Top 5 Guilin Ancient Towns

Getting out of Guilin and exploring some of the ancient towns around the area is a great way to get away from the city and to see some stunning scenery. Jiuwu Village, Daxu Ancient Town, Xingping Ancient Town, Fuli Ancient town and Longsheng Ancient Zhuang Village are five of the most visited ancient towns near Guilin. Planning a trip to at least one of these is going to make your Guilin trip even more interesting and full of culture.

Jiuwu Village

Jiuwu Village(九屋古镇) is about 20 miles north of Guilin and has hundreds of ancient buildings that were built 800 years ago during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. During your trip to Jiuwu Village, you will enjoy walking around and looking at the old architecture.

One thing that many tourists comment on is the fact that this village isn’t really geared towards tourists – there aren’t hotels and western restaurants on every corner.

While you are there, make sure to go to the portion of the city called Jiangtou, which has the Taishi Mansion, the building for unmarried girls, Scholar Street and Nobleman Lane. These sites along with the karst geography in the background are going to make for a scenic stroll.

How to Get There:  hire a car or go with a tour group.

Daxu Ancient Town

Daxu Ancient Town(大圩古镇) is about 15 miles southeast of Guilin, so it is closer than Jiuwu. The biggest site in Daxu is the 1000 year old bluestone pavement street about 2 miles long that runs through the center. Cross over the Longevity Bridge which dates back to the Ming Dynasty, and has a beautiful backdrop of the Li River and karst peaks.

While you are in Daxu, check out the Seven Star Tombs. These tombs are ancient tombs that were placed to line up with the Big Dipper. It is an interesting site to see if you are interested in old culture or astronomy.

How to get to Daxu: you can either book a tour or go by yourself on a bus from the Guilin bus station.

Xingping Ancient Town

Xingping Ancient Town(兴坪古镇) is 40 miles from Guilin and 15 miles from Yangshuo. If you enjoyed Yangshuo, then check out Xingping, because a lot of what Yangshuo has to offer, you can find here, but with a lot fewer tourists.

The Xingping Old Street is where most tourists start because this shows the long history of the town. Xingping was a major stop on the Li River for more than 300 years between 220 AD and 590 AD.

One cave that you must see is Lotus Cave. This gigantic cave is 600 feet long and gets its name from the rock formations that resemble the lotus flower.

When you look at Nine Horses Mural Hill how many horses can you see? If you can see nine, then you are said to have a really creative mind. To get to this site, you can either hike about two hours or go by boat or bamboo raft.

How to Get There: there are several ways to get to Xingping Ancient Town. You can take a local bus from the bus station in Guilin or you can hire a taxi. But, if you are taking a cruise down the Li River, you might just stop in Xingping for a while. When tour boats arrive, the town gets a rush of tourists, but when they leave, the town settles back into a sleepy, hidden gem.

Fuli Ancient Town

Fuli Ancient Town(福利古镇) is about five miles from Yangshuo and there are buses going there from the Yangshuo bus station, but you can also cycle from Yangshuo.

Part of the adventure of going by yourself will be finding a boat to take you across the Li River into the ancient town. Although this town has a shorter history than Xingping, with only 800 years, it is still worth a visit. 

There are two parts to the town and the old town near the Li River is much more interesting than the new part of town. One thing that Fuli is famous for is their painted fans. Tourists can see artists making these fans by hand with silk and bamboo.

Another interesting site is the market in the old town. Market days are days ending in the number 1, 4 or 7 (for example, the 11th, 14th and 17th of each month). Here, you can see locals buying what they need and wares geared towards tourists.

How to Get There: take a shuttle bus from Guilin Bus Station to Yangshuo Bus Station, then interchange mini shuttle bus to Fuli Village.

Longsheng Ancient Zhuang Village

There are several things that are famous for the Guilin area. Going to Longsheng Ancient Zhaung Village(龙胜古壮寨) will allow the visitors to see three of the most famous things – scenery, minorities and rice terraces.

There are about 700 people from the Zhuang minority that live here. Tourists should go to the Zhuang Culture Museum to learn about the history and the culture of this group. The Zhuang live in wooden houses built on the side of the mountains. If you stay the night in a hotel, try to stay in a traditional wooden house.

From Longsheng, you have a great access to the rice terraces that are so famous. Travelers who can should go during the autumn, when the rice fields turn golden. Hiking there is possible if the weather cooperates.

Also, when eating in the restaurant, try some of the rice dishes that are special to this area including a dish made with five different types of rice.

How to Get There: take a shuttle bus from Guilin Bus Station to Longji Terraced Field Scenic Spot, then chnange spot line bus get to Longsheng Ancient Zhuang Village.

By getting out of Guilin and seeing some of the ancient towns around, you’ll get a better idea of the history and culture of the area and see some of the scenery that you wouldn’t be able to see from inside the city. The five villages here are some of the best villages in the area and are all worth a day trip from Guilin.