Guilin () is a
prefecture-level city in
China, situated in the northeast of the
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the west bank of the
Li River. Its name means "forest of
Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet
Osmanthus trees located in the city. The city has long been renowned for its unique scenery.
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.
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
Administrative divisions
Guilin administers 17
county-level divisions:
People
- Urban population: 620,000
Climate
- Plenty of sunshine and clear division of the four seasons
- Average temperature: annually
Economy
Airport of Guilin
- The GDP per capita was ¥15775 (ca. US$1910) in 2003, ranked no. 125 among 659 Chinese cities.
- 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
Transportation
Airport:
Guilin Liangjiang International AirportTrain：Guilin Train Station
Panorama of Guilin
Colleges and universities
Public
Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.
Scenic spots
Scenic spots around Guilin include:
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 soybeans, and is considered one of the city's Three Treasures (桂林三宝). The other two of the Three Treasures are Guilin Sanhua Jiu (桂林三花酒), a variety of
rice baijiu, or liquor distilled from rice; and Guilin
pickled tofu (桂林豆腐乳).
Guilin
rice noodles (桂林米粉; pinyin: Guìlín mǐfěn) have been the local breakfast staple since the Qin dynasty and are renowned for their 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 in a bamboo or banana leaf) is another popular delicacy in Guilin.
In popular culture
- The scenery from the twenty Yuan bill is that of the Li River.
- Guilin is the final area of the video game Shenmue II and the home of Shenhua.
- Guilin was mentioned in the novel The Joy Luck Club as the original home of Suyuan Woo, the mother of the primary narrator of the story, Jing-mei Woo.
Quotes
"I often sent pictures of the hills of Guilin which I painted to friends back home, but few believed what they saw."''
:- popular Chinese saying
Sister Cities
The Guilin relationship with the New Zealand city Hastings started in
1977, after a research scientist, Dr Stuart Falconer identified a number of common areas of interest between the two cities, including horticulture and their rural-urban mix.
Gallery
See also
References and further reading
