Guangxi

The karst peaks along the Li River grace the 20-yuan note and are among the best-known landscapes in China. A vacation in Guangxi means bamboo raft rides near Yangshuo, rice terraces in the mountains, and subtropical Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to China's largest ethnic minority.

Sights in Guangxi

Guilin is the classic starting point. The city itself has attractions of its own, including Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave, and Seven Star Park, but most visitors head straight for the Li River. A boat trip takes about four hours to Yangshuo, passing green limestone peaks, water buffalo, and fishermen with cormorants. In Yangshuo County, you can cycle along the Yulong River through rice fields, climb limestone walls, or watch the evening light show against the backdrop of the mountains. North of Guilin, the Longji rice terraces, the "Dragon's Backbone," climb steep slopes to over 1,000 meters; villages such as Ping'an are home to Zhuang and Yao people. In the southwest, on the border with Vietnam, the Detian Waterfall thunders down. If you have time, drift on a bamboo raft along the Yulong from bridge to bridge, for example to the Ming-era Dragon Bridge. Near Beihai on the south coast, the Silver Beach stretches out, and the volcanic island of Weizhou draws visitors with rocky coastlines and an old mission church.

Nanning and Culture

Nanning is a green, palm-lined city and a gateway to Southeast Asia. Qingxiu Mountain with its park and pagoda and the Guangxi Museum of Nationalities offer insight into the cultures of the Zhuang, Yao, Miao, and Dong. In the north, around Sanjiang, you'll find the Dong people's elaborate wind-and-rain bridges and drum towers, built entirely without nails. The Zhuang celebrate the Sanyuesan Festival in the third lunar month with antiphonal singing.

Food, Getting There, and Best Time to Visit

Guangxi is noodle country: Guilin rice noodles with braised meat and peanuts are served on every corner, and Liuzhou is famous for luosifen, the spicy, pungent river snail noodle soup. In Yangshuo, they cook beer fish from the Li River. Guilin and Nanning have airports and are connected to Guangzhou and Shenzhen by high-speed rail. The best time to visit is spring and fall; summers are hot and rainy, though the Li River carries especially high water then. If you're looking for the scene on the 20-yuan note, you'll find it near Xingping on the Li River.