Guangxi, the landscape on the twenty-yuan note
Guangxi, province of karst: the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo, the Longji rice terraces and the southern coast.
The short answer
Guangxi is the province on the ¥20 note: limestone peaks along the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo, the Longji rice terraces to the north, and the coast at Beihai in the south. Five or six days is enough, or three if you only want the river. April–May and September–October are the best months.
- The Li River cruise runs 83 km from Guilin to Yangshuo in about 4 hours
- The capital is Nanning, not Guilin; Guilin to Nanning is 2h by high-speed rail
- The Longji terraces are 2 hours from Guilin and fill with water in May and June
- The ¥20 note shows the Li River bend at Xingping, 25 km upstream of Yangshuo
- Guangxi borders Vietnam; Detian Waterfall on the frontier drops 30 m
The city to base yourself in
Guilin is the city most people know; Guangxi is the province around it, from Yangshuo south to the Vietnam border and north to the drum towers of Sanjiang. Guilin →
Karst, not mountains
Guangxi is limestone country. The peaks around Guilin and Yangshuo are the weathered remains of an ancient seabed, left standing as towers 100–200 m high across a plain of rice fields and rivers. The Li River runs 437 km from the Mao'er Mountains to the sea; the celebrated stretch is the 83 km (52 mi) between Guilin and Yangshuo.
North and south of the river
North of Guilin, the Longji terraces are 700 years of engineering climbing a hillside near Longsheng, about 2 hours by road. They fill with water in May and June and turn gold in early October, which is when the day-trip coaches are thickest.
South of the karst, the province flattens to the Beibu Gulf. Beihai's Silver Beach is a 24 km sweep of sand, and Detian Waterfall — about 30 m high and 200 m wide — falls across the border into Vietnam, 200 km from Nanning.
When to go
April to May and September to October give 20–28°C and clearer air. June to August is the rainy season, 30°C and humid, and the Li River can run brown for a day or two after heavy rain. Winter is mild at 10–18°C but misty, which softens the peaks and suits anyone who prefers fewer crowds and lower prices.
The Li River
The 83 km cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo, about 4 hours and ¥215–360 by boat class.
Yangshuo
Cycling country on the Yulong River, with the karst at walking pace and a busy old street.
The Longji rice terraces
2 hours from Guilin, flooded and silver in May, gold at the October harvest.
Xingping
The river bend on the ¥20 note, 25 km upstream of Yangshuo — reach it by local bus.
Detian Waterfall
A 30 m fall straddling the Vietnam border, 200 km from Nanning on the western edge.
The Beihai coast
A 24 km beach and a quieter side of Guangxi, with boats out to Weizhou Island.
Practical
| Province capital | Nanning |
|---|---|
| Main airport(s) | Guilin Liangjiang (KWL); Nanning Wuxu (NNG) |
| Direct flights from the UK | None; connect via Guangzhou, Hong Kong or Shanghai |
| High-speed rail | Guilin–Guangzhou 2h30 · Guilin–Nanning 2h |
| Best months | April–May and September–October |
| Typical length of stay | 5–6 days |
| Li River cruise | 83 km (52 mi) from Guilin to Yangshuo, about 4h |
| Longji terraces | 2 hours from Guilin; water-filled May–June |
| Borders | Vietnam, with Detian Waterfall on the frontier |
| Time zone | GMT+8 (7 hours ahead of the UK in summer, 8 in winter) |
Getting there from the UK
There are no direct flights from the UK to Guilin. The usual route is a change at Guangzhou, Hong Kong or Shanghai, about 14 hours in total, with the final leg into Guilin Liangjiang (KWL) taking 2 hours from Guangzhou.
From Guangzhou, high-speed rail reaches Guilin in 2 hours 30 minutes if you would rather take the train for the last stretch; Guilin to Nanning is a further 2 hours. Guilin has two stations, so check which one your train uses before booking a hotel.
How many days
Five days is a good length. Two nights in Guilin and Yangshuo for the river and the cycling, a night among the Longji terraces, and the rest for the coast if you have it. Three days covers Guilin and Yangshuo only, which is what most add-on trips do before flying on to Shanghai, Chengdu or Hong Kong.
Worth knowing if you're travelling from the UK
British passport holders can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days until 31 December 2026, and Guangxi is no exception. The province sits on GMT+8, seven hours ahead of London in summer. Cards work at hotels and the bigger restaurants in Guilin and Yangshuo, but the countryside runs on mobile payment: set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly and keep ¥200–300 for the terraces and the river villages. High-speed rail from Guangzhou makes Guangxi an easy last stop before a flight home from Hong Kong.