern waterfront where you will find little Haibin Park (Hǎibīn Gōngyuán). Inside the park is an expensive aquarium . Two buildings house seven spacious exhibition halls filled with tanks of strange and colourful fish. Most of the exhibits feature local marine life from the Gulf of Tonkin (Běibùwán).
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Peaks & Hills
Yángshuò is surrounded by towering, leafy, limestone peaks. The most accessible is Bìlián Peak, which overlooks Xi Jie(West St)and the Lí River, and can be climbed in about half an hour for some excellent views. Yángshuò Park (阳朔公园; Yángshuò Gōngyuán) is a short walk west of Xi Jie and where you'll find Man Hill (西郎山； Xīláng Shān), which supposedly resembles a young man bowing to a shy young girl represented by Lady Hill (小姑山； Xiǎogū Shān). Dragon Head Hill (龙头山；Lóngtóu Shān) is a short walk north of the town centre.
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Guǎngxī Provincial Museum
This ugly, mammoth museum actually has a superb collection of ancient Dong bronze drums, some dating back more than 2000 years. They were used as sacrificial and ritual vessels as well as musical instruments, and the biggest is a whopping 165cm in diameter. In the leafy back garden are some full-size examples of Dong and Miao houses, and a nail-less Wind and Rain Bridge, which now houses an impressive restaurant, Āmóu Meǐshí.
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Seven Stars Park
One of China's original tourist attractions, first opening to sightseers during the Sui dynasty, the 137-hectare Seven Stars Park makes for some pleasant strolls. There are peaks to climb, caves to explore, lawns to picnic on and even wild monkeys to see; early evening on Moon Tooth Hill (月牙山; Yuèyá Shān) is your best bet. Skip the thoroughly depressing zoo.
To get here, walk, cycle or catch bus 10 or 11 from the train station. From the park, free bus 58 runs to Wave Subduing Hill, Folded Brocade Hill and Reed Flute Cave.
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Crystal Palace of the Dragon King
The Crystal Palace of the Dragon King grotto can comfortably hold about 1000 people, though many more crammed in here during the war when the cave was used as an air-raid shelter to protect the locals.
Entry is pricy and you may want to try and slip away from the tiresome tour to explore by yourself. Surrounding walks in the park, including those up to Half-Hill Pavilion and across to Lotus Pond, are pleasant.
The park is on the northwestern outskirts of town. Take bus 3 from the train station to the last stop or hop on free bus 58. Alternatively, it's a pleasant half-hour bicycle ride. Follow the bus route along Lijun Lu, which runs into Xishan Lu and then Taohua Jiang Lu…
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Returned Pearl Cave
On the southern slope of the hill is Returned Pearl Cave . The story goes that the cave was illuminated by a single pearl and inhabited by a dragon; one day a fisherman stole the pearl but he was overcome by shame and returned it. A 1000-year-old Buddha image is etched into the wall somewhere in the cave, along with more than 200 other images of the Buddha, most dating from the Song and Tang dynasties.
Somewhere, too, is a portrait and autograph by Mi Fu, a famous calligrapher of the Song dynasty. A sad sight is the Sword Testing Stones, which are remnants of stalactites hacked off by soldiers of the warlord showing off their metal and mettle.
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Elephant Hill Park
At the southern end of Guìlín where the Li River and the Taohua River converge, one of Guìlín's best-promoted sights is Elephant Hill Park, where Elephant Trunk Hill - unlike other misshapen lumps of rock with tenuous names extracted from Chinese myth - indeed resembles a proboscidean mammal dipping its snout into the Li River. Visit Water Moon Cave and head up the peak walk to Puxian Pagoda (Pǔxián Tǎ) for views of the park and the picturesque Li River.
Cormorant fishing in the Li River is a popular tourist drawcard. Take bus 2 or freebie buses 57 or 58 to the hill.
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Elephant Trunk Hill
At the southern end of Guìlín where the Li River and the Taohua River converge, one of Guìlín's best-promoted sights is Elephant Hill Park, where Elephant Trunk Hill - unlike other misshapen lumps of rock with tenuous names extracted from Chinese myth - indeed resembles a proboscidean mammal dipping its snout into the Li River. Visit Water Moon Cave and head up the peak walk to Puxian Pagoda (Pǔxián Tǎ) for views of the park and the picturesque Li River.
Cormorant fishing in the Li River is a popular tourist drawcard. Take bus 2 or freebie buses 57 or 58 to the hill.
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British Consulate Building
Just to the southeast of Zhongshan Park as Wenming Lu intersects with Beijing Lu, stands the former British Consulate Building , within the grounds of the No 1 Middle School (一中; Yīzhōng). Dating from 1885, the imposing building is a lovely two-storey cream-coloured edifice with verandahs and shutters, flanked by palm trees. A further traditional building can be seen just to the rear, next to the newly built white-tile church.
Bus 2 from the train station stops right outside. Nearby Zhongshan Park is a pleasantly green park with several amusement rides for children.
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Former Residence of Xu Beihong
The Former Residence of Xu Beihong is one of Yángshuò's few cultural landmarks. Innovative Chinese artist Xu Beihong (1895-1953) is best remembered for his galloping horses that injected dynamism into previously static forms of Chinese brushwork.
Admirers of Chinese guildhall architecture can glean something from a visit to the Hongfu Palace Hotel and Le Vôtre Café, both of which occupy sections of the former Jiangxi Guildhall (Jiāngxī Huìguǎn), a notable vestige from the Qing dynasty occupying a site along Xi Jie.
