Guiping
Guiping (桂平) is a small city in Central Guangxi. It is administratively part of the prefecture city of Guigang.
Understand
The area's best-known son was Hong Xiuqian who led the Taiping Rebellion in the mid-19th century. He claimed to be Jesus' younger brother, and was convincing enough to attract tens of thousands of followers and to rule much of China for over a decade. There is a museum in Nanjing, which was his capital, about his Tai Ping Tian Guo, the Kingdom of Heavenly Peace. His actual hometown was a small village in Hua County, which is now a district of Guangzhou known as Huadu District.
Get in
By train
By bus
Guiping has two major bus stationsː
- 2 Guiping Central Bus Station (桂平客运中心站), Zhongshan Road South (中山南路) (Across the road from Zhongshan Hospital), ☏ +86 775 3323058.
- 3 Guiping General Bus Station (桂平汽车总站), 155 Xianfu Street, Xishan Town (西山镇县府街155号), ☏ +86 775 3380032.
Get around
See
- 1 East Pagoda (东塔) (Bus no. 8). Built in 1573 and expanded in the 17th century, the 50-metre-high East Pagoda is the tallest pagoda in Guangxi.
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- 2 Jintian Uprising Site (金田起义旧址, 金田起义景区 Jintian Uprising Scenic Area), Jintian Village, Jintian Town (金田镇金田村) (There are said to be special buses to the site from the Guiping Railway Station. These buses arrive at and depart from the East Gate of the historical park. Alternatively, you could head to one of Guiping's bus stations and catch a bus to Jintian Town, then take a taxi or motorised pedicab to the site), ☏ +86 775 3566004, tptg356@163.com. 09ː00-17ː00. This is the site where in 1851 Hong Xiuquan launched the Jintian Uprising, the first military engagement in what later became known as the Taiping Rebellion. Today the site is a historical park. It features a museum, some archaeological ruins, and a number of statues. Entry to the museum is free. Entry to the park is ¥20.
- 3 Longtan National Forest Park (龙潭国家森林公园, Longtan Guojia Senlin Gongyuan), Nanmu Town (南木镇) (Take special bus no. 666 from Guiping Railway Station. The bus departs at 08ː00, 09ː20, 10ː50, 12ː15, 13ː45 and 15ː20), ☏ +86 775 3092026 (visitor centre), +86 775 3370033 (administration office). 08ː00-17ː30. Accommodation is available inside the park. Standard entry fee is ¥60. Students and persons over 60 pay half price. Children under 1.3 metres in height and persons over 70 can enter for free. Tickets for the park bus cost ¥20.
- 4 West Mountain National Scenic Zone (西山国家重点风景名胜区 Xishan Guojia Zhongdian Fengjing Mingsheng Qu), 3 Xishan Road (西山路3号) (Take bus no. 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 17 or 666 and get off at Siling Primary School (思灵小学), formerly known as Xishan Primary School (西山小学). The ticket office is about 950 metres west of the bus stop. You should see a sign (in both Chinese and English) pointing to the park as soon as you alight from the bus), ☏ +86 775 3382971, +86 775 3398370. 04ː00-19ː00 (The temples open at 08ː00), no entry is permitted after 16ː00. A typical small scenic mountain with temples, pavilions, strange rocks, etc. Known for Xishan tea, which you can purchase from one of the shops near the entrance. This is also a good place from which to get a bird's eye view of the city. Climbing the 678-metre-high summit requires a certain level of fitness but you can take the cable car part of the way. ¥90 (admission fee), ¥50 (one-way cable car ticket).
- 5 Longhua Temple (龙华寺), West Mountain National Scenic Zone (西山国家重点风景名胜区). One of Guiping's oldest temples, the Longhua Temple was originally founded in the Song Dynasty but has been rebuilt several times.
- 6 Xishi Nunnery (洗石庵), West Mountain National Scenic Zone (西山国家重点风景名胜区). Founded in 1686, the Xishi Nunnery is one of Guangxi's best known nunneries.
- 7 Zhongshan Park (中山公园), 84 Guangchang Street (广场街84号) (The park is just north of Culture Square. Bus nos. 3 and 15 stop near the park entrance), ☏ +86 775 3382263. A park dedicated to Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan), founder of China's first republic. There are of course many Zhongshan Parks in China but this one is somewhat unique as Sun actually visited the park in 1921 (when it was called something else) and advised on its development. A large statue of Sun stands just inside the entrance to the park. Free.
