Guangxi

Known throughout China for its fairy-tale scenery, Guangxi's rivers, valleys, and stone peaks have inspired painters and poets for centuries. From the distinctive terraced rice fields of Longsheng, which resemble a dragon's spine, to the karst rock formations that surround Guilin and Yangshuo and rise from the coastal plain in the south, Guangxi is quite possibly the most picturesque of China's provinces.

As in neighboring Guizhou, a significant portion of Guangxi's population is tribal: the Dong, Gelao, Hui, Jing, Maonan, Miao, Shui, Yao, Yi, and, in particular, the Zhuang people, who constitute about a third of the province's population. Guangxi has often been the object of struggle between these indigenous peoples and the Han, who established their authority only in the 19th century. Today it is one of five autonomous regions, which, in theory, have an element of self-government.

The climate is subtropical, affected by seasonal monsoons, with long, hot, humid, and frequently wet summers and mild winters. Guangxi is one of the most popular travel destinations in China among Chinese and Westerners alike.