[Photo from guilin.com]

The Solitary Beauty Peak·Prince City Scenic Area is situated in the center of Guilin, Guangxi province. The tourist site contains the Solitary Beauty Peak, “King of all mountains in Guilin” at its heart, and used to be home to the palace of Jingjiang Princes during Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Natural scenery and the historical and cultural landscape complement each other in the area. The original inscription of the famous verse, “Guilin’s scenery is the best in the world”, was found here.

The scenic area is a representative of Guilin’s history and culture. The Solitary Beauty Peak is reputed to be the greatest peak in Guilin. A 306-step stair leads to the top of the peak; the best spot for a bird’s-eye view of Guilin.

Since ancient times, the area has been regarded as an auspicious site. It is, after all, the cradle of Guilin city and has produced two emperors and 14 seigniors of Jiangjiang for 11 generations. In 1996, the scenic area was listed as a national cultural relic protection site and is now a national-level AAAAA scenic site. There is a popular saying that goes, “the Forbidden City in Beijing is to northern China what the Prince City in Guilin is to southern China.”