Two themes stand out in the area of the associated municipality of Guigang: the seasonal lotus landscape at Donghu and the history of historic buildings and memorial sites. When looking for a hotel in Guigang, you can first consider whether nature, historic architecture, or the city’s history will be the focus of your stay.

Donghu: Water and Lotus in Midsummer

Donghu is located in the area of the associated municipality; the lake borders the Yujiang River to the south. Its water surface covers more than 700 mu. In midsummer, green lotus leaves, fragrant flowers, and drooping willows shape the scenery, attracting thousands of swallows. “东湖荷燕” is one of Guigang’s eight new scenic attractions.

In the area of the associated municipality, Donghu was formed from more than 20 large and small lotus ponds; it was formerly called 东井塘. The lake is also known as 十里东湖. In 1988, Donghu was designated a scenic area at the level of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Thus, summer scenery, the ponds from which the lake originated, and a historic designation come together in one place.

Bridge and Memorial Sites

In the area of the associated municipality, the 登龙桥 spans Donghu from north to south; it was built from blue-and-white stone during the Qing era under the Yongzheng Emperor. It is about 90 meters long and 3.5 meters wide.

Donghu Park in the area of the associated municipality contains the 翼王亭, the 石达开纪念碑, a bronze statue of 石达开, the 翼王祖墓碑, and the 鼎建渡船碑. In the area of the associated municipality, the bronze statue of 石达开 stands on the central island of Donghu. The Donghu Scenic Area in the area of the associated municipality also includes a monument to revolutionary martyrs. These individual memorials offer a different focus for a visit than the lotus landscape: here, monuments, inscriptions, and historical remembrance take center stage.

Dananmen and the History of Transportation

In the area of the associated municipality, Dananmen was designated one of Guigang’s first municipal-level key cultural heritage protection sites in 2009. The Dananmen gate tower on the Yujiang River in the area of the associated municipality once served as an important passenger wharf and as a transfer and docking point for water and land transport. Its functions at the time included transmitting messages, official travel, and commercial transport.

The former site of the First Congress of the Guangxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, located in the associated municipality, was designated a national key cultural heritage site. In February 2021, the Guigang municipal government converted the site into an exhibition hall; it reopened in late June 2021. Exhibits included artifacts, text and images, and presentations featuring sound, light, film, and video. If you plan to visit the exhibition hall, check current visitor information in advance.

Guigang in Its Broader Historical Context

In the wider regional context, Guigang is considered a historic commandery with a history of more than 2,000 years. The administrative history of the wider region includes the establishment of Guilin Commandery in the historic Guigang region during the Qin dynasty and its renaming as Yulin under Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty. This sequence traces the administrative history from the Qin to the Han. In the wider regional context, Guigang is also nicknamed 荷城 (“Lotus City”). Historically, lotus ponds accounted for 70 percent of the urban area of Guigang in the wider regional context—a further link to the lotus landscape at Donghu, now in the broader urban setting.

Guigang’s wider regional context includes the historic Shuiliugou cultural district. Its arcaded buildings have a Republican-era appearance and usually combine Western forms with Chinese ornamentation. This adds an architectural perspective to the natural setting at Donghu: the arcades show how different design styles can meet in a single building.

Getting Around and Finding a Hotel

In the area of 贵城街道 in the central urban area of Guigang municipality, the Xijiang waterway, the Lizhan Railway, the Nanguang High-Speed Railway, National Highway 324, and Nanwu Road intersect.

The history of the wider Guigang region adds earlier administrative connections and the historic cityscape to these themes.

Discover more destinations: Liuzhou, Yulin, Guilin, Qinzhou, Yangshuo, Bose, Laibin, Wuzhou.

For the main travel overview: Guangxi.