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Sun Pagoda
Octagonal seven-storey Moon Pagoda (Yuè Tǎ) is connected to Sun Pagoda - the world's tallest copper pagoda - by an underwater tunnel. Constructed from a staggering 350 tons of copper (don't climb during lightning storms unless you want to be truly illuminated), the 41m-high Sun Pagoda has nine floors and must be one of the world's few pagodas equipped with a lift. Artful Chinese gǔzhēng(zither) performances are held in the choicely positioned teahouse near the base of Sun Pagoda.
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Moon Pagoda
Octagonal seven-storey Moon Pagoda is connected to Sun Pagoda (Rì Tǎ) - the world's tallest copper pagoda - by an underwater tunnel. Constructed from a staggering 350 tons of copper (don't climb during lightning storms unless you want to be truly illuminated), the 41m-high Sun Pagoda has nine floors and must be one of the world's few pagodas equipped with a lift. Artful Chinese gǔzhēng(zither) performances are held in the choicely positioned teahouse near the base of Sun Pagoda.
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Wáng Chéng
The entrance fee to Solitary Beauty Peak includes admission to Wáng Chéng, also known as Jingjiang Prince's City, a 14th-century Ming prince's mansion dating to the reign of Hongwu that was built by the nephew of the emperor, Jing Jiang, and is now home to Guangxi Normal University. During the Qing dynasty, the palace served as the Guangxi Provincial Examination House, and later Sun Zhongshan commandeered the grounds for his northern expedition from here.
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Camel Peak
A further attraction at Seven Stars park is Camel Peak, which indeed resembles a ruminating ship of the desert. View the hill from the front for its two-hump Bactrian camel impersonation or from the rear for its impression of a single-hump dromedary camel. In front of Camel Peak is a weather-beaten podium used by ex-President Bill Clinton when making a speech here; nearby is a sad-looking zoo, eager for both investment and visitors.
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Guǎngxī Medicinal Herb Botanical Garden
The fascinating subtropical Guǎngxī Medicinal Herb Botanical Garden is the largest medicinal botanical garden in China. More than 4000 medicinal plants from over 20 countries can be found here. Buses 22 and 81 from Cháoyáng Garden stop by the main gate. Buses 7 and 66 from the train station also go there.
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Zhenning Fort
Here you can inspect a rusty 122mm German cannon on rails manufactured in the 19th century, taking aim at the southwest. Also within the fort are a couple of smallish smooth-faced bìxì (turtlelike dragons) and a Ming dynasty bell. As the blurb insists (with not entirely watertight logic): 'He who has not reached the Zhenning Fort has not reached the Nanning People's Park', and you can't argue with that.
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Folded Brocade Hill
Folded Brocade Hill affords some of Guìlín's best views, complemented by restored pavilions, some originally dating from the Ming dynasty. Climb the stone pathway that leads you through the cooling relief of Wind Cave (风洞; Fēng Dòng), its walls decked with inscriptions and Buddhist sculptures, some damaged during the Cultural Revolution. Buses 1 and 2 run past the hill.
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Reed Flute Cave
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger described the cave as 'poetic', although chances are he didn't have the dulcet tones of a Chinese tour guide ringing in his ears when the thought came to him. The huge Reed Flute Cave is a garish but nonetheless impressive grotto housing multicoloured lighting and fantastic stalactites and stalagmites. The entrance was once distinguished by clumps of reeds used to fashion musical instruments, hence the name, and the enormous Crystal Palace of the Dragon King was used as an air-raid shelter during wars. It's tempting to slip away from the tour groups, but bring a torch, as the illuminations are often turned off as the crowds wal…
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Bilian Peak
Bilian Peak . In located in the southeastern corner of town and is Yángshuò's main peak. Because it has a flat northern face that is supposed to resemble an ancient bronze mirror, it is also called Bronze Mirror Peak (Tóngjìng Fēng). The peak rises up next to the Li River, in the Mountain Water Garden (Shānshuǐ Yuán).
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People's Park
Also known as White Dragon Park, this park is a pleasant spot for a stroll. It houses the Zhenning Fort, and a small Shady Botanical Garden, which features some rare herbs, exotic flowers, a hothouse with local flower varieties, and the requisite 1000-year-old banyan tree. You can also go boating on the lake or take your chances on the roller-skating rink.
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Duanli Gate
The gate to the south of Wáng Chéng is Duanli Gate, marking the north-south line that runs through the complex.
Buses 1 and 11 go up Zhongshan Beilu past the western side of the peak. Alternatively, take bus 2, which goes past the eastern side along the river. Both buses leave from Guìlín train station.
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Pagoda Hill
If you tire of the cave at Tunnel Hill Park, you can cross the Xiaodong River (小东江; Xiǎodōng Jiāng) - a small branch of the Li - and hike up to a fairly interesting pagoda on Pagoda Hill. Near the summit of the hill is a wind-eroded chasm that supposedly resembles a moonscape from afar.
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Flower Bridge
Traversing Flower Bridge into the park from the main gate, one of the first things you will notice is a political slogan carved deeply and ineradicably into the rock on your left at the end of the bridge; the characters proclaim 'Long Live Mao Zedong Thought' (毛泽东思想万岁).
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Beihai Christ Church
The small Beihai Christ Church with its Chinese bibles for sale on the ground floor and small, modern upstairs chapel. Between No 1 and No 3 Zhuhai Xilu was the former site of the Sanhuang Temple (三皇庙; Sānhuáng Miào), alas no more.
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