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Top 11 Ancient Villages and Towns in Guilin and Yangshuo

Written by Ruru Zhou Updated Apr. 9, 2021

1. Daxu Ancient Town (Guilin)

Located on the banks of the Li River, Daxu Ancient Town is ranked as one of the four famous ancient towns in Guangxi. It was founded in 200 BC and used to be a busy business center in the Qing Dynasty. There are well-preserved ancient buildings, worn bluestone streets, and cultural traditions. Daxu is surely a paradise for lovers of history and antiquities.

Highlights of Daxu Ancient Town

The Longevity Bridge: Constructed during the Ming Dynasty between 1368 and 1644, the Longevity Bridge is a single-arch stone bridge standing at the junction of the Ma River and the Li River. The bridge looks firm, steady, elegant, and has a quaint simplicity. This rainbow-shaped bridge is one of the key cultural relics under the county government’s protection. From the top, visitors can see the scenic views of the Li River, Millstone Hill, and Snail Hill.

Historical Architecture: Lots of significant buildings constructed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties from wood and stone and decorated with beautiful carvings are Daxu’s highlights. Take a stroll along the street to appreciate ancient Chinese architecture will be very pleasurable.

Go Strawberry Picking: Daxu Ancient Town is also the place to taste some typical countryside food like dumping snacks, local delicacies, and fruits. It’s a wonderful thing to pick juicy strawberries and stroll along country roads to enjoy beautiful farms and a rural lifestyle. Read more on Daxu Ancient Town

2. Xiongcun Ancient Village (Guilin)

Xiongcun Village is an ancient town about 26 km from Guilin and 8 km from the Daxu town. It’s a small village that few people know about. Surrounded by green hills and wide fields, Xiongcun is ancient, beautiful, and pure. The architecture here is in the style of the Qing Dynasty. Some buildings here are very similar to the European classical architectural style. Remaining, are many "Cultural Revolution" slogans, bearing witness to a period of bitterly painful history.

Highlights of Xiongcun Ancient Town

Natural and authentic: Xiongcun has kept its original appearance for 1000 years. It is an old storybook that’s worth reading. It used to be a busy commercial transfer station. But now prosperity has become a thing of the past, and only old and quiet houses are left standing there, waiting for the descendants to recall their memories. You can see the locals’ original lifestyle and feel traces of history throughout the village. It’s a lonely but authentic town.

3. Longji Ping'an Village (Longsheng)

With an altitude of 1200 meters, Pingan Village is located at the top of Longji Terraces. The population here is about 200 and all are Zhuang minorities. So here there are the exquisite Zhuang costumes and ancient simple living customs.

Highlights of Pingan Village

Zhuang Minority building and lifestyle: People living here still remain old in their special costumes and lifestyles. Their houses are traditional three stories wood buildings with hemp railing. And it’s surrounded by terraces and ecological forests.

The Longji Terraces: There are mainly two scenic spots. "Seven Stars Around the Moon" is located at the No.2 viewing spot. The "Nine Dragons and Five Tigers" is located at the No.1 viewing spot. The two scenic spots are the best place to get a bird’s eye of the Longji Terraces.

4. Longji Dazhai Village (Longsheng Jinkeng Terraces)

Dazhai Village is a Yao ethnic minority village located at the base of the Jinkeng Terraces in Longsheng County. It’s about 20 km from Longji Terraces and serves as the main tourist center with many hotels and guest houses in Jinkeng Terraces. It’s much higher and larger than Longji Terraces and also has a cable car for traveling.

Quick Facts

Highlights of Dazhai Village

Enjoy the slow life: Here is a Yao ethnic minority village, in which there are lots of different costumes, architectural styles, and traditions. Locals are very hospitable and willing to teach their customs, like sewing, rice farming, raising animals, and cooking tasty cuisine.

Appreciate Jinkeng Terraces: The best three places are West Hill Music (Xishan Shaoyue), Thousand Layers of Heaven (Qianceng Titian), and Golden Buddha Peak (Jinfo Ding), which offer panoramic views of the whole area.

5. Longji Old Zhuang Village (Longsheng)

Longji Old Zhuang Village is a well-preserved village that recently open to tourists. There are 1300 Zhuang ethnic residents here, they still live with most traditional customs and ways of farming.

Quick Facts

Highlights of Longji Old Zhuang Village

Diaojiaolou: There are large-scale Diaojiaolou wooden houses, built by locals. They were built by the mountain slopes and supported over the ground by wooden columns. They can protect against snakes or bugs and are flood resistant. The handrails are useful for hanging clothes and other agricultural produce. There are over five wooden buildings of over 100 years old, the oldest one enjoys a history of more than 250 years, which is ancient and full of charm.

Marvelous view of terraces: When in autumn, you can view sparkling golden rice waving along with the wind from famous viewpoints, such as “The First Rice Terrace”, “Floating Dragons to the River” and ”Slender Ditch”.

6. Fuli Ancient Town

It lies on the east bank of Li River and between Yangshuo and Xingping, which is 5 miles from Yangshuo Town. It’s free for visiting and we recommend you to spend at least one hour here. Here you can admire traditional houses, pagodas, and temples, many of which have a history of more than 1,000 years. Fuli is also famed for its painted fans, which are crafted by locals with bamboo and tissue paper.

7. Xingping Ancient Town

Located 25km from Yangshuo, Xingping is a fishing village and truly a valuable historical treasure. It witnessed big wars like the Sino-Japanese War and China's War of Liberation. Built in 1506, Xingping now still retains lots of blue bricks and black tiles, flying eaves, horse headwalls, and wood carving windows. Along with historical meaning, it also boasts some of the best natural scenery in the Yangshuo area. 2 hours will be needed for visiting.

8. Langzi Village

Located 22km from Yangshuo, Langzi Village is a Zhuang ethnic village. The large clusters of ancient architecture in Langzi village can be dated back to Ming and Qing dynasties. Old houses cover an area of 800 square meters, they are still preserved intact and they are very beautiful; with the building's complex structure, compact layout, and carved beams everywhere.

9. Jiuxian Village

Located near Yangshuo in the Yulong river, Jiuxian nestled in between a karst mountain ridge in the east and the Yulong River. Jiuxian is famous for old grey brick buildings and there is no commercialization. Here you can visit the most romantic house named Fenyulou, the ancient bridge called Xiangui Bridge, and a Secret Hotel built in the Ming Dynasty. The way to get there is by bike which takes about 40 minutes.

10. Yima Village

Located 15km from Yangshuo, Yima Village is a farming village. Here is famous the Pan House, which is a well preserve Qing Dynasty house. The household owner Mr. Pan is now 65 years old and still in good health. Yima is surrounded by green hills and paddy fields. Residents here are now living on farming with a simple life. You can reach here by bike as it’s on a countryside biking route. You can stop for 1 hour to admire the surroundings and experience authentic local life.

11. Liugong Village

20km south of Yangshuo, Liugong Village is nestled among the unique karst mountains and faces the Li River. This ancient village has over 500 years of history and is noted for its many well-preserved buildings of traditional architectural style. The main scenic spots are the Three-Colors Ponds, Buddha Temple, Water-Flowing Cave, and Old Pavilion. Many walking paths link the village to nearby rice paddies. You can reach the village by bike, by motorized rickshaw or by bamboo raft.

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