In The Path Of Marco Polo: The Itinerary - Day 18 - Guilin & The Elephant Trunk Hill

08 October 2013, Tuesday

From Yangshuo, we're going to return the short distance back to Guilin where we're going to visit the Elephant Trunk Hill. Later on we'll get some free time to wander the city.

Guilin
Established in 314 BC, Guilin is located on the west bank of the Li River in North Guanxi province. Its name means "Forest of Sweet Osmanthus" due to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city. The city has long been renowned for its unique scenery of Karst topography and is one of China's most popular tourist destinations. There are many scenic places within short traveling distance of Guilin, including Longsheng with its famous Longji rice terraces, the Lijiang River, a scene printed on the back of ¥20 bank notes

Separated from the center of China and the Yangtze River basin by the Nan Mountains, the area has always been distinct from the rest of China. The Han empire first expanded into Guangxi in the 2nd century BC. The Ling Canal was cut around the time, allowing small boats to transit from the Yangtze to the south flowing Xi River via the Xiang River.

Guilin

Trade grew along the canal and river routes. Guilin was founded as a trading post in the 1st century BC on the West bank of the Kuei River During the Ming dynasty, a garrison was set up in Guilin and the surrounding area gradually settled with the development of farmland. The city had a population of over two million at the time of the Second World War, but was utterly destroyed during the war. The population slowly recovered with post-war construction of several factories for the production of paper, chemicals and agricultural equipment.

Guangxi and Guilin are home to 12 different ethnic minorities besides the Han Chinese. Guangxi is an autonomous region for the Zhuang ethnic group, rather than a province. Various other minorities, such as the Dong, are also found in the area.

Elephant Trunk Hill
Elephant Trunk Hill is the symbol of the city of Guilin. It got its name because it looks like an elephant drinking water. The round opening that would be under the elephant’s trunk is known as Water-Moon Cave because at night the reflection of the moon can be seen through the arch and it looks like it is under the water and floating on the surface of the water at the same time. Elephant Trunk Hill and Water-Moon Cave are located at the confluence of the Taohua River and the Lijiang River.