ABOUT a five-hour drive from Guilin, the most popular city for tourists in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, tourists will find a small, quiet, picturesque town that is known for its litchis and ancient architecture.

    Located in southern Guangxi, Lingshan County was officially established in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Its residents live on fishing, farming, tea, litchis and raising snakes.

    Bestowed with water and mountains, the town has a nice combination of both natural and humanistic resources.

    One of its natural highlights is Liufeng Mountain, or Six Peaks Mountain, which consists of six peaks and conceals numerous Buddhist and Taoist temples. In addition to the green scenery and a fusion of the two religions, climbers can find rock carvings and stalactites, which are part of the karst landforms the area is famous for.

    While walking along one path, visitors can enjoy a bird’s-eye view of ancient Dalu Village.

    Dalu Village has many well-kept Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) buildings. Stepping into the village, tourists will come across around 10 complexes, including private houses, pavilions and ancestral halls. There are about 305 couplets written by ancient villagers to see and large trees with big holes for children to play in. During the harvest season, visitors can also walk along fields to enjoy a view of ripening crops.(Tan Yifan)

    TRANSPORT

    Take a coach at Shenzhen Bus Station, Futian Bus Station or Longgang Bus station to Lingshan County, then take a walk to Liufeng Mountain or Dalu Village.