Xiangshan Scenic Area in Guilin is located in the city center, including Xiangbishan (Elephant Trunk Hill), Fuboshan (Wave Subduing Hill) and Diecaishan (Folded Color Hill). The three hills are only two or three thousand meters apart, overlooking the Lijiang River, with half of them on land and the other half submerged in the river flow. They are the essence of Guilin's mountains and waters. Mountains become lively because of water, and water becomes beautiful because of mountains. After thousands of years of development and tourism, they have long become a famous tourist attraction, known far and wide.
As early as the Sui and Tang dynasties, the mountains in Guilin left traces of the ancients' pursuit of beauty and admiration for poetry. Xiangbishan, Fuboshan, and Diecaishan once experienced the grand occasion of being blocked by carriages and horses. The rock carvings and statues covering the entire mountain are the best historical witnesses. In the circular waterway tour system of Guilin during the Song Dynasty, these three famous mountains were important nodes. The ancients either took boats from here, tied boats to go ashore, or moored at the mountain rocks and water caves, sweeping leaves to cook tea, drinking wine while facing the wind, appreciating the colors of the mountains and waters, and exploring the wonders of the caves. As time changes and the world evolves, many famous mountains that were once prosperous have fallen silent, but the tourism of Xiangbishan, Fuboshan, and Diecaishan has lasted for thousands of years. Do we still remember what the collective memory or high-level summary of Guilin's landscape was in the second half of the 20th century? The answer is "three mountains, two caves, and one river." Compared to the elegant interests of the ancients, such a summary may be too direct, but it has represented the meaning of Guilin's landscape and dominated Guilin's tourism for a long period. The "three mountains" refer to Xiangbishan, Fuboshan, and Diecaishan.
Among the "three mountains," Xiangbishan is located on the west bank of the Lijiang River in the southern part of Guilin City, at the confluence of the Taohua River and the Lijiang River. It is a symbol of Guilin City, and the city emblem of Guilin uses Xiangbishan as its mark, also simply called Xiangshan. Xiangshan has an altitude of 220 meters, standing 55 meters above the water surface, composed of pure limestone deposited under the sea 360 million years ago. The mountain shape is solitary and steep, with ancient rocks. Between the elephant trunk and the elephant leg of Xiangshan, there is a Shuiyue Cave, like a full moon floating quietly on the water, forming the famous "Xiangshan Shuiyue". This scenery integrates clear mountains, beautiful waters, strange caves, beautiful stones, and reflections into one, becoming a timeless theme that poets have been praising throughout history, and it is a must-visit place for tourists coming to Guilin.
Among the "three mountains," Fuboshan is located in the northeast part of the center of Guilin City. A solitary peak rises abruptly, with an altitude of 213 meters, half on land and half inserted into the Lijiang River. The body of the mountain stands 63 meters above the flat ground, rising steeply, like a knife splitting or an axe cutting. Especially the side facing the river gives people a sense of towering cliffs. The Lijiang River flows through here, blocked by the mountain body, forming a huge backflow. The ancients named it Fuboshan for its "foot blocking the surging waves", subduing the waves. According to folklore, Fuboshan got its name because General Ma Yuan of the Han Dynasty once shot arrows and tested his sword on this mountain to repel enemies.
Among the "three mountains," Diecaishan is located in the northern part of the center of Guilin City, composed of limestone and dolomitic limestone deposited 367 million years ago. The stone quality is hard, and the rock layers are thin, medium-thick, and thick, stacked layer by layer, like brocade piled up. The Tang Dynasty literary figure Yuan Hui named it Diecaishan because "according to the map, the mountain is marked by horizontally distributed stone patterns, with colorful green interwoven, like folded brocade."
The naturally beautiful Guilin has undergone large-scale urban construction after the turn of the century, with breathtaking scenery everywhere. Every bridge, every road, every flower, every tree, every river, every lake is worth seeing. With the development of Guilin's tourism circle attractions, Guilin's tourism landscape is even more colorful, far beyond the scope of a single phrase or "three mountains, two caves, one river." But when we count Guilin's sightseeing attractions, we find that Guilin's "three mountains, two caves, one river" is still the axis of Guilin's tourism routes. The Two Rivers and Four Lakes scenic area, which attracts worldwide attention and is unique to Guilin, has incorporated the three famous mountains into its scope. The journey from Xiangbishan to Diecaishan along the Lijiang River is the climax and focus of the Two Rivers and Four Lakes tour, especially the night tour.
People have always admired these three mountains throughout history because they possess many advantages, such as:
Good location: The Lijiang River runs through the city, and Guilin develops along both sides of the Lijiang River. The three mountains are located on the river segment in the center of the city, closely connected like pearls strung together, from north to south, sequentially Diecaishan, Fuboshan, and Xiangbishan. In Guilin's city tourism, the three mountains are conveniently within the Two Rivers and Four Lakes scenic area. Xiangbishan and Diecaishan are also at the connection points between rivers and lakes, and their surroundings are all famous scenic spots in the city of Guilin.
Unique mountain shapes: The three mountains have unique shapes, resembling a giant elephant drinking water, a lone peak piercing the river, and brocade overlapping. The caves in the mountains each have their own wonders, some shaped like a full moon, some cool breezes blowing, some with strangely suspended rocks.
Early development: Since the Tang Dynasty when the governor of Gui Prefecture, Yuan Hui, developed Diecaishan, the three mountains have become popular tourist destinations, with over a thousand years of history, imbued with ancient charm.
Rich culture: Over a thousand years of cultural accumulation have left many traces of famous people, cliff carvings, inscriptions, historical legends, and excellent poems, making them humanized nature.
Secluded environment: The three mountains are all urban forest parks, shaded by lush trees, encircled by green waters, with secluded stone paths.
After thousands of years of baptism and sedimentation, the long history of tourism and profound cultural relics have made the "three mountains" the essence of Guilin's landscape culture and representatives of Guilin's tourism culture.