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Revision as of 09:50, 29 August 2003 by Olivier (talk | contribs) (moved quotes)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Guilin is China's most picturesque city, situated in the northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the west bank of the beautiful Li River.
History
190,000,000 ago, the area around present-day Guilin was a vast water, a part of the ancient sea. Due to the movement of Earth crust, it rose and became land.
314 BC, the city of Guilin was founded in the Qin Dynasty as a small settlement along the bank of Li River.
111 BC, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Guilin was named Shi An County.
The city prospered in Tang and Song Dynasties and became the political, economic and cultural centre of Guangxi. The city was also a nexus between the central government and the southwest border where the regular armies were placed to guard the border. The canals were built through the city so that the food supplies could be directly transported from the food-productive Yangzi plain to the farthest southwestern point of the empire.
In the Ming Dynasty, Guilin became the provincial capital due to its immense role in the province.
In 1914, Guilin ceased to be the capital of the province. Instead, Naning, another center of the provence and a heroic city with more than 1,600 years of history, became the capital.
In 1921, Guilin became one of the headquarters of the Northern Expeditionary Army led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
In 1940, the city acquired its present name.
In 1981, this ancient city 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 prior project.
Neighboring Provinces
Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Guangdong
Physical setting
- Area: 27,809 sq km
- subtropical region
- the typical Karst formation
- Mountains: Diecai Hill, Elephant Trunk Hill, Seven-star Cave, Wave-subduing Hill, Lipu Mountain and Yaoshan Mountain
- Rivers: Li River
People
Climate
- damp monsoon climate
- warm and rainy
- plenty of sunshine and clear division of four seasons
- Average Temperature: 19C annually
Products
pharmaceutical goods, tires, machinery, fertilizers, silk, perfume, wine, tea, cinnamon, herbal medicine, Shatian Pomelo, summer orange, fructus momordicae, gingko, moon persimmon, Lipu Tara, Sanhua Alcohol, pepper sauce, fermerted bean curd, Guilin Rice Noodle, water-chestnut, grain fish and dried bean milk cream in tight rolls
Attractions
There are more than 30 noted scenic spots within the boundaries of Guilin Peak.
- the Ludi (Reed-Flute) Cave
- the Elephant Trunk Hill
- the Piled Festoon Hill
- the Crescent Hill
- the seven-star-rock cave
- the Fubo Hill
- Nanxi Hill
- the Erlang Gorge
- Huangbu (Yellow Cloth) Beach
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)
- 桂林山水甲天下 "Guilin’s scenery bests all others in the world."
- - popular Chinese saying
