Wuzhou

A 'century-old trading port' whose arcade-house quarter preserves nearly 600 qilou buildings, alongside the Dragon Mother Temple, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and the 'Mandarin Duck River', with a UNESCO Global Geopark across the river in Fengkai.

Wuzhou lies in eastern Guangxi at the confluence of the Xi River and the Gui River. As the gateway into Guangxi on the Xi River's 'golden waterway', it is known as a 'century-old trading port' and 'Guangxi's water gateway'. In the Han dynasty it was home to Guangxin, the regional capital of Lingnan, and it faces Fengkai County in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, across the river. The heart of the city is the Hedong old town in Wanxiu District: the Qilou City arcade quarter preserves one of the largest groups of qilou (arcade buildings) in China, and nearby the Dragon Mother Temple, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, the former British Consulate in Riverside Park, Wuzhou Museum and Baiyun Mountain can all be linked on foot; in the evening, watch the sunset along the Xi River or take a night cruise. Longxu District on the south bank of the Xi River has Canghai National Wetland Park and the Former Residence of Li Jishen; Liubao Town in Cangwu County to the north is the birthplace of Liubao tea, a dark tea; across the river to the east, Fengkai County has Dabanshi and Qiancengfeng in its UNESCO Global Geopark; and Teng County to the southwest has the Danxia landscape of Shibiao Mountain. The climate is subtropical monsoon, most pleasant from October to April; summers are hot and rainy, with the flood season in Jun–Aug. Getting there: the Nanning–Guangzhou and Guiyang–Guangzhou high-speed railways stop at Wuzhou South Station, about 1.5–2 hours from Guangzhou South and about 2 hours from Nanning; sights in the city can be reached on foot or by taxi, while Fengkai, Liubao and Teng County require a car or hired driver. Allow 2–3 days: one for strolling the old town and river views, one for the Fengkai geopark, and one for the Liubao tea plantations or Shibiao Mountain. Must-tries: guilinggao (turtle jelly), paper-wrapped chicken, Bingquan soy milk and Liubao tea.

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