Guilin Xishan Scenic Area Guide

Guilin Xishan Scenic Area Introduction: Guilin Xishan Scenic Area is located in the center of Guilin City, covering an area of 1.25 million square meters. More than 1,000 years ago during the Tang Dynasty, it became a tourist destination and is the earliest developed tourist area in Guilin. The scenic area consists of the Xishan peaks, West Lake, and Yinshan. Inside, the peaks are surrounded by towering heights, with West Lake and Taohua River reflecting each other, forming a landscape of overlapping mountains and waters. As dusk approaches, the setting sun hangs obliquely on the peaks, with changing clouds and forests, golden light in thousands of paths, and purple mist steaming up, known as the 'Xifeng Sunset Glow' from the famous Old Eight Scenic Spots of Guilin. According to records, there were thirty-six West Lakes under heaven during the Tang Dynasty, with Guilin's West Lake being the largest. The lake water is clear as a mirror, with green mountains reflected in the water; lotus fragrance ripples in the lake, with mist curling up, and a small exquisite mountain, named Yinshan, appears now and then. In the 'Inscription of Yinshan' written by the Qing Dynasty scholar Ruan Yuan, it says: 'One mountain is completely hollow, with six caves interconnecting.' Each of the six caves has its own posture, mostly connected with spring water, forming an underground 'Dragon Palace,' known as the 'most extraordinary place of rock caves in Guangxi.' Guilin Xishan Scenic Area is also the original site of Xiqinglin Temple, the leading Zen forest of the five major southern Zen forests during the Tang Dynasty. The existing more than 1,000 pieces of Tang steles and cliff carvings, with a history of more than 1,000 years, are the earliest and most numerous cliff carvings in Guilin City. This place has been visited by generations, with Tang Dynasty's Jianzhen, Li Bo, Rong Yu, Song Dynasty's Mi Fu, Fang Xinru, Fan Chengda, Ming Dynasty's Xu Xiake, Yuan Chonghuan, Dong Chuanze, and Xu Beihong, Lao She, and others all leaving their footprints here. Guilin Xishan Scenic Area Guide: Guilin Xishan Scenic Area has a rich cultural heritage and is the location of the 'Xifeng Sunset Glow' from the famous Old Eight Scenic Spots of Guilin. In Guilin, there are generally two major categories of plum blossoms: 'wax plum' and 'plum blossom.' Wax plums usually bloom in competition during the lunar December, while plum blossoms typically need to fully bloom around February. Inside the Fazang Zen Temple in Xishan, there is a small forest of yellow wax plum blossoms,