Jingjiang King's Palace

Ning Xiaolan, commentator, said, "It used to be the largest examination venue in Guangxi. Many talented students earned high scholastic standing here. That put them on their way to important official positions in the country."

Guilin's reputation is perpetuated in a Chinese proverb which says, "the mountain and river scenery in Guilin is the crown of the world".

The origin of the proverb remained a mystery until the 1980's. Then, an inscription engraved on a rock on Duxiu Mountain was discovered. The ancient inscription revealed the source of the proverb as Wang Zhenggong, a local official during the Song Dynasty, about eight hundred years ago.

Guilin was opened to foreign tourists in 1973. It became one of China's earliest tourist attractions of the modern era. A record 15 million people visited Guilin in 2007.