Travelers considering Hezhou as a destination will find two clearly distinct highlights: the historic and cultural Xiyue Street district, and an urban landscape of river corridors, lakes and parks. There are also destinations farther afield, whose locations and themes can be considered separately. For planning, it is worth first distinguishing between places within the city and destinations outside it.
The Historic Xiyue Street District
Xiyue Street is one of the first historic and cultural districts at the level of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Twenty-three historic buildings have been preserved within the district. The regional designation places the district in a broader cultural and historical context, while the buildings represent a specific architectural highlight in Hezhou. If you are taking cultural history into account when planning your trip, Xiyue Street offers a clear thematic anchor, distinct from the city’s green spaces.
Parks, Lakes and Urban Open Spaces
Within Hezhou’s urban area, nine water systems along the Hejiang River landscape corridor connect Jintai Lake, Yongfeng Lake and Ailian Lake. Guangxi’s urban park plan for Hezhou lists Dazhongshan Park, Ailian Lake Park and Hezhou Garden Expo Park as three city parks. This brings together a broader network of water and lakes with individually named parks—two scales to consider when including urban green spaces in your travel plans.
A 2025 city account lists 23 themed pocket parks in Hezhou’s urban area, including Shaliyuan Pocket Park and Taoyuan Road Pocket Park. A 2025 description identifies Hezhou’s ecological river and lake parks as places for walking, exercise and relaxation. The pocket parks and the river and lake parks thus offer different perspectives on the city’s urban open spaces.
The Garden Expo Park and Nature Education
The Hezhou Garden Expo Park was intended to remain as a permanent site after the exhibition. The plan was to bring together ecology, landscape, recreation, culture, art and tourism, as well as garden styles from different regions. This planned role gives the park a broad landscape and cultural context.
The world’s first scientific education and research facility dedicated to crocodile lizards opened at Hezhou Garden Expo Park in May 2024. When it opened, the facility was dedicated to educating the public about crocodile lizards and biodiversity conservation. This adds a distinct focus on research and education to the park.
Destinations in the Surrounding Area
Guposhan National Forest Park is in northeastern Guangxi, at the southern end of the Mengzhuling Mountains, within Hezhou; it is 21 kilometers from Babu city center. Huangyao Ancient Town is in the northeast of Zhaoping County in Guangxi and 60 kilometers from Hezhou city center. The distances use different reference points: Babu for Guposhan and Hezhou for Huangyao. Bear this in mind when comparing the two distance figures.
Huangyao is known for its characteristic karst landscapes, reverence for dragon culture, ornate Ming- and Qing-era architecture, Guangfu folk customs and revolutionary heritage. Yushi Forest in Pinggui District is also part of the surrounding area; its formation is associated with the Jurassic period, more than 100 million years ago. Alongside the historic district and urban parks, visitors can also choose from landscapes and cultural themes in the surrounding area.
Discover more destinations: Hechi, Qinzhou, Laibin, Chongzuo, Nanning, Wuzhou, Fangchenggang, Xing An
For the broader travel overview: Guangxi.
