Two Rivers and Four Lakes Scenic Spot in Guilin

Attractions Overview

Chinese Name: 桂林两江四湖
English Name: Two Rivers and Four Lakes Scenic Spot in Guilin
Type: Guilin Scenic Area, Guilin famous spots & Guilin attractions
Best Time: All Year Around
Recommended Visiting Hours: 2-3 hours
Location: located in the picturesque city of Guilin. It refers to the landscape around the city

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Why is Two Rivers and Four Lakes So Special?

After years of development, it can be divided into Long Mu ancient river scenic spot, which reflects the city culture, Gui Hu scenic spot, which is characterized by natural beauty and rural charm, and Ronghu-Shanhu scenic spot, which shows the elegant demeanour of landscape ecological city. From these natural and artificial landscapes, tourists can really feel Guilin’s natural beauty and profound cultural heritage.

Where is Two Rivers and Four Lakes

The Liangjiang and Sihu Scenic Area is located in the picturesque city of Guilin. It refers to the landscape around the city, including part of the Lijiang River, taohuajiang, Longmu Lake, Gui Hu, Ronghu Lake and Shanhu Lake.

History of Two Rivers and Four Lakes

Guihu Lake was originally the city moat of the western Guilin City in Song Dynasty (960-1279). It measures over 1, 700 meters (1 mile) from north to south and about 110 meters (120 yards) wide on average. A large number of precious arbors and flowers are planted along the lake, such as banyan tree garden, gingko garden, white pines garden, redwood garden, magnolia garden and palm garden. It is also a world of bridges such as Xiqing Bridge, Baoxian Bridge, Lize Bridge, Yingbin Bridge and Guanyin Bridge where visitors can enjoy the beautiful landscape and find them a good setting to take photos. It is not exaggerating to call it an Expo combining famous gardens, flowers, trees and bridges in one. Walk in it, visitors will feel fresh and comfortable as if attaining the perfection of the harmony between man and nature.

Main Attraction of Two Rivers and Four Lakes

Ronghu-Shanhu Lake Scenic Area

Its history can be traced back to Tang Dynasty (618-907) and Song Dynasty. Originally named Nanyang River, it was then an artificial moat in southern Guilin. The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) was called Jianhu. It was expanded in the Ming Dynasty and became an inner lake. Since then, many local governments and public institutions have been set up on the lake. Rich and famous people have built houses by the lake. Many poets and intellectuals have written many poems and literary works to describe the charming beauty of the lake.

The Sun Pagoda and Moon Pagodas in Shanhu Lake Scenic Area are also known as Twin Pagodas. The Sun Pagoda is a bronze tower, which is about 41 meters (135 feet) with nine layers; the Moon Pagoda is a glazed tile one, which is about 35 meters (115 feet) with seven layers.

Twin Pagodas

Entrance Fee	CNY 35 (children below 1.2m (3.9 feet) are free of charge.)
Opening Hours	08:00 – 22:30
Transportation	Take bus 2, 3, 10, 11, 99 or 100 to Yangqiao Station.

Mulong Lake Scenic Area

Its characteristic is to integrate history and culture into nature. On the north side of Longmu Lake, tourists can see a group of artificial scenic spots, such as the Dongzhen Gate and the Song Dynasty city wall ruins. A very large building complex is scattered around. The building includes Song Street, Banjie, Long Mu Pagoda, Long Mu Night Scene and Ancient Song City. The Long Mu pagoda was built in imitation of the Longhua pagoda in Shanghai in the Song Dynasty. In addition, there is an ecological landscape area between Longmu’s Hunan Province and Folding Jinshan Mountain, where tourists can enjoy forests, grasslands, waterfalls and streams.

Entrance Fee	CNY 90
Opening Hours	08:30 – 21:00
Transportation	Take bus 1, 18, 89, 100 or 203, and get off at Dongzhenlu Station.

Li River and Taohua (Peach Blossom) River

The beautiful Lijiang River, like a poem and a painting, is an important part of Guilin’s landscape. Taohuajiang bifurcated into Lijiang River in Ming Dynasty. The two rivers are thus connected, adding more beauty to each other.

Cruise on Two Rivers and Four Lakes Scenic Area

Itineraries	Boarding & Disembarking Docks	Sailing Time (mins)	Ticket Information (CNY)		Opening Hours
Itineraries	Boarding & Disembarking Docks	Sailing Time (mins)	Luxury Boat	Normarl Boat	Opening Hours
Two Rivers and Four Lakes Cruise (night time)	Wenchangqiao ⇌ Jiefangqiao	90	210	185	18:00 – 23:00 in peak season; 19:00 – 21:30 in off season.
Four Lakes (night time)	Riyuewan ⇌ Riyuewan	60	175	150
Four Lakes (day time)	Riyuewan ⇌ Riyuewan	60	105	80
One River and Four Lakes Cruise (day time)	Riyuewan ⇌ Jiefangqiao	70	130	110	09:50 – 16:40
One River (Li River) and Four Lakes Cruise (night time)	Riyuewan ⇌ Jiefangqiao	70	185	160
Li River in Downtown Area (day time)	Yuren ⇌ Mulong	60	75	55
Cruise around Guilin City	Riyuewan ⇌ Riyuewan	120	245	220

Best Time to Travel Two Rivers and Four Lakes

The best travel time is April to October.

Guilin has a relatively low latitude. Belongs to the subtropical humid monsoon climate. Generally speaking, Guilin has a mild climate with distinct seasons and excellent climatic conditions. The annual average temperature is 19.3℃, which is said to be “less snow in three winters and flowers in four seasons”. When traveling to Guilin, the best season is from April to October each year, during which there will be two golden weeks of “may day” and “November”, which is also the peak period of tourism. Guilin with suitable climate will have many tourists, room reservation and transportation will also enter a climax, and the price will rise compared with usual. therefore, it is better to avoid this time and choose an off-season to travel and appreciate the beauty of the world.

How To Get There

Take bus no. 2, 3, 10, 11, 99, or 100 and get off at Yangqiao Station and then walk along Shanhu North Road to reach Riyuewan Dock. Or take bus no. 2 and get off at Lijiang Theater and then walk along Shanhu North Road to get there.
Take bus no. 2, 16, or 23 and get off at Xiangshan (Elephant Hill) Park. Then walk along Binjiang Road until you reach Wenchang Bridge and cross the bridge to reach Wenchangqiao Dock.
Take bus no. 14, 28, 30 or 204 to Longyin Bridge Station, the nearest bus stop to Jiefangqiao Dock, about 1.1 kilometers (0.7 miles) from the bus station to the dock. Better take a taxi to the Jiefangqiao Dock.