The Best 30 Flickr Photos from Guilin

Contents Guilin is beautiful. Her rivers, lakes, and mountains are only a portion of that beauty — it's also her people and their culture which help make Guilin such a marvelous city. We spent countless hours curating Flickr's best images to bring you this inside look at the magic of Guilin. If the photographs leave you wanting to plan a trip, our Guilin travel guide covers where to go and how to get around. Enjoy! 山 01 Karst Peaks, Rivers, and Caves Guilin's skyline of steep, isolated limestone towers is the product of millions of years of rainwater slowly dissolving an ancient seabed. The result is a landscape so distinctive that it has appeared in Chinese painting and poetry for centuries. Beautiful Sky in Guilin, China Shifting light and cloud over Guilin's limestone peaks — the reason photographers keep coming back. Photo by Paul Reiffer Karst Window A natural opening in the rock frames the peaks beyond, a formation created as groundwater carved through soluble limestone. Photo by Chris Kealy Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller. – Ibn Battuta River's Bend, a.k.a. Horseshoe Bend The river loops back on itself in a near-perfect horseshoe, one of the most recognizable views along this stretch of water. Photo by Dan Ballard Reed Flute Cave Reed Flute Cave (芦笛岩, Lúdí Yán) takes its name from the reeds growing at its entrance, which were once used to make flutes. Ink inscriptions left by visitors date back to the Tang dynasty. Photo by Pierre Nordström Rainy Day in Guilin Rain and mist flatten the peaks into layers of grey — the effect that traditional Chinese landscape painting has been chasing for centuries. Photo by Azam Abedi Bamboo Boats in Guilin, China Bamboo rafts (竹筏, zhúfá) remain the most common way to travel the smaller waterways around Guilin. Photo by LainaK-Wong View of Guilin from Fubo Hill Fubo Hill (伏波山, Fúbō Shān) rises straight out of the riverbank in central Guilin and offers one of the best panoramas of the city. Photo by Thomas Bächinger Awe-inspiring Campsite A hilltop tent at sunrise, with the peaks emerging from the valley mist below. Photo by Andy Beales 城 02 The City of Guilin It is easy to forget that Guilin is a working city of several million people, not just a backdrop for river cruises. These photographs catch it at street level. A View of Guilin at Night Guilin's night view (桂林夜景, Guìlín yèjǐng) — city lights doubled in the still water of the lakes that ring the old center. Photo by Still92 Sun & Moon Pagodas The Sun and Moon Pagodas (日月双塔, Rì Yuè Shuāng Tǎ) stand in Shanhu Lake in the heart of the city, joined by an underwater tunnel. Photo by Domingo Leiva Sun & Moon Pagodas at Dusk The same pair at dusk. The taller Sun Pagoda is clad in copper; the Moon Pagoda beside it is lit a cooler silver-blue. Photo by Peter Stewart Reflecting Sun Pagoda in Downtown Guilin The Sun Pagoda (日塔, Rì Tǎ) mirrored in the lake, framed by the downtown skyline behind it. Photo by Vladimir Yaitskiy The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams. – Oprah Winfrey Downtown Intersection at Night Scooters, taxis, and shopfront neon at a downtown crossing — Guilin's everyday evening rhythm. Photo by Ilya Biker with Umbrella One hand on the handlebars, one on the umbrella — a common sight during Guilin's long, wet spring. Photo by Bernd Thaller River-crossing with Bicycle Where there's no bridge, you wade. A cyclist pushes his bike across a shallow crossing. Photo by Christopher Lewis 人 03 The People of Guilin The scenery is what brings photographers to Guilin. The faces and the street trades are often what they remember. Sidewalk Calligraphy Writing Chinese calligraphy in water on the pavement is a popular pastime in parks and public squares across China — the characters fade as they dry, so the practice can begin again. Photo by Alan Lew Portrait of a Guilin Local Man A portrait of a Guilin grandfather, caught mid-thought. Photo by John Marshall Portrait of a Guilin Local Woman Titled Les Marques du Temps — "the marks of time." Photo by Daniel Cheong Expert Cobbler Roadside cobblers still work the pavements of Guilin, repairing shoes while you wait. Shot by Michael Steverson, whose work CLI has featured before. Photo