 Liuzhou Travel Guide 柳州  Population: 3,545,500  Area: 18,677 square kilometers (7,211 square miles)  Nationalities: Han, Dong, Miao  Administrative Division: 4 districts (Chengzhong, Yufeng, Liunan, Liubei); 6 counties (Liujiang, Liucheng, Luzhai, Rong'an, Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Rongshui Miao Autonomous County)

 Location: Liuzhou is located in the north- central part of Guangxi bordering on Guilin in the east. It shares a boundary with Hunan in the north and Guizhou in the northwest.  History: Liuzhou belonged to Guilin Shire during the Qin Dynasty, and it was not until the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD) that the city that was to become Liuzhou came into being. During the Tang Dynasty ( ), the name of this area was changed from Maping County to Liuzhou.

 Physical Features( 自然特征 ): Liuzhou has a typical karst landform with the clear Liuhe River flowing through the city. It is surrounded by mountains in the east, west and north. The terrain consists of river bends in the city center, karst plains in the northern part, isolated peaks and valleys in the south, and river terraces, karst basins and hills in the east. Climate: Liuzhou enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate with moderate temperatures and abundant rainfall.

 The summers are long and hot, while the winters are short and not so cold.

 Longtan Scenic Area( 大龙潭公园 ):  It is a spectacular tourist zone that combines beautiful natural scenery, distinctive customs of the ethnic minority groups, and the subtropical karst landscape.

 一、简介  1 、 3 千米  2 、规划面积 1084ha. 建成 151 。 7 公顷；  3 、由 1 湖 2 潭 24 峰构成  4 、集岩溶山水、少数民族风情、亚热带植物 景观为一体 subtropical plants

 二、山水胜景  1 、龙潭（雷塘）－神龙兴雷降雨  make thunder and raining  2 、八龙喷雪坝－九龙－镜湖（ 18 － 20 度， 双潭烟雨）－铭文  Spraying Water Dam with Eight Dragons’ Heads 

 三、雷龙古迹－柳宗元祈雨亭 1 、雷塘庙 Temple of Thunder Immortal 2 、祭祀台回音 Sacrificing Platform-echo 3 、祈雨文碑亭 Tablet Pavilion for Praying Raining 4 、柳宗元 —— 办学、挖井修渠、释放奴隶、 种柑栽柳

 四、少数民族风情园  1 、民族风情村  2 、傣亭  3 、风雨桥（ 102 米， 76 孔，程阳风雨桥）－ 鼓楼  墩 -frusta

 Fish Peak Hill Park ( 鱼峰山 )  This park is in the southern part of Liuzhou and features such scenic spots as Fish Peak Hill (Yufengshan), Carp Peak (Liyufeng), and Little Dragon Pool (Xiaolongtan). Fish Peak Hill is connected with a beautiful legend, which says that Third Sister Liu, a beautiful girl and a good singer, ran away from the evil landlord( 地主 ) Mo Huairen and was carried by the current of the Liujiang River down to Liuzhou, where she was saved by a fisherman and later fell in love with a young man.

 Fish Peak Hill Park ( 鱼峰山 )

 Fish Peak Hill Park and Third Sister Liu

 鱼峰山

 Unfortunately, Liu was caught again by Mo Huairen's men, who threw her into Little Dragon Pool. This time she was saved by a fish goddess who jumped out of the water and carried her up to the sky, while another fish goddess flew over and took Mo Huairen in her arms and then turned into a hill with the evil man underneath -- the hill called Fish Peak Hill today. The top of the hill affords a marvelous view of the city of Liuzhou and the beautiful Liujiang River.

 Marquis Liu Park (Liuhougongyuan) ( 柳侯公园 ) Located in the city proper, Marquis Liu Park occupies an area of 260,000 square meters. A temple was built here to commemorate( 纪 念 ) the outstanding literary achievements of Liu Zongyuan ( ), a renowned man of letters of the Tang Dynasty who was dismissed from his official post in the central government and demoted( 降级 ) to be the magistrate( 地方官 ) of Liuzhou because of his reformist( 改革的 ) ideas.

 A tomb containing Liu Zongyuan's clothes can also be visited in the park.

