Guilin

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Guilin
—  Prefecture-level city  —
Chinese transcription(s)
 - Characters 桂林
 - Pinyin Guìlín
Zhuang transcription(s)
 - Zhuang Gveilinz
Elephant Trunk Hill, the Symbol of Guilin
Elephant Trunk Hill, the Symbol of Guilin
Guilin in Guangxi, China
Guilin in Guangxi, China
Administrative divisions within Guilin
Administrative divisions within Guilin
Coordinates: 25°16′14″N 110°17′31″E / 25.27056°N 110.29194°E / 25.27056; 110.29194
Country China
Region Guangxi
Area
 - Total 27,809 km2 (10,737.1 sq mi)
Population
 - Total 1,340,000
 - Density 48.2/km2 (124.8/sq mi)
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code 541000
Website http://www.guilin.gov.cn/

Guilin (Chinese: 桂林; pinyin: Guìlín) is a 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.

Contents

[edit] 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.

[edit] Physical setting

[edit] Administrative divisions

Guilin administers 17 county-level divisions:

[edit] People

[edit] Climate

  • Damp monsoon climate
  • Warm and rainy
  • Plenty of sunshine and clear division of the four seasons
  • Warm winters
  • Average temperature: 19°C annually

[edit] Economy

Airport of Guilin

[edit] Transportation

Airport: Guilin Liangjiang International Airport Train：Guilin Train Station

[edit] Panorama of Guilin


[edit] Colleges and universities

[edit] Public

Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

[edit] Attractions

Reed Flute Cave, Reed Flute Park, some of Guillin's best scenery

The Jingjiang Princes City is a royal complex dating from the Ming Dynasty that lies near the center of modern Guilin.

Other scenic spots around Guilin include:

[edit] 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,[1] 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) [2] is another popular delicacy in Guilin.

[edit] In popular culture

[edit] Quotes

"I often sent pictures of the hills of Guilin which I painted to friends back home, but few believed what they saw."
- Fan Chengda (Chinese Song Dynasty scholar)
桂林山水甲天下 - "Guilin’s scenery is best among all under heaven."
- popular Chinese saying

[edit] 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.

[edit] Gallery

Guilin Li River 1

Guilin Scenery

Guilin landscapes

Pagodas in Guilin

Songs and Performances in Guilin

Seven Star Park

Pagodas in Fir Lake in downtown Guilin

Distant view of Guilin

Gulin Street

Gulin Pagodas

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Guilin


Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin"
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