Liuzhou (柳州; Liǔzhōu) is the second largest city in Guangxi. It is an industrial city, but most of the industry has moved from the city centre and the city is much less polluted than it used to be. It also contains much of interest and is a central location within Guangxi providing access to the rest of the region. It is surrounded by beautiful karst countryside and many minority (Zhuang, Miao, Yao, Dong etc) villages.

Get in

Liuzhou is a major rail hub and has good connections with most areas of China. The small airport offers flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou etc.

By plane

• 1 Liuzhou Bailian Airport (柳州白莲机场), Yingbin Road, Liujiang District (柳江区迎宾路) (The city-airport express bus departs from the South Bus Station and stops at Yufengshan and Lianhua Bus Station before arriving at the airport. The airport is also served by public bus route no. 21, which departs from the eastern end of Wu Yi Road), ☏ +86 772 3201088. (updated Jan 2020)

By train

• 2 Liuzhou Railway Station (柳州站), 6 Nanzhan Road, Liunan District (柳南区南站路6号) (bus routes 2, 5, 11, 14 (circle route), 16, 24, 27 (circle route), 29, 32, 33, 35, 40, 42, 55, 65, 92 (circle route), 99, 507, Express Bus 1, Express Bus 2, Express Bus 8, and Express Bus 9), ☏ +86 772 3922222. (updated Jan 2020)

By bus

• 3 Liuzhou Bus Terminal (柳州汽车总站), 3 Wenbi Road, Liunan District (柳南区文笔路3号) (bus routes 10, 11, 16, 25, 27 (circle route), 28 (circle route), 32, 33, 41, 45, 64, 65, 68, 71, 81, and 601), ☏ +86 772 3808400. (updated Jan 2020)
• 4 Liuzhou South Bus Station (柳州汽车南站, 柳州长途汽车南站 Liuzhou South Long-Distance Bus Station), 81 Fei'e Road, Liunan District (柳南区飞鹅路81号) (Bus routes 2, 32, 90, 99, Express Shuttle Bus 9 and the Airport Express Bus), ☏ +86 772 3670988. (updated Jan 2020)

Get around

Liuzhou has an extensive bus service and some of the cheapest taxis in China. The city centre is easily explored on foot, but some of the parks, etc are a bit further out.

See

Museums and historical sites

• 1 Ho Chi Minh's Former Residence (胡志明旧居), 1-2 Liushi Road, Liunan District (柳南区柳石路2-1号) (Bus no. 53 stops just outside the building (get off at Yufeng South Road 鱼峰南路). Other buses that pass through the area include bus nos. 65 and 601), ☏ +86 772 3829412, +86 772 2821364. 09:00-17:00, closed on Mondays. This place used to be an inn called the Nanyang Inn. Ho Chi Minh lived here from 1943 to 1944 following his release from prison. A museum inside the building explains the history. Free. (updated Jan 2020)
• 2 Liuzhou Industrial Museum (柳州工业博物馆), 220 Liudong Road, Yufeng District (鱼峰区柳东路220号) (On the eastern side of the Wenchang Bridge. Take bus no. 12 or 59 and get off at the Industrial Museum (工业博物馆) bus stop), ☏ +86 772 8853830, +86 772 3353293. 09:00-16:00, closed on Mondays. Displays various kinds of antiquated machines and vehicles from Liuzhou's past. Free. (updated Feb 2020)
• 3 Liuzhou Military Museum (柳州市军事博物园), Intersection of Hangwu Road and Hangyin Road, Liunan District (柳南区航五路与航银路交叉口) (The nearest bus stop is the Liuzhou Zoo (柳州动物园) bus stop, which is served by bus routes 25, 32 and 62), ☏ +86 772 2108507. 09:00-17:00, closed on Mondays. Reportedly the largest military museum in southwestern China. The museum is on the grounds of the old Liuzhou Airport. The airport dates from the Second World War when it was an important base for the allied forces, including the American Volunteer Group (AVG), a group of volunteer American fighter pilots popularly known as the Flying Tigers. Many of the wartime structures still survive and there are a number of old military aircraft on display. Free. (updated Feb 2020)
• 4 Liuzhou Museum (柳州博物馆), 37 Jiefang North Road, Chengzhong District (城中区解放北路37号) (Between People's Square and Liuhou Park. Bus routes: 2, 5, 6 (circle route), 10, 12, 19, 24, 25, 26 (circle route), 27 (circle route), 28 (circle route), 30 (circle route), 31, 31 (circle route), 38 (circle route), 39 (circle route), 69 (circle route), 54, 78, 82, 90, 105, Express Bus 1, Express Shuttle Bus 1, Express Bus 2, Express Bus 3, Express Bus 6, and Express Bus 8), ☏ +86 772 2831519, +86 772 2828455. 09:00-17:00, closed on Mondays. Tells the history of Liuzhou from prehistory to the present. Has lots of Chinese ethnic minority displays. Free. (updated Jan 2020)