 柳侯公园

 柳侯公园内的桔香亭与怡情园

 柳侯公园

 柳侯公园内的罗池

 Dule Cave( 都乐岩 )  Situated in the southern suburbs of Liuzhou, this limestone cave( 石灰岩 ) with its fantastically shaped stalactites ( 钟乳石 ) and stalagmites( 石笋 ) was formed more than a million years ago, like Seven-Star Cave( 七星 岩 ) and Reed Flute Cave( 芦笛岩 ) in Guilin. At one place on the ceiling of the cave, there is a small hole through which the sky can be seen, as from a deep well.

 Dule Cave( 都乐岩 )

 Legend has it that the cave was inhabited( 居 住 ) by yet another fish goddess who leaped out of the cave through the ceiling, leaving a hole in it, when she heard that Third Sister Liu was in trouble. Dule Cave is very deep, with many twisted passages( 弯弯曲曲的 ) and many smaller caves within it. The oddly shaped( 奇形怪状的 ) rocks and the gurgling( 汩汩声 ) of underground streams give and cave an eerie( 阴森可怖的 ) atmosphere.

 Rongshui Miao Autonomous County ( 融水苗族自治县）  Rongshui, 168 kilometers east of Guilin, is a Miao autonomous county. The Lusheng Festival and the Gulongpo Festival( 古龙坡会 ) are excellent opportunities to see the talented Miao singers and dancers. Tourists can now cruise the Beijiang River to admire the scenery along the shores, or become guests in the Miao villages of Goutan, Changlai and Luojiu.

 融水老君洞

 Rongshui Miao Autonomous County attracts visitors with its charming natural scenery. The clear Bei River flows all the year round and the bamboo on the banks are green in four seasons. Changlai Miao Village, on the Bei River bank and 10 kilometers from the county seat, features Miao dance and reed- pipe( 簧管 ) tunes. The villagers always entertain( 招待 ) their guests with unique local foods.

 Sanjiang Dong villages( 三江侗寨 )  A hundred kilometres northwest of Guilin the road winds steeply through some fine stands of mountain bamboo, and enters the southern limit of a fascinating ethnic autonomous region. With a superbly rich landscape as a backdrop( 背景 ), it‘s simple to hop on( 跳上 ) local transport from the county towns of Longsheng and Sanjiang and head off to tour the predominantly Dong villages,

 experiencing first-hand life in a corner of rural China that seemingly remains little affected by the modern world. Day trips abound, but, with five days or so to spare, you can push right through the mountainous Dong heartlands( 中心地带 ) northwest of Sanjiang into Guizhou Province, a fabulous( 极美好的 ) journey which takes you to the area around Kaili, similarly central to the Miao people. Before starting, note that there are no banks capable of cashing travellers' cheques between Guilin and Kaili.

 About the Drum Towers of Dong villages( 侗 寨鼓楼 ), yes, no matter which village you walk into, the first thing to meet your eye is inevitably a drum tower, resembling( 像 ) either a magnificent pavilion( 亭子 ) or an exquisite pagoda. Despite their great size, no drum tower is ever built with iron nails. Like the wind and rain bridges( 风雨桥 ), they are built of fir( 冷杉 ), and neatly connected by tenons( 榫头 ) and mortises( 榫眼 ).

 马胖鼓楼

 侗族风雨桥

 The lower part of a drum tower is a square hall of square meters. On one side of the hall, there is always a large drum with an ox-hide( 牛皮 ) surface; at the center of the hall is a fireplace( 壁炉 ) with wooden planks( 木板 ) and railings( 篱笆 ) around the four sides. Furnished with benches, a tower hall usually can accommodate a gathering of 100 to 200 people. In fact, the drum tower is the center of social activities for the Dong people.

 Once the drum is beaten, people will gather at the tower. From the first to the seventh day of every Spring Festival, besides visiting each other, the Dong also come to the brightly lit up tower to sing together, enlivening( 活跃 ) the holiday atmosphere. Beginning with the winter solstice( 冬至 ) in late December, people assemble at the tower to learn new songs. Young people cut golden bamboo on the mountain and bring them to the tower. They invite masters to teach them how to split the bamboo to make bamboo-pipes of various sizes.

 During the Bamboo-pipe Festival, young people from nearby villages come to sing and dance together beside the drum tower. The drum tower is also a meeting place for young people.