Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city. Its scenery is reputed by many Chinese to be the "finest under heaven".

History

In 314 BC, a small settlement was established along the banks of the Li River.

In 111 BC, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Shi An County was established, which could be regarded as the beginning of the city.

In 507 AD, the town was renamed Guizhou.

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.

During the Ming Dynasty, Guilin became the capital city, due to its immense role in the province. In 1914, Nanning replaced Guilin as the provincial 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 priority project.

Physical Setting

Area: 27,809 km²
Subtropical region
Typical karst formation
Mountains: Diecai Hill (叠彩山), Elephant Trunk Hill (象鼻山), Seven-Star Cave (七星岩), Wave-Subduing Hill (伏波山), Lipu Mountains and Yaoshan Mountains
Rivers: Lijiang

Administrative divisions

Guilin administers 17 county-level divisions:

Five city districts: Xiufeng Qu (秀峰区), Xiangshan Qu (象山区), Diecai Qu (叠彩区), Qixing Qu (七星区), Yanshan Qu (雁山区).
Ten counties: Lingui County (临桂), Yangshuo County (阳朔), Lingchuan County (灵川), Xing'an County (兴安), Quanzhou County (全州), Yongfu County (永福), Ziyuan County (资源), Guanyang County (灌阳), Pingle County (平乐), Lipu County (荔浦).
Two autonomous counties: Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County (恭城瑶族自治县), Longsheng Autonomous County (龙胜各族自治县).

People

Population: 1.34 million
Urban population: 600,000
Ethnic groups: Zhuang, Yao, Hui, Miao, Han and Dong

Climate

Damp monsoon climate
Warm and rainy
Plenty of sunshine and clear division of the four seasons
Warm winters
Average temperature: 19°C annually
The best season for traveling is autumn. Spring has too much rain; summer is a lbit too hot; there is not much water in Li River in winter.

Economy

The GDP per capita was ¥15775 (ca. US$1910) in 2003, ranked no. 125 among 659 Chinese cities.

Local industry: 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 Tara, Sanhua Alcohol, pepper sauce, fermented bean curd, Guilin Rice Noodle, water chestnut, grain, fish and dried bean milk cream in tight rolls

Colleges and universities

Public

Guangxi Normal University （广西师范大学）
Guilin Medical College (桂林医学院)
Guilin Institute of Technology (桂林工学院)
Guilin University of Electronic Technology (桂林电子科技大学)

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

Attractions

The Jingjiang Princes City is a royal complex dating from the Ming Dynasty that lies near the center of modern Guilin.

Other scenic spots around Guilin include:

Seven Star Park
Seven-Star Cave and Ludi (Reed-Flute) Cave
Camel Mountain and Elephant Trunk Hill
Piled Festoon Hill
Crescent Hill
Fubo Hill
Nanxi Hill
Erlang Gorge
Huangbu (Yellow Cloth) Beach
Moon Hill

Cuisine

Guilin cuisine is known for its snacks and the use of spices, especially chili. The famous Guilin chili sauce, Guìlín làjiāojiàng (桂林辣椒酱; used widely in cooking by locals), is made of fresh chili, garlic and fermented soya beans. Guilin rice noodle (Guìlín mĭfĕn 桂林米粉) has been the local breakfast staple since the Qin dynasty and is renowned for its 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 (粽子; pinyin: zòngzi), a dumpling made from glutinous rice and mung bean paste wrapped by bamboo or banana leaves) is another popular delicacy in Guilin.

Trivia

Many scenes from The Painted Veil (2006 film), adapted from the 1925 W. Somerset Maugham novel The Painted Veil were filmed in here.

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 is best among all under heaven."

- popular Chinese saying