Palace walls
Ming era.
Wikimedia Commons contributor — Public domain · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · lienyuan lee — CC BY 3.0 · Zhangzhugang — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Zhangzhugang — CC BY-SA 3.0 · lienyuan lee — CC BY 3.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · Zhangzhugang — CC BY-SA 3.0
A walled Ming-dynasty palace in the heart of Guilin, begun in 1372 as the seat of the Princes of Jingjiang, the first being Zhu Shouqian, great-nephew of the Ming dynasty's founder; fourteen princes from twelve generations lived here over 257 years, and it is older than Beijing's Forbidden City. The palace burned and was rebuilt several times over the centuries and few of its original wooden buildings survive, but its walls, gates, stone hall platforms, marble steps and carved balustrades still stand, and part of it is now a campus of Guangxi Normal University. At the centre of the complex rises Duxiu, the Solitary Beauty Peak, a sheer rock hill climbed by a stone stairway to a panoramic view of the city; its cliffs carry many inscriptions, including the one where the famous phrase «Guilin's landscape is the finest under heaven» first appeared. Tickets are about CNY 100 per adult, covering the palace and the peak, per visitor guides. The climb to the top is steep but short; allow about two hours.
Ming era.
Panoramic views.
Guilin's famous phrase.
Central old Guilin
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Diecai HillA cluster of hills in north-central Guilin on the west bank of the Li River whos11 minutes walk4.3
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Elephant Trunk HillThe symbol and official emblem of Guilin, a limestone hill where the Li River me21 minutes walk4.4
Seven Star ParkGuilin's largest park, on the east bank of the Li River, covering about 137 hect23 minutes walk4.0It first appeared in a poem carved on Solitary Beauty Peak inside the Jingjiang Princes' City, written by the official Wang Zhenggong (1133–1203).