Guilin

關於Guilin

Guilin, 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. A famous Chinese saying about the landscape of Guilin is "Guilin's scenery is the best in the world." The State Council of China has designated Guilin a National Famous Historical and Cultural City, doing so in the first edition of the list.

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".

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.