Guangxi Hezhou Travel Guide

Located at the junction of the three provinces, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hunan, Hezhou is a time-honored city in northeast Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 217 kilometers west of Guilin and 166kilometers south of Wuzhou in the region.

Hezhou is a green city where the forests cover 76% of the land and it has developed the forest resources into 17 tourism destinations.

Owing to its superior geographic position and environmental advantages, Hezhou is a famed tourist city for natural beauty, historical culture and unique ethnic customs.

Many cultural landscapes and places of interest had been preserved in Hezhou such as Huangyao Ancient Town, the most complete ancient architectural complex of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Hezhou is also a multi-ethnic settlement, among which Zhuang and Yao people have been living together for a long time. The Yao people hold the great Panwang Festival on the 16th day of the tenth month in the lunar calendar when tens of thousands of people sing and dance to sacrifice to ancestors Pangu, attracting plenty of tourists.

● Highlights of Hezhou

Hezhou may not be as popular as other cities in China, it's a smaller but beautiful upcoming tourist destination that is worth a visit. You will be surprised by some of the unique things to do and places you can explore at this hidden destination.

The main ecological natural tourist scenic spots include Gupo Mountain, Shibashuiyuan Ecological Scenic Area), Daguishan Mountain National Forest Park,and Zhaoping Danao Mountain Tea Farm. The main cultural and cultural tourism attractions are Hejie Ancient Town, Huangyao Ancient Town, Xiushui Village, Fuxi Village and 30 traditional villages.

Gupo Mountain: Gupo Mountain is a kingdom of natural flora and fauna. The 80 square kilometer park is characterized by high-rising peaks, deep valleys, dense primeval forests, spectacular waterfalls and countless springs. The lavish forests offer a home to more than 1,500 species of wild plants and animals.

Huangyao Ancient Town: Huangyao Ancient Town is the one of the most popular destinations for foreign travelers. This town has a history more than hundreds of years. The original one can be dated back to the Song Dynasty.The town is most famous for its mountains with caves, pavilions, temples, ancestor hills, old trees and tables. Every comer of the town presents typical Chinese scene and presents a marvelous photo views.

Daguishan National Forest Park: Daguishan National Forest Park is located in the east of Guangxi, It is a National Forest Park, integrating forest, Qifeng, Wuhai and chuiyan. The natural vegetation of Daguishan is subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest，there are many kinds of exotic vines and trees. Canyons, streams and waterfalls can be seen everywhere.

Hezhou Hot Spring: Hezhou Hot Spring is located in the northeastern part of Hezhou, 20 km from Hezhou District and 9 km from Guposhan National Forest Park. It is a must pass from Hezhou to Guposhan National Forest Park – Luhua Village, Huangtian Town. Hezhou Hot Springs covers an area ofabout 600 acres, surrounded by green hills and waterfalls. It is a resort for leisure and holiday in the east of Guangxi.

Ziyun Cave: Located 4 kilometers southwest of Hezhou District, Ziyun Cave is one of the most recent sights in downtown Hezhou. Ziyun Cave Scenic Area is an independent Limestone Mountain cave on the Eight Step Basin. The cave was formed 190 million years ago. Due to geological fission, the original sea level rises to form a long-shaped stone mountain. The appearance of Shishan is about 100 meters high and it is about 800 meters long. Currently, the cave area is about 10,000 square meters, and the roads that have been developed and explored are only 1 km.

● Hezhou Food and drinks

Every place has its own unique specialties. Hezhou, a small city situated at the border of Hunan province, Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is also known as the “The capital of longevity food in China”.

Thanks to its preferable location at the junction of Guangxi, Guangdong and Hunan provinces, Hezhou City collects all the delicious dishes and snacks of the three provinces. Restaurants here mainly serve the Cantonese cuisine which is compatible with famous Sichuan dishes, Hunan dishes and Shangdong dishes. Famed delicacies include braised pork, Xindu three-yellow chicken, Nanxiang duck, smoked bacon, Huangyao stuffed tofu, etc.Rice noodles are also the daily snacks for Hezhou people.

Xindu three-yellow chicken is famous for its yellow feather, yellow beak and yellow claws. There are many variations in the cooking techniques of the three-yellow chicken, among which the most delicious is the white-cut chicken.

Nanxiang duck, or south township shelduck is favored by the vast majority of consumers, with the feature of smooth and tender meat.

Huangtian pork is made up of taro, pork, fermented bean curd and various other ingredients.It tastes fresh and not greasy.

Tianluo soup is a great opener or appetizing dish.

Yao ethnic smoked bacon is the local flavor of Hezhou. Select the original authentic farm pork as raw material, marinate with Yao’s unique rice wine to create a healthy bacon with thick meat flavor, good taste, fat but not greasy features.

Beef Intestine Suan, or beef offal suan is one of the most famous snacks in Hezhou.

Huangyao Stuffed Tofu: Stuffed tofu is one of the specialty dishes in Zhaoping County. The method of Huangyao tofu stuffing is to grab the water tofu and knead it, then wrap the meat filling in the water tofu, slowly put it in the pot and fry it, pick up when it is half cooked, drain the oil, and put it in the pot again to add seasoning Stuffy. The bean curd stuffed in this way fully absorbs the soup, tastes delicious, flavor, and aftertaste.

● Hezhou Transportation

There is no airport available in Hezhou City and the nearest airports can be used are the Guilin Liangjiang International Airport and Liuzhou Bailian Airport. Therefore, it is suggested to fly to Guilin or Liuzhou first and then transfer to Hezhou by bus.

Guilin Liangjiang Airport is 217 kilometers away from Hezhou with a 2.5 hours drive by highway. Liuzhou Bailian Airport is about 280 kilometers away from Hezhou with an around 5 hours drive.

Hezhou Train Station is located at the northern suburbs, 5 kilometers from the downtown Hezhou. Passenger trains started to operate in Sep. 28, 2009, and now there are daily service to Nanjing, Guilin, Zhanjiang, Wuchang, Changsha and Shanghai.

● Hezhou Climate

Hezhou is in the subtropical monsoon climate zone. The 30-year annual average temperature is between 19.2 C and 19.9 C, the annual average sunshine hours are 1,439 hours to 1,589 hours, and the annual average precipitation is 1,558 mm to 2,012 mm.

The climate here is mild, and generally warm and temperate. The rainfall in Hezhou is significant, with precipitation even during the driest month.

The best time to visit Hezhou in China is from May until September, when will have a pleasant or warm temperature and limited till little rainfall. The highest average temperature in in Hezhou is 28°C in July and the lowest is 0°C in January.