Diecai Shan (Folding Brocade Hill)

Location: on the west bank of the Li River, Northeast of Guilin city, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (aka Guangxi Province)
Opening time: 08:00 - 18:30
How to get there: By private coach or from the city center, take bus No. 2, No.58 (free) or No.203 and get off at the stop of Diecai Shan (叠彩山).
Best time to visit: All year long

Amazing Guilin scenery near the city center

Diecai Shan or Diecai Hill is a famous Guilin attraction located at just a few minutes away from downtown Guilin. Its location makes it a major sightseeing point over the city, and a rich cultural site for its many stone carvings, natural resources and historical relics. Being a picturesque spot in Guilin, Diecai Shan literally meaning "The Folding Brocade Hill" will charm you in every way.

Particularities of Diecai Shan, the "Folding Brocade Hill"

Diecai Shan scenic spot is set in beautiful scenery of mountains, caves and ancient cultural relics. The place covering 64 km² (15,815 acres) is made of four different peaks: Yuyue Peak to the east, Siwang (All-Direction-Looking Hill) Peak to the west, Crane Peak and Ming Yue (Bright Moon) Peak to the north. Among them, the Ming Yue (Bright Moon) Peak is the tallest one, standing at 223 meters (732 feet) above the sea level. Travelers looking for some gorgeous sightseeing over Guilin cityscape would be pleased by such a place where stone steps, pavilions and lush vegetation make most of the scenery.

Upon entering the site, visitors have the opportunity to climb the Bright Moon Hill and see on its hillside the gorgeous Diecai Pavilion, Face-The-Cloud Pavilion and Over-The-River Pavilion. Good stops on the steep but easy ascent to the top of the hill, these pavilions are welcome and provide good views over the city of Guilin. Other highlights of Diecai Shan are the Wind Cave and its many carvings. Also known as the "Cool World" cave in Guilin vicinity, the Wind Cave stands inside the Bright Moon Peak and is famous for its cool temperature and breezing atmosphere all year long. The cave has the particularity of being home to hundreds of carvings and Buddha sculptures both inside and outside, tracing back from the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties.

History of Diecai Hill

The name of Diecai Hill is a part of the Chinese culture and history. In Chinese, this name refers to a "Folded Colors Hill", a name that exactly applies to this Guilin site as the hills that are made of queer-looking rocks horizontally fissured. In ancient times, namely during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the name of "diecai" was used to refer to folded layers of colored silk brocades. When discovering the Guilin hills, the first man called the site "Diecai Hill", hence the English translation of the Mountain to "Folded Brocade Hill". Visitors stopping at Diecai Shan will enter in another time of China, made of beautiful karstic hills typical of southern China and ancient precious carvings.

What to see in Diecai Hill?

As a typical Guilin scenic spot, Diecai Shan is mostly appreciable for its natural scenery of karstic mountains, lush vegetation and caves. The must of the area is to climb up to the top of the Bright Moon Peak (Mingyue Feng). There, the view over the picturesque Li River and Guilin city is impressive. A sight that you will have barely the chance to admire somewhere else in the world! The Solitary Beauty Peak and Fubo Hill can be seen from there, ranking as two other notable hills of Guilin.