Shanglin

Scenic Shanglin, a "little Guilin" near Nanning: karst peaks ring Dalong Lake, Sanli Yangdu and Xiake Taoyuan offer clear waters and farmland, and Bugu Village and Guming Village showcase Zhuang life.

Shanglin County belongs to Nanning, Guangxi, about 100 km north of the city at the eastern foot of the Daming Mountains. It is known as the "ancestral home of the Zhuang", for its scenery, and as a "world longevity town". Its main attractions are karst peak forests, underground rivers and clear streams. In the northwest, Dalong Lake was formed by damming the Dalong Cave underground river; ringed by dozens of peak clusters, it is Shanglin's signature sight. In the southeast, Sanli Town and Chengtai Township along the Qingshui River offer the pastoral scenery of Sanli Yangdu and Xiake Taoyuan. The Ming-dynasty traveler Xu Xiake stayed here for 54 days and wrote extensively about it. The county also preserves two Tang-dynasty steles, the Liuhe Jiangu Dazhai Song Stele and the Zhicheng Stele, known as the "Tang steles of Lingnan".

Areas to explore: the northwest route centers on Dalong Lake boat trips and Dalong Cave; the southeast route links bamboo rafting at Sanli Yangdu, Xiake Taoyuan and Bugu Village (Baixu Town); the southern route leads to Guming Village, a Zhuang village in Xiangxian Town. Sights are 10–30 km from the county seat of Dafeng Town, and most are within half an hour's drive of each other.

Seasons: March–May brings rapeseed blossoms, spring waters and the liveliest Zhuang "Sanyuesan" song fairs; September–November is crisp and clear with golden rice fields; summer is hot, humid and rainy but good for bamboo rafting and playing in the water; winter is mild and fairly dry.

Getting there: from Nanning it is about 1.5 hours to the county seat via the Nanning–Shanglin Expressway, with buses from Nanning's Langdong and Anji bus stations. Sights in the county are scattered and buses are few, so self-drive or hire a car with driver. Allow 1–2 days: one for Dalong Lake, one for Sanli Yangdu, Xiake Taoyuan and Bugu Village. Local specialties include Shanglin babao rice, Zhuang five-color sticky rice and Qingshui River fish. Admission and boat prices change from time to time; check the official notices.

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