Guilin Activities - Top things to do in Guilin
Guilin is famous for its exotic dishes and the sight of dogs, birds, turtles,
snakes and other weird and wonderful animals in their cages is not unusual
here!
Don't be afraid though, if you are not feeling especially brave, there
are plenty of tasty options for those who prefer their food to be dead
before it arrives at the table!.
Guilin cuisine is also typified by its sweetness and delicate use of
spice and chili. Bamboo leaves stuffed with sweet rice are a great Guilin
snack available all over the city and also in some of the restaurants.
The city also has some fine upmarket restaurants where you can sample
typical local dishes. The Guilin Hotel Restaurant has a nice environment
to sample some of this food and the Chicken Balls with chestnut are especially
good here.
If you fancy a break from Chinese food there are also some fantastic
options available here.
The Empire Garden Hotel Restaurant has a fabulous Japanese and French
restaurant where you can sample good food amidst an elegant environment.
The little town of Yangshuo also has some surprisingly good western style
restaurants where you can sit back and relax in peaceful and friendly
surroundings.
Although Guilin has no notable department stores, this is a good area
to pick some nice souvenirs. The area around Mopanshan Dock has a few
nice small shops selling gems and other traditional Guilin souvenirs such
as Bamboo and wooden carvings.
Guilin is an especially good place to pick up some tasty snack food.
The oranges and small kumquats around here are very juicy and Guilin people
also have a very sweet tooth so it's worth checking out some of their
delicious candy.
Yangshuo (about 70 km from Guilin) also has some sweet little boutiques
and a great weekend market where you can pick up some nice souvenirs and
also some good quality clothing. Yangshuo painted fans are delightfully
delicate and colorful. The fans are available in various sizes but all
are made with either silk or paper with bamboo as the fan support.
The painted fan undergoes a series of processes including dyeing, mounting
and painting with lacquer before it is ready for retail. Local painters
in Yangshuo particularly enjoy depicting birds, flowers, insects and traditional
Chinese girls. These fans are widely available in Yangshuo in many of
the boutiques in the village and also at the weekend market.
It makes a nice gift and the selection in the town is good. Make sure
you bargain hard here however, as the store and stall owners are used
to ripping foreigners off!
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