Baise City Area
Where Deng Xiaoping led the Baise Uprising, with the emerald waters of Chengbi Lake, the old-growth forest of Dawangling, mango orchards in the Youjiang River valley and the Zhuang culture of Buluotuo.
Baise lies in the west of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the upper reaches of the Youjiang River, bordering Yunnan, Guizhou and Vietnam. It is a prefecture-level city with a Zhuang majority and is known as China's home of mangoes. In 1929 Deng Xiaoping and Zhang Yunyi led the Baise Uprising here, founding the Red Seventh Army and the Youjiang revolutionary base, and revolutionary-history tourism is Baise's calling card; Palaeolithic hand axes unearthed in the Baise Basin are also an important find in the study of early humans in East Asia. This destination centres on the urban area of Youjiang District and covers the city, Chengbi Lake, Dawangling and the Tianyang area; the Dashiwei Tiankeng sinkholes in Leye and the longevity villages of Bama are listed as separate destinations, while Tongling Grand Canyon and Equan Spring in Jingxi are not included here because they require an overnight stay in Jingxi.
Areas to explore: in the city are the Baise Uprising Memorial Park, the Yuedong Guild Hall (former headquarters of the Red Seventh Army), the Youjiang Museum of Ethnology and the old town around Jiefang Street, all doable in a day; Chengbi Lake, 7 km north of the city, is great for cycling; Dawangling, 40 km to the southwest, has old-growth forest and rafting; and Tianyang to the southeast has Ganzhuang Mountain, the sacred site of the Zhuang ancestor Buluotuo, and the mango orchards of the Youjiang River valley. About 40 km north of the city (just over an hour's drive), Haokun Lake in Lingyun is an emerald highland lake among karst peaks, and a boat trip there makes a good day trip.
Seasons: Oct–Apr has moderate temperatures and little rain, making it the best time to visit; Jun–Aug is hot and rainy but is mango season and rafting season at Dawangling; the Ganzhuang Mountain song festival early in the third lunar month is a great chance to experience Zhuang culture. Getting there: the Nanning–Kunming Railway and the Yunnan–Guangxi high-speed railway stop at Baise Station, with bullet trains to Nanning (about 1.5–2 hours) and Kunming; Baise Bama Airport is in Tianyang. Taxis work for sights in the city, but for Dawangling and Ganzhuang Mountain a car or hired driver is recommended. Allow 2–3 days. Must-eats: Baise duck rice noodles, Zhuang five-colour sticky rice, Tianyang mangoes and Longlin black goat.
Top sights
- Baise Uprising Memorial Park – A red memorial park on Yinglong Hill with a museum, monument and bronze statue of Deng Xiaoping, the key site for understanding the Baise U…
- Haokun Lake – A karst highland lake ringed by mountains in Lingyun County, with emerald water winding between the peaks, and boat trips that reveal stunn…
- Yuedong Guild Hall (Former HQ of the 7th Red Army) – A Lingnan-style guild hall built by merchants from Guangdong in the Qing dynasty. It was the headquarters of the 7th Red Army during the Ba…
- Baise Old Town (Jiefang Street) – The old town of Baise by the Youjiang River, where arcaded old streets, guild halls and the remains of old wharves still evoke its days as…
- Youjiang Ethnic Museum – A comprehensive museum showing the cultures of the Zhuang, Yao, Miao and other ethnic groups of the Youjiang River basin, as well as Paleol…
- Chengbi Lake – A large reservoir lake about 7 km north of Baise city, with emerald water, scattered islands and a green lakeside trail for cycling. It is…
- Dawangling Scenic Area – A pristine forest scenic area southwest of Baise, known for its tropical seasonal rainforest, valley waterfalls and summer canyon rafting…
- Ganzhuang Mountain – A sacred site in Tianyang dedicated to Bloto, the ancestral creator of the Zhuang people. Every year on the third lunar month, a grand sacr…
- Youjiang Valley Mango Orchards – Baise is known as the 'Hometown of Chinese Mangoes', and the hills along the Youjiang Valley, in Tianyang and Tiandong, are covered with ma…
Where to eat
- Huang's Roast Duck Noodles (Baise Main Branch) – Baise's best-known roast duck noodle shop. The main branch is across from Donghe Market, and a bowl costs roughly 10–20…
- Sanhe Rice Rolls (Wenming Branch) – Long-established rice roll shop on Wenming Street, known locally as Xiagang Street, operating for over twenty years. Fr…
Itineraries
- Bama, Leye Sinkholes & Baise Loop from Nanning – A loop from Nanning through northwestern Guangxi, featuring the Panyang River, Haokun Lake, and the Dashidui Sinkhole G…
- Guangxi Western Grand Loop: Guilin to Nanning – An in-depth self-drive tour starting from Guilin and passing through Dong villages, Mulun, Bama, Leye, and Detian to Na…