When you travel to
Guilin, you can not only enjoy the picturesque natural view, but also some historic and cultural sites, such as
Jingjiang Prince’s Mansion,
Jingjiang Prince’s Mausoleum in the city. If you would like to see more original things and people’s life, we suggest you visit some ancient towns or villages in the rural areas of Guilin. This article lists some typical ancient towns or villages of Guilin.
Daxu Ancient Town
Daxu Ancient Town is regarded as one of the Four Ancient Towns in Guangxi. This town starts to be built in 200 AD along the east bank of Li River for about 2 km. The street is not wide, paved with bluestones. The old houses along the street are well preserved. Daxu Ancient Town is about 23 km downstream Li River from Guilin city. It was the largest town for tradomg in Guangxi since 600 year ago. It is worth a visit and you could also try a lunch at a farmhouse restaurant on the islet in the river.
Jiangtou Old Village
Jiangtou Old Village is located in Qingshitan Town, Lingchuan County, 32 km from Guilin city. This village has a long history of more than 1,000 years, where tourists could see the well-preserved buildings of Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. All the houses in the village are made of wood, with blue bricks and grey tiles, in traditional Chinese building style. This village is the residence of the descendants of Mr. Zhou Dunyi, who is a famous writer, philosopher in Beisong Dynasty. Tourist could see many officers’ houses in the village. If you travel to Jiangtou Village at a fair day in Jiuwu, you will also have a chance to visit the local market in rural area, which is quite different from the market in the city.
Xingping Ancient Town
Xingping is located at the Northeast part of Yangshuo, around 25 km from Yangshuo County. Li River flows downstream and turns a corner at Xingping. This small town is nestling at the foot of hills and besides the beautiful Li River. It has unparalleled natural view. As most ancient towns, Xingping also have blue-stone paved lanes and old houses with blue brick and grey tiles. It is regarded as the most beautiful ancient town along Li River. Tourists can also find many cultural relics and historic sites, such as old bridge, old ferry crossing, old pavilion, old stage, ancient temple, old trees, ect in Xingping, which are mainly on the old street and in the nearby fishing village. It keeps the original style. A trip to Xingping will be a pleasant surprise in your Guilin tour.
Fuli Ancient Town
Fuli Ancient Town is just between Xingping and Yangshuo with a long history of more than 1,000 years. Except the pretty landscape, Fuli is also well-known as one of the most famous Chinese traditional painting towns. It is also called the town of Chinese painted Fan. The framework of the fans is made from the local bamboo and the fan is made by local tissue paper painted with the Guilin landscape. It is a good souvenir for tourists traveling to Guilin.
Langzi Old Village
Langzi Old Village is located at Gaotian, Yangshuo. It was built 350 years ago in Qing dynasty. It is well structured and exquisitely laid out. Most buildings are richly ornamented. Besides, there is a fortress in the village, from which people can overlook the whole village. There are more than 60 buildings well preserved in this small village. If you are interested in historical site, it is a good place to explore after enjoying the natural view in Yangshuo.
Jiuxian Village
Jiuxian Village is just at the bank of the charming Yulong River, which was built 1,400 years ago. Since this village is near to the ruins of Former County, it is named Jiuxian Village. Jiuxian refers to Former County. When you go to this village, you will find many ancient buildings and ruins of walls as well as old well. The village, Yulong River and the landscape consist of a fascinating countryside picture. A South African architect repairs some old buildings in the village and turns them to be a cozy inn, which attracts many tourists come to this original village.
Guilin and Yangshuo tours to be recommended
>>> 4 Days Classic Guilin Li River Tour
>>> 4 Days In-depth Yangshuo Hiking and Cycling Tour
