A small and quiet city by Chinese standards, Guilin is a modern and bustling Chinese urban area with about 6 million inhabitants located in Guangxi Province.

Known throughout China for the sheer beauty of the surrounding nature, Guilin is a popular destination for Chinese tourism. The giant trees, the dedicated parks and green spaces, and the rivers and lakes all add to the natural beauty.

One of my favorite pictures of Guilin is the one above, because the sidewalks and pedestrian walkways are really that beautiful!

Like in most of China, cities are places where the ultra modern and aspects from traditional villages co-exist or are right next to each other.

Though sky rise buildings are being erected, some people remain chilling on their traditional bamboo rafts floating on the Li River and fishing like the old days!

Just steps away from the mighty Li River are the modern asphalt streets of Guilin and the flashing neon lights of advertising.

Yet, even with giant LCD screens and bright lights, the thing I liked about Guilin was the neatly manicured landscaping – even on the major roads.

One of the largest and most prestigious universities in Guilin is the “Guangxi Normal University.” Not sure how or why “Normal” was included in the name, but the campus is far from normal.

The entrance is through an arch of the ancient city wall.

The university is home to a number of historical attractions of Guilin and is known for its old Chinese architecture.

The tree on the left is known as the “Husband and Wife”, two different trees that grew together.

On the right is a monument dedicated to Sun Yat-sen, considered the modern founding father of the Republic of China.

Located in the center of Guilin is the famous Elephant Trunk Hill. Does it look like an elephant trunk to you?

Just like the beauty of Yangshuo, Guilin is surrounded by fascinating rock formations and gorgeous jagged mountains.

The most iconic symbols that represents the city of Guilin are the twin Sun and Moon pagodas located in a beautiful Guilin park in the center of Shan Lake.

They are most beautiful at night with the lights come on!

Food is always and will forever be of utmost importance in China, and each region has its own specialty. Among the many tasty Chinese dishes to eat are Guilin rice noodles.

Guilin noodles include spaghetti like rice noodles bathed in meaty broth and covered in Chinese pickled vegetables, slices of meat, garlic, chili sauce and green onions.

Chinese have a gift when it comes to creating parks – and in Guilin parks are gorgeous and plentiful.

This main Guilin park is a huge green space full of lakes, intricate bridges, lots of vegetation, and countless people doing Tai Chi, practicing calligraphy and just walking the dog!

Have you been to Guilin?