Religious sites

• 5 Liuzhou Confucius Temple (柳州文庙), 8 Fuzi Road, Yufeng District (鱼峰区夫子路8号) (About 500 metres east of the south end of Wenhui Bridge. The nearest bus stop is the Tianshan Jiayuan (天山家园) bus stop 500 metres east of the temple, which is served by bus nos. 12 and 48), ☏ +86 772 3869564. 09:30-16:30, 19:30-22:00, closed on Mondays. Reconstructed in 2009. The original temple, with a history of over 1000 years, burnt down in the great fire of 1928. Free. (updated Feb 2020)
• 6 Lingquan Temple (灵泉寺), 21 Pingshan Avenue, Yufeng District (鱼峰区屏山大道21号) (On the west side of the Liyufeng Scenic Area. Take bus no. 65 to Lequan Road West (乐群路西) or take one of the following buses to Pingshan Avenue: 4 (circle route), 6 (circle route), 9 (circle route), 12, 21, 21 (airport express), 21 (subroute 1), 21 (subroute 3), 36, 48, 62, 70, Express Bus 9 and Express Shuttle Bus 9), ☏ +86 772 3810098. 08:00-17:00. Buddhist temple. Rebuilt in 1986. (updated Feb 2020)
• 7 Xilai Temple (西来寺), 29 Binjiang West Road, Chengzhong District (城中区滨江西路29号) (Bus routes 100 and 105), ☏ +86 772 2851249. 08:00-18:00. Buddhist temple. Rebuilt in 1996. Free. (updated Feb 2020)

Parks and nature

• 8 Liuhou Park (柳侯公园), 60 Wenhui Road, Chengzhong District (城中区文惠路60号) (In the city centre. The park has multiple entrances. The closest bus stop to the main gate is the Liuzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (市中医院) bus stop, which is served by bus nos. 2, 5, 6 (circle route), 10, 12, 19, 24, 25, 26 (circle route), 27 (circle route), 28 (circle route), 30 (circle route), 31, 31 (circle route), 38 (circle route), 39 (circle route), 69 (circle route), 82 and 105), ☏ +86 772 2824921. Open all day. The park commemorates Liu Zongyuan, a Tang dynasty poet and statesman who was governor of Liuzhou. Free. (updated Jan 2020)
• 9 Liuzhou Expo Garden (柳州园博园), 35 Boyuan Avenue, Yufeng District (鱼峰区博园大道35号) (Bus routes 505, Express Bus 1, Express Shuttle Bus 1, Express Bus 9), ☏ +86 772 2630286, hyklbwg@126.com. 08:00-22:00. Free. (updated Feb 2020)
• 10 Liuzhou Zoo (柳州市动物园), 89 Hangyin Road, Yufeng District (鱼峰区航银路89号) (Take bus no. 25, 32 or 62 and get off at the Liuzhou Zoo bus stop), ☏ +86 772 3233528. 09:00-17:00. Home to around 700 animals from 100 different species, including pandas. ¥20. (updated Feb 2020)
• 11 Liyufeng Scenic Area (立鱼峰风景区), 59 Yufeng Road, Yufeng District (鱼峰区鱼峰路59号) (Bus routes 4 (circle route), 6 (circle route), 9, 9 (circle route), 12, 21, 21 (airport express), 21 (subroute 1), 21 (subroute 3), 36, 42, 48, 62, 70, Express Bus 9 and Express Shuttle Bus 9), ☏ +86 772 3805174. Open all day. Consists of two interlinking parks, Yufeng Park (鱼峰公园) and Ma'anshan Park (马鞍山公园). Has wonderful views and caves which have shown evidence of human inhabitation in Neathandrical times. Entry is free. The cable car costs ¥30 per ride. (updated Jan 2020)
• 12 Longtan Park (龙潭公园), 43 Longtan Road, Yufeng District (鱼峰区龙潭路43号) (Bus no. 19 terminates just outside the north gate), ☏ +86 772 3171018, +86 772 2821190. Open all day. Set in beautiful karst scenery. Free. (updated Jan 2020)
• 13 Malushan Rare Stones Exposition Garden (马鹿山奇石博览园, 马鹿山公园, Malushan Park, Malu Hill Park), 272 Donghuan Road, Chengzhong District (城中区东环路272号) (The garden has mutliple entrances. To get to the west side, take bus no. 23, 31 31 (circle route) or Express Bus 8. To get to the southeast corner where the visitor centre and the museum, take bus no. 49. Bus no. 49 departs from Guangchang Road (广场路) on the north side of People's Square), ☏ +86 772 3827635, +86 772 3128176. The garden is open all day. The museum is open from 09:00 to 17:00 but is closed on Mondays. A large garden filled with a variety of unusual-looking rocks. The rarest specimens are kept in a small museum in the southeast corner of the garden. Entry to the garden is free. The museum charges ¥50 per head. (updated Feb 2020)

Buy

• Liuzhou Coffins. Miniature souvenir coffins. From the Chinese saying "Be born in Suzhou, live in Hangzhou, eat in Guangzhou and die in Liuzhou." Liuzhou used to be famous for its coffins which were made from the local high quality wood. Today, only miniature versions are available and are popular as good luck charms as the Chinese for coffin can be used as a play on words for "Gain Promotion and Increase Wealth"

Eat

Luosifen eaten in Liuzhou

• Luosifen, 螺蛳粉, the local speciality. Rice noodles in a spicy broth made from snails. Instant versions are also available in shops for taking out.
• Chao luo, 炒螺, snails prepared in wok.
• Liang ban niu za, 凉拌牛杂, beef offal, cold and dressed with sauce.
• Yun pian gao, 云片糕, sweet, creamy pastry.