Some parts of China have become tourist cities completely, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. And more cities are eager and preparing to be a member of such international tourist cities. As the government is put efforts on developing western part of China, many inner cities are opening their doors and welcome visitors from all over the world. If Beijing Tours cannot attract you anymore and you would like to experience other sides of Chinese culture, then follow me through this article and you will find other options, like Guilin Tours.
Guilin is a major city of Southeastern part of China within the Guangxi province. Guangxi province is actually a gathering area for the ethnic minority Zhuang (壮族).
Therefore, unlike modern cities in China, you can experience different cultures here. The base colours of traditional clothes of Zhuang for women are normally black and dark blue. This is because that the climate in Guilin is the subtropical monsoon which means it is warm and wet in each season and the summer time is much longer than the winter’s. But the patterns and colours of embroidery on and along their clothes are very bright. Also they are famous of Batik Dyeing (蜡染) for clothes textures. These women, who are the same as other ladies in the world, love accessories, especially silver ones. You can purchase very good delicate silver earrings, necklaces, and bracelets with unusual patterns and designs. But always remember to bargain the price and ask for a specialist to identify the quality of sliver.
There is an old saying that “No matter east or west, Guilin landscape is the best”. Why and what will surprise you?
Well, in the opinion of Chinese Fengshui (风水), the best place with luck is the one around mountains and rivers or springs. Guilin is just this kind of place with perfect Fengshui. It has Lijiang (漓江), not the one of Yunnan province, and Elephant Hill (象山). And the landscape there is the typical Karst landform. If you are also interested in geology, then this place will be on your list of must-to-go. The Yangshuo (阳朔) town is the hot tourist place for backpackers in Guilin. This is the place highly recommended by the “bible” for travelers, the Lonely Planet. And once you arrive there, surprisingly, you will find that there are many restaurants and hostels operated by “foreigners”. The characteristic food in Guilin is the rice noodles and the secret is the soup which is cooked from several usual Chinese herbs to promote the fitness.
The last question may be how to get Guilin. Firstly, travelling by the airplane is the most 
convenient method to reach Guilin. Although the Liang Jiang International Airport in Guilin includes various international and domestic airlines, the international lines focus on the Asian countries. Therefore, it is unlikely you can take direct airlines to arrive at Guilin. It only takes a couple of hours to fly from Beijing to Guilin and costs around $150 for single trip. Secondly, taking the train to get Guilin is usually at least 23 hours. It is a long journey, but you can order the berth ticket and enjoy the views along the railway. The price for a berth ticket is $70 for one trip. The above is the two ways to arrive at Guilin city. Besides Guilin city, to reach other small but interesting towns around the city, you have to take the bus or fairy. For example, you can take the fairy from Guilin to Yangshuo through Lijiang (漓江) for $30. This line is one of the popular program in Guilin tourism. It leaves Guilin at 9am and arrives at Yangshuo at 2pm.
If you want to experience the specific place mentioned in the Lonely Planet, please add Guilin into your itinerary of China Flights now!
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