History of Guilin

The scenery of Guilin has been called the finest under heaven. Situated in the northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guilin City is South China's shining pearl, with verdant mountains, elegant waters, magnificent crags and fantastic caverns.

Guilin has a history of more than 2,000 years. In the 6th year of Yuanding During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (111 BC), Guilin was a county, called Shi An County, and from the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, it was the political, economic and cultural centre of Guangxi. In 1921, the North Expeditionary Army led by Sun Zhongshan (Dr. Sun Yat-sen) joined forces In Guilin,and the headquarters was sited in the Royal Palace at the foot Of the Solitary Beauty Peak. The city acquired its present name in the year of 1940.

The Nan Mountains, dividing the Yangzi River basin to the north from the Xi river valley to the south, have always protected Guangxi province from unwelcome intruders. They not only shelter this tropical region from the cruelly bitter winds of the Gobi, throughout its history they've also shielded it from the encroachments of the Imperialist Han Empire.

From their first invasion here in the 3rd century BC until the 12th century AD, the Han Chinese considered Guangxi an exotic region inhabited by barbaric and unruly aboriginal tribes. From the Yuan dynasty (1271) onwards Imperial control was only successfully maintained by the use of force. Even today, this region, which hosts 12 different ethnic minorities, boasts a fair measure of independence. It is officially known as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region - its largest ethnic minority is comprised of Zhuang people.

Guilin was originally a vast expanse of sea until about one hundred and ninety million years ago, when, owing to the movement of the earth crust, the whole area rose and became land. The Limestone, weathered and eroded by water, became today's fantastic stone forests, peaks, underground streams and caves, thus giving unique features to Guilin's scenery.

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