Liuzhou City

The 'Capital of Luosifen' (river snail rice noodles), with the 100-li Liujiang River Gallery, April's bauhinia-blossom city and an industrial museum.

Liuzhou lies in north-central Guangxi and is the region's second-largest city and biggest industrial center, home to SAIC-GM-Wuling, LiuGong, Liuzhou Steel and other companies. The Liujiang River loops through downtown in a pot-shaped bend, ringed by karst peaks, earning the city the name 'industrial city of hills and water'. In recent years its luosifen industry has gone viral, making it a hot food destination. This destination covers urban Liuzhou and nearby Luzhai and Liujiang (the Chengyang Eight Villages and Danzhou Ancient Town in Sanjiang to the north are listed separately as the 'Sanjiang & Chengyang Eight Villages' destination).

Areas to explore: ① Riverside old town – night cruises on the Liujiang River, the East Gate Tower, Yaobu Ancient Town and the Liuzhou Confucian Temple, the night show at Panlong Mountain Waterfall, Liuhou Park and the Liuzhou Museum; ② Yufeng and the south – climb Ma'an Mountain for a panorama of the 'Pot City', listen to folk songs in Yufeng Park, enjoy karst scenery in Longtan Park, and visit Dule Cave and the Bailian Cave site; ③ Industry and food – the Liuzhou Industrial Museum, Luosifen Town and late-night noodle shops all over the city; ④ Outskirts – a day trip to Xiangqiao Cave Geopark and Zhongdu Ancient Town in Luzhai, the vast lotus ponds of Baipeng in summer, and Junwu and Sanmenjiang forest parks.

Best time to visit: From late March to mid-April, Hong Kong orchid trees (bauhinia) burst into bloom and the city's streets are covered in pink and purple – the most distinctive season. Autumn (Sep–Nov) is cool and good for hiking and night cruises; summer is hot and rainy, but the Baipeng lotuses bloom in Jun–Aug; winter is damp and cold with few visitors.

Getting there: High-speed trains from Liuzhou and Liuzhou East stations run to Nanning (about 1.5 hours), Guilin (about 1 hour), Guangzhou and Guiyang; Liuzhou Bailian Airport has flights to major cities. Get around downtown by bus or taxi; for Luzhai, Baipeng and other outlying sights, drive or hire a car.

Suggested stay: 2 days in the city plus 1 day in the outskirts; continue north to the Dong villages of Sanjiang, or combine with Guilin and Nanning for a Guangxi loop.

Tips: Luosifen has a strong pickled bamboo shoot aroma – you can order it 'mildly spicy'; the Panlong Mountain Waterfall doesn't run every day, so check times in advance; bauhinia and lotus seasons shift slightly each year, so check local bloom reports before you go.

Top sights

Liujiang River Scenic Belt – The Liujiang River wraps around Liuzhou's old town in a pot-shaped bend, and bridges, hills and lights make up a riverside picture gallery…
Yaobu Ancient Town & Liuzhou Confucian Temple – A reconstructed old-style street on the east bank of the Liujiang River, next to the Liuzhou Confucian Temple. Visit the temple's Dacheng H…
Liuzhou Industrial Museum – China's first comprehensive urban industrial museum, housed in a converted old factory. From luosifen to Wuling cars, it reveals the story…
Panlong Mountain Waterfall – A large artificial twin waterfall on Panlong Mountain on the east bank of the Liujiang River. When the sluices open at night and water pour…
Liuhou Park – A downtown park commemorating Liu Zongyuan, a Tang-dynasty prefect of Liuzhou. Liuhou Temple, his garment tomb and Luochi Pond together tel…
Liuzhou Luosifen Town & Industrial Park – A luosifen industrial town in Taiyang Village, Liunan District. Visitors can see snail farming and tour production lines for packaged luosi…
Longtan Park – A mountain-and-water park among karst peaks south of Liuzhou's city center. Mirror Lake, Dragon Pool and ethnic-style architecture compleme…
Ma'anshan Park – The best vantage point for a panorama of Liuzhou, the “Pot City.” The U-shaped bend of the Liujiang, the river-crossing bridges and the lim…
Yufeng Park (Liyu Peak) – Liyu Peak looks like a carp standing in the water. At its foot, Little Longtan Pond is said to be where the song fairy Liu Sanjie rode a ca…
Liuzhou Museum – A comprehensive museum across from Liuhou Park, telling the story of Liuzhou's prehistory since the “Liujiang Man,” its historical developm…
Dule Cave Scenic Area – A karst scenic area on the southern outskirts of Liuzhou, where caves, limestone hills and the Dule River come together. It is known as Liu…
Bailiandong Cave Science Museum – China's first cave science museum, built around the Bailiandong prehistoric human site. It presents the full cultural sequence from the Pal…
East Gate Tower of Liuzhou – The only surviving city gate tower of old Liuzhou, standing at the edge of the Liujiang. The East Gate Wharf below is one of the starting p…
Junwu Forest Park – A large forest park in Shatang on Liuzhou's northern outskirts, with lakes, shaded trails and lawns suited to hiking, cycling and camping.
Sanmenjiang National Forest Park – A national forest park on the east side of the Liujiang, where dense plantations meet riverside hills. It is the “green lung of the city” f…
Xiangqiao Karst National Geopark – A karst geopark in Luzhai County, where the natural stone arch “Xiangqiao” spans a gorge. Peak clusters, caves and streams combine here, ma…
Zhongdu Ancient Town – A thousand-year-old town in Luzhai County that preserves its city walls, a Wu Temple and a bluestone-paved old street. Surrounded by karst…
Baipeng Lotus Scenic Area – A lotus pond of tens of thousands of mu in Baipeng Town, Liujiang District, where lotus flowers and karst hills appear together. It is a po…
Liuzhou Bauhinia Blossom Streets – Every spring, hundreds of thousands of bauhinia trees bloom across the city at once, turning roads and riverbanks into a sea of pink-purple…

Where to eat

Green Island Restaurant, Liuzhou Hotel – A riverside restaurant at the China Time-honored Brand Liuzhou Hotel. Its luosifen won a China Golden Tourist Snack awa…
Old-Brand Jubao Luosifen – A longtime noodle shop beneath the Jubao Building that has operated for over three decades and is an easy walk from dow…
Yayuan Luosifen – A two-decade-old alley shop in the Yaru area, known for dry-tossed luosifen and braised toppings. A bowl costs only abo…
Xihuan Feizai Luosifen (Eshan Original Shop) – A decades-old institution at the foot of Eshan Hill, at the Xihuan Road junction. Its generous snail-meat luosifen stay…