|
 A
famous tourist city with charming natural scenery and
ethnic flavor of Yao, Miao, Dong and Zhuang people.
Some three hours from Guilin, LONGSHENG sits on the
torrential Rongshui River , known for the tiny quantities
of alluvial gold found in its tributaries which still
entice the occasional Chinese dreamer up into the hills
with shovels and pans. It's also a busy marketplace
for those interestingly shaped rocks that end up in
miniature gardens and bonsai pots throughout the land,
a trade that was illegal until the late 1990s.
Longsheng itself is unattractive, but it makes a convenient
base. Turn right out of the bus station and it's a short
walk to the comforting "English Spoken" sign
outside the Riverside Hotel (£¤30-75),
a basic, friendly hostel run by an English teacher.
Past here you reach a bridge which crosses east over
the river to the town centre, a messy couple of streets
running parallel to the bank. North near the market,
the Foreign Trade Hotel (£¤30-75), with
reasonable rooms, is the best of several accommodation
choices, while the Jinhui Fandian, not far away on Xinlong
Lu, has an enthusiastic manager and good food. Also
check out the accurately named "Shop of Strange
Stones and Root Carving", housed in a former temple
one street back on Jilong Lu; people come all the way
from Taiwan to buy their stock of curiously weathered
and patterned rocks here.
Scores of daily buses run on from Longsheng to Sanjiang
(£¤15) or Guilin (£¤10) between
about 6am and 5pm; there are also four luxury coaches
to Guilin at twice the price. Minibuses for local destinations
leave from a depot more or less opposite the Jinlong
Fandian on Xinlong Lu; get here early on in the day.
Attractions
in Longsheng
Neighboring Areas: Yunnan,
Guizhou, Hunan and Guangdong provinces
Climate situated
in sub-tropical zone; monsoon climate with sufficient
rainfall and frost-free of 314 days
Average Temperature: 18.1 C
Rainfall:
1500-2400mm
Mountains: Hou (Monkey) Hill, Wujian (Five
Swords) Hill, Xinzi Hill, Qipan (Chess Board) Hill
Rivers: Liujiang River
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Map
of China
