Guilin: What's Not to Love?

There is a popular Chinese saying that Guilin’s landscape is the most beautiful on earth, and I’ve come to believe over the past ten months I’ve lived in the Middle Kingdom that Guilin offers a one-of-a-kind environment for foreigners seeking to experience China in its realest form.  Nonetheless, I’ve done quite a bit of travel blog surfing over the past few weeks and have stumbled upon more than a few online sites painting mildly to horrifically negative images of Guilin; that being said, here’s my defense of the city that I’ve come to call my temporary home.

For one, unlike in larger Chinese metropolises, you can actually breathe fresh air in Guilin.  While Chinese residents of larger cities frequently sport surgical masks when venturing outside due to high atmospheric pollution, Guilin has avoided heavy industrialization and its natural surroundings have remained largely pollution-free.  That means you are free to exercise outside without suffering from damaged lungs.  Second of all, because one of Guilin’s most important sources of revenue is tourism, all of its streets are tree-lined, the downtown area is beautifully lit, and the roads and sidewalks are clean.  The Li River runs straight through the city, and you can sail by river raft all the way to the climbers’ paradise of Yangshuo from Guilin’s downtown.  In addition, limestone peaks jut into the sky in every direction surrounding the city.

Guilin's Sun and Moon Pagodas

While some have claimed Guilin to be a tourist trap, my experiences thus far traveling throughout China would indicate the opposite.  Guilin is not an international city, but rather a symbol of the growing wealth of China’s own people.  Many of the city’s residents are the first members of their families to earn their livelihoods beyond the farm, and some of my own university students call the countryside home.  Guangxi is traditionally one of China’s poorer regions, and yet Guilin offers enough modern luxuries that only the choosiest of tourists could possibly be unappeased.  Many Guilinese are not Han Chinese but rather members of the Zhuang minority, meaning that the cultural diversity of Guilin is far more apparent than many other areas of the country.

Most importantly, Guilin offers a glimpse into what much of China is really like.  It is not nearly as Westernized as major Chinese cities, and it’s not uncommon to see farm vehicles traveling down the same roads as Volkswagen sedans.  The majority of Guilin’s people speak little English, so Guilin additionally offers a valuable environment for learning about Chinese language and culture.  Last but not least, Guangxi is a gateway into southeast Asia, as Guilin is only a bus ride away from northern Vietnam.

If I’ve learned one important lesson since moving to southern China, it’s that staying put in one place for a while can open up your eyes to beauty that may not be immediately apparent upon arrival.  Remaining open to cultural differences and refraining from imposing judgments upon those you meet along the way hold the key to an unforgettable travel experience.