Seven Star Park

Travel to China like a Pro

Seven Star Park is located on the eastern bank of Li River, about 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) from downtown Guilin. It covers an area about 300 acres and is known for seven towering peaks which resemble the Great Dipper constellation. It is one of the largest and the most visited parks with incredible scenery including caves, mountains, rock formations, buildings, cultural relics, etc. The park can be considered the epitome of Guilin’s natural  beauty.

The main attractions in Seven Star Park are Flower Bridge, Putuo Mountain, Camel Hill, Crescent Mountain, Guihai Stele Forest, and Seven Star Cave.

Flower Bridge is the oldest bridge in Guilin. With a length of 440+ feet (135 meters), it was built during the Song Dynasty. In every spring and summer, the flowers on the side of bridge bloom, hence the name Flower Bridge.

Putuo Mountain is made up of Tianshu Peak, Tianxuan Peak, Tianji Peak and Tianquan Peak. Rising above the sea level 870 feet (265 meters), the statue of Avalokiteshvara (the embodiment of the compassion of all Buddhas) is enshrined on the mountain. Putuo Mountain contains various famous attractions like Seven Star Cave, Guanyin Cave, and Putuo Pavillion. Putuo Mountain also houses more than stone inscriptions among which ‘逍遥楼’ written by Yan Zhenqing (the most famous calligrapher from the Tang Dynasty) is the most precious.

Camel Hill is located behind Putuo Mountain. It takes the shape of crouching camel, hence the name. During the late Ming Dynasty, a hermit lived here and planted the large number of peach trees, and because of this, the hill looks very beautiful in springtime. Situated at the south of Putuo Mountain, Crescent Hill gets its name from a new-moon shaped opening of a cave on the western slope of the hill.

Walking along the winding path on the southwest hill, visitors can reach Panyue Pavillion where you can get a serene view of Flower Bridge. Going down the hill along the southern path, you can enter Hidden Dragon Cave at the foot of the hill where you can see the naturally-formed stone cistern.

Guihai Stele Forest contains 220 stone inscriptions in different calligraphy styles with contents relating to the economy, military matters, culture, customs, and so on. The oldest inscriptions can be dated back to Eastern Jin Dynasty (317 – 420 CE). The stele forest thrived during the Tang and Song dynasties and prospered during the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Here travelers can also find the rubbings of inscriptions from other rocks and mountains in Guilin. The most famous and valuable among them is Map of the Seat of the Jingjiang Prefecture from Yingwu Mountain in north Guilin. This stone map is the largest one in China.

As the largest and most splendid cave in Guilin, Seven Star Cave is a 5a tourist attraction. At 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) long, the cave originally was an old subterranean river dating back about 1 million years. In the cave, the beautiful karst stalactites and stalagmites astound tourists. It had been a tourist destination since the Sui and Tang dynasties and was visited by famous men of letters, so over 120 stone steles were left behind.