Hezhou (贺州; Hè​zhōu​) is a city in Central Guangxi.

Understand

Downtown Hezhou

Hezhou is in the far eastern part of Guangxi surrounded by forest. The prefecture has a population of 2 million of which 200,000 lives in the city itself. The city is populated by a number of ethnic minorities, including the Zhuang people. Hezhou is an important regional transportation hub.

Hezhou has a history of more than 2,000 years. It offers cultural and historical sites as well as natural scenery and national minority culture.

Get in

By plane

The nearest airport is Guilin Liangjiang International Airport in Guilin. There is one direct bus daily from the airport to Hezhou. The bus departs at 14:30 and arrives at the Hezhou Bus Station about 3 hours later. It then continues on to the Hezhou International Hotel. The bus fare is ¥100.

By train

• 1 Hezhou Station (贺州站), Zhanqian Avenue, Pinggui District (平桂区站前大道). Serves both regular and high-speed trains. (updated Sep 2018)

By bus

• 2 Hezhou Central Bus Station (贺州客运中心站，贺州汽车总站), Intersection of Nanhuan Road and Guangming Avenue, Babu District (八步区南环路与光明大道交界处), ☏ +86 774 5283263. (updated Sep 2018)

By road

Highways connects the city to Wuzhou, Liuzhou, Nanning, Yongzhou and further. The new Guilin-Wuzhou and Luoyang-Zhanjiang will also pass Hezhou.

By water

Water transportation is possible on Xi River, Gui River and He River connecting the city to Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao.

Get around

Taxis within the city are ¥2-3, tricycles ¥2.

See

A path in the Jade Stone Forest

Hezhou urban areɑ

Museums

• 1 Hezhou Ethnological Museum (贺州民族文化博物馆, Hezhou Ethnic Culture Museum), Hezhou University West Campus, 18 Xihuan Road, Babu District (八步区西环路18号贺州学院西区) (Bus routes 6, 8, 11 and 14), ☏ +86 774 5287226, +86 774 5225076. Open 5 days a week. Free. (updated Dec 2018)
• 2 Hezhou Museum (贺州市博物馆), 65 Tiyu Road, Babu District (八步区体育路65号) (Catch bus no. 5, 6, 7 or 9 and get off at the Fuliang Building (富亮大厦)), ☏ +86 774 5283962. 10:00-16:00, closed on Mondays. Hezhou's main museum. Contains exhibits on the history and culture of the city. Free. (updated Sep 2018)

Historical sites

• 3 Fu Hill Temple (浮山寺, Fushan Temple). Stands in the middle of the He River. 
• 4 Hezhou Hakka Round Houses (贺州客家围屋景区, Hezhou Hakka Eco Museum 贺州客家生态博物馆), Liantang Town, Babu District (八步区莲塘镇) (Take bus no. 25 and get off at Renchong Primary School), ☏ +86 13978421604. 08:00-17:30. Characteristic weiwu (semi-circular round houses) built by the Han Chinese ethnic subgroup known as Hakka. ¥30. 
• 5 Linhe Ancient Town (临贺故城). 

Landscape and parks

• 6 Dagui Mountain National Forest Park (大桂山国家森林公园). 
• 7 Gupo Mountain National Forest Park (姑婆山国家森林公园, Guposhan Tourism Zone 姑婆山旅游区), Pinggui District (平桂区) (Catch bus no. 17 from the Hezhou Railway Station or take the special express bus that departs four times a day from outside the Guangji Maternity Hospital on Guposhan Avenue. The journey time to the park is about 30 minutes), ☏ +86 774 5236888, +86 774 5261286. Summer: 08:00-17:30, Winter: 08:00-17:00. Entrance ¥82, sightseeing car ¥15. 
• 8 Jade Stone Forest (玉石林), Huangtian Town, Pinggui District (平桂区黄田镇) (Catch bus no. 4 and get off at the Luhua Village Committee (路花村委) bus stop. After disembarking from the bus, head to the nearby intersection and walk southeast for about one kilometre), ☏ +86 774 5233922, +86 774 5293185, hzysl88@163.com. 08:00-17:30. This karst landscape can be found a short distance north of the city. It is unique among stone forests in China due to its mineral composition, which mostly consists of a type of white marble known in Chinese as "Han White Jade" (汉白玉), hence the name Jade Stone Forest. ¥83. 
• 9 Shibashui Tourism Park (十八水旅游景区, Shibashui Eco-Tourism Park 十八水原生态公园), Luhua Village, Huangtian Town, Pinggui District (平桂区黄田镇路花村) (Catch Tourist Bus 17 from the Hezhou Railway Station, get off at the Shibashui Intersection and then walk west for about 1.5km), ☏ +86 774 5283798. 08:00-18:00. ¥86. (updated Sep 2018)
• 10 Ziyun Cave (紫云洞, Purple Cloud Cave), Limu Village, Etang Town, Pinggui District (平桂区鹅塘镇栗木村) (Your best option for getting here is probably to take a taxi because despite its close proximity to the city (6km from the bus station) the area where the cave is situated is not served by public transport.), ☏ +86 774 5665118, toll-free: +86 400-1665-116. 08ː00-17ː30. A limestone karst cave that formed during the Jurrasic Period. As is common in China, the cave is illuminated with multi-coloured lights. ¥46. (updated Dec 2018)

Fuchuan Yao Autonomous County

• 11 Fuchuan Ming Castle (富川古明城). 
• 12 Ruiguang Pagoda (瑞光塔). 
• 13 Wind and Rain Bridge (风雨桥). 
• 14 Xiushui Scholar Village (秀水状元村). 

Zhaoping Countʏ

• 15 Huangyao Ancient Town (黄姚古镇; Huángyáo Gǔzhèn), Zhaoping County (昭平县) (on Li River, 60 km southwest of town; buses to Huangyao are available from Hezhou Railway Station and Hezhou Central Bus Station. Buses are also available from Wuzhou, Yangshuo and Guilin), ☏ +86 774 6722748. 08:00-17:30. The town was founded in 972 and is dominated by a special architecture with blue bricks, black tiles, and painted wooden beams. The town has a number of temples, pavilions and other historical buildings. It is surrounded by mountains with lots of caves. ¥100. 
  • Banyan Trees (古榕树). Several trees more than 1,000 years old. 
  • Civilization Pavilion (文明阁). 

Zhongshan Countʏ

• 16 Hundred-Li Water Ink Painting Gallery (百里水墨画廊). Formerly known as the Ten-Li Lotus Pond Gallery (荷塘十里画廊) 

Do

• 1 Hezhou Hot Spring (贺州温泉, Luhua Hot Spring 路花温泉), 180 Jianshe Road East, Luhua Village, Huangtian Town, Pinggui District (平桂区黄田镇路花村建设东路180号) (Catch bus no. 4 and get off at the final stop), ☏ +96 774 5238882 (ticket office), +86 774-5238886 (hotel reception). 08:00-00:00. The standard fee is ¥75. Persons over 60 are charged ¥65, children between 1.2 and 1.4 metres in height are charged ¥35 and children under 1.2 metres in height enjoy free entry. (updated Sep 2018)