The
scenery of Guilin has been called the finest under heaven. Situated
in the northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guilin
City is South China's shining pearl , with verdant mountains
, elegant waters , magnificent crags and fantastic caverns.
Guilin has
a history of more than 2,000 years. In the 6th year of Yuanding
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (111 BC),
Guilin was a county, called Shi An County, and from the Song
Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, it was the political, economic
and cultural centre of Guangxi. In 1921,the North Expeditionary
Army led by Sun Zhongshan (Dr. Sun Yat-sen) joined forces In
Guilin, and the headquarters was sited in the Royal Palace at
the foot Of the Solitary Beauty Peak. The city acquired its
present name in the year of 1940.
Belonging
to the subtropical region, Guilin enjoys a Mild climate with
sufficient rainfall. Its yearly average temperature is 18.8'C,
and the hottest month, August, has an average temperature of
28'C, while the coldest months, which are January and February
are 8'C on the average. Du Fu,a very famous poet of Tang Dynasty
so said of its climate: "When it is scorching hot everywhere
in the Five Ridges, only Guilin has temperate weather."
Guilin was
originally a vast expanse of sea until about one hundred and
ninety million years ago, when, owing to the movement of the
earth crust, the whole area rose and became land. The Limestone,
weathered and eroded by water, became today's fantastic stone
forests, peaks, underground streams and caves, thus giving unique
features to Guilin's scenery.
