As a beautiful and historical famous world city, Guilin is a charming and fertile land.
Guilin, which is located in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous Region and which features karst topography, has long been renowned for having the most beautiful scenery in China. It is endowed with scenery characterized by lovely hills, weirdly shaped peaks, winding rivers with limpid waters, grotesque rocks and exotic caves.
Tourism has become the pillar industry in the city. A multi-functional and multi-level industrial structure and a tourist receiving system and addressing many aspects have been formed.
The city has 31 star hotels, including two five-star hotels, three four-star hotels and 15 three-star hotels.
It has 18 international travel agencies and nearly 1,000 interpreters in 20 foreign languages.
Each year, it draws hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors, ranking first in the number per capita of overseas visitors in China.
Rich Resources
Besides, Guilin abounds in agricultural and forest resources. It mainly produces rice and cash crops such as the renowned Shatian shaddock and mangosteen. The output of gingko accounts for one-third of the country's total.
And Guilin has endeavored to improve its infrastructure. Transportation and telecommunications are very convenient in the city.
The first-class Guilin Liangjiang International Airport was completed and put into operation in October 1996. The annual handling capacity for the first-phase project is 5 million people. It has about 50 air routes including those to Hong Kong, Seoul and Japan's Fukuoka.
It has railroad links to Beijing-Guangzhou Railway and other railways in the country. And the new passenger railway station will be competed and put into operation by the end of the year.
Highways including the Guilin-Liuzhou Expressway radiate in all directions. Telephone and EMS services are linked to all the cities in the country and about 200 countries and regions in the world. It has a sufficient supply of water, electricity, gas and coal. Besides, it owns a national-level high-technological and new industrial development zone.
Guilin is one of the country's important cities engaged in environmental protection. Through comprehensive development, the Lijiang River has met the second-class national standard.
Global Giants
Because of the improved investment environment, Guilin has set up economic, trade, scientific, technological and cultural relations with more than 50 countries and regions. Some global giants such as US Pepsi Cola, Daewoo from the Republic of Korea, Nokia from Finland, Henkel from Germany and Japanese NEC have established enterprises in Guilin.
And Guilin has rich natural resources and some of the most spectacular cultural relics in the world. There are many scenic spots such as the Ludi (Reed Flute) Cave, which is considered the "art palace of the nature," and Xiangbi (Elephant Trunk) Hill, the symbol of the city.
The beauty of the city and the hospitality of its people have drawn tens of millions of visitors from more than 100 countries and regions during the past two decades.
Many state leaders and international celebrities, including US President Bill Clinton, have been attracted to the city.
(1999.2)