by Michael Steverson I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world. – Mary Anne Radmacher 渔 04 Cormorant Fishermen on the Li River Few images say "Guilin" as immediately as a fisherman poling a bamboo raft along the Li River with cormorants perched at either end. The technique is centuries old: the birds dive, catch fish, and are trained to return to the raft. Today the practice survives mostly as a demonstration for visitors and photographers rather than as a working livelihood. That does not make the sight any less extraordinary. Cormorant Fisherman Stands Tall Balanced on a bamboo raft with his birds, silhouetted against the early light. Photo by Andy Beales Li River Fisherman A cormorant (鸬鹚, lúcí) perched on each end of the raft, waiting for the next dive. Photo by Paul Weeks Cormorant Fishing on the Li River, China The pole, the conical hat, and the birds — a silhouette that has become shorthand for Guilin itself. Photo by Daniel Cheong Cormorant Fisherman with Lamp Lamplight was traditionally used to draw fish toward the surface after dark. Photo by Dan Ballard The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready. – Henry David Thoreau Guilin Cormorant Fisherman Takes a Smoking Break A pause during the blue hour, pipe lit, birds waiting. Photo by Andy Beales Early Morning Cormorant Fisherman in Guilin First light on the water, before the tour boats arrive. Photo by Michael Steverson 田 05 Beyond the City: Yangshuo and Longsheng Two of the region's best-known destinations sit within a couple of hours of Guilin. Both are easy day trips, and both look completely different from the city. Yangshuo Intersection Downhill from Guilin along the Li River, Yangshuo packs its shops and cafés in beneath the peaks. Photo by Bernd Thaller People don't take trips, trips take people. – John Steinbeck Sunset at Longsheng Rice Terrace The Longji rice terraces in Longsheng County, carved into the hillsides over generations beginning in the Yuan dynasty. Photo by Shashin Surti Guilin has been CLI's home since the beginning, and it is a big part of why students who choose to learn Chinese in China with us end up staying longer than they planned. Scenery like this stops being a photograph and starts being the walk to class. Study Chinese in Guilin or Start Online CLI offers personalized Chinese instruction built around your goals. Join our Immersion Program in Guilin or begin from anywhere with a free Chinese lesson . Explore the Immersion Program Learn Chinese Online 词 06 Useful Guilin Vocabulary Here are the Chinese words behind the places and scenes in these photographs. Chinese Pinyin Translation 桂林 Guìlín Guilin (city name; "forest of osmanthus") 漓江 Lí Jiāng Li River 阳朔 Yángshuò Yangshuo (county south of Guilin) 龙胜 Lóngshèng Longsheng (county northwest of Guilin) 龙脊梯田 Lóngjǐ Tītián Longji ("Dragon's Backbone") Rice Terraces 芦笛岩 Lúdí Yán Reed Flute Cave 伏波山 Fúbō Shān Fubo Hill 日月双塔 Rì Yuè Shuāng Tǎ Sun and Moon Pagodas 杉湖 Shān Hú Shanhu ("Fir") Lake 鸬鹚 lúcí cormorant 渔夫 yúfū fisherman 竹筏 zhúfá bamboo raft 喀斯特 kāsītè karst 山水 shānshuǐ landscape (lit. "mountains and water") 书法 shūfǎ calligraphy 夜景 yèjǐng night view 照片 zhàopiàn photograph 摄影师 shèyǐngshī photographer 漂亮 piàoliang beautiful 游 07 Plan Your Visit Photographs can only do so much. The peaks, the river, and the people behind these images are all still there, and they are far better in person. We hope to study Mandarin in China together some day soon. Don't forget to follow CLI on X, Instagram, and Facebook. Opening image by Andy Beales Related Guides Beautiful Photos from Guilin Another gallery of Guilin scenery, from river mornings to mountain sunsets. Photos of Guilin Locals Portraits of the people who live and work in the city. 12 Breathtaking Images by Peter Stewart More from the photographer behind the Sun and Moon Pagodas shot above. What Does "Guilin" Mean? The story behind the city's name and the osmanthus trees it refers to. The History of Guilin From Qin dynasty canal town to one of China's most photographed cities. Elephant Trunk Hill A closer look at the karst formation that has become Guilin's emblem. 18 Things to Experience While Studying Abroad in Guilin What to do once you've arrived, from rice wine to rooftop pools.