Guilin is regarded in China as the countries most picturesque city. Two crystal-clear rivers meander through the city, which is encircled by mountains with unusual & bizarre rock formations and caves.

Origin of Guilin -Two crustal movements of the earth took place about 200 and 180 million years ago thrusting the limestone sediments out of the sea from its bottom more than 200 meters below the surface to form a large expanse of land. The karst formation became the hills and rocks with unusual shapes through many years of erosion by the wind and rain. There are many complete karst (Limestone sites).

The altitude of Guilin is 140-160 meters. Guilin is in subtropical and monsoon zone with warm and moist climate. All this makes Guilin a unique natural experience for the visitor,which are of high scientific value and tourist value.

In the ancient times, Guilin belonged to Yue. But in the Warrior States Period, it belonged to Chu. Since Ling Canal that was the famous water conservancy project was built in214BC, Guilin has been an important county on transportation between Zhongyuan and Lingnan. In 111, it got a name Guilin city which belonged to Shi'an county and Lingling canton. And till now, it has 2000 years' history. In Ming and Qin dynasty, it became an official residence.

In the wake of the Japanese invasion of the 1930s, the exodus of Chinese nationals from northeastern China caused Guilin’s population to expand from 100,000 to over one million. Hundreds of Western missionaries also sought refuge here. During the anti-Japanese war (1937-45), Guilin was a stronghold of resistance and the site of a US Air Force base.until 1949, Guilin was primarily a handicraft and agricultural center.

Yangshuo situated 65 kilometers (40 miles) east of Guilin, it is an ancient town that was declared a county seat during the Jin dynasty some 1,500 years ago. Nestling amidst spectacular limestone spires and towers, it has long been recognized as a wonderful retreat to enjoy Guangxi's karst scenery.

In 314 BCE, a small settlement was established along the banks of the Li River.

In 111 BCE, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Shi An County was established, which could be regarded as the beginning of the city.

In 507 CE, the town was renamed Guizhou.

Guilin prospered in the Tang and Song dynasties but remained a county. The city was also a nexus between the central government and the southwest border, and it was where regular armies were placed to guard that border. Canals were built through the city so that food supplies could be directly transported from the food-productive Yangtze plain to the farthest southwestern point of the empire.

In 1921, Guilin became one of the headquarters of the Northern Expeditionary Army led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen.

In 1940, the city acquired its present name.

In 1981, this ancient city was listed by the State Council as one of the four cities (the other three being Beijing, Hangzhou and Suzhou) where the protection of historical and cultural heritage, as well as natural scenery, should be treated as a priority project.