- Guilin (桂林, Guìlín) sits in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where limestone peaks, winding rivers, and terraced hillsides make it one of the most photographed landscapes in China.
- This post collects 26 Instagram photos of Guilin — some taken by CLI, others by travelers and local photographers who shared their work under the #Guilin hashtag.
- The scenery here is the product of tower karst geology: soft limestone laid down under a shallow sea, then carved by millions of years of rain and river water into freestanding peaks.
- For Chinese learners, Guilin is a rare combination of a small, walkable city and a landscape worth photographing every day, which is part of what makes it such a rewarding place to study.
Guilin is a sightseer's dream, a photographer's oasis, and a nature enthusiast's playground. And for the language learners of the world, it is an unparalleled treasure trove.
This post is a shout-out to a few of the many talented photographers who fill the Instagram feed with beautiful images from Guilin. Enjoy 26 of our favorite #Guilin photos, and follow us @studycli on Instagram to see plenty more.
The name itself hints at why people keep pointing their cameras here — Guilin means something like "forest of sweet osmanthus." The city is best known, though, for a landscape that looks almost invented.
01 A Shout-Out to the #Guilin Community
Every photo below was shared publicly on Instagram with a Guilin tag. Some come from CLI's own feed, and others from travelers and photographers who happened to be pointing a camera at the same peaks we see out the window.
We have kept each photographer's credit attached to their image. Follow the ones whose work you like.
A post shared by Saravut (@saravutwhanset)
Instagram is not accessible from mainland China without a VPN, so if you plan to post from Guilin, sort out your connection before you fly — our guide to the best VPNs for China covers the options.
It is also worth downloading the apps people actually use on the ground. Our overview of social media in China explains where Chinese photographers share their work instead.
02 What Makes Guilin So Photogenic
Guilin's peaks are a textbook example of tower karst. The limestone was laid down when the region lay beneath a shallow sea, and millions of years of rain and river water have since dissolved it into the freestanding cones you see in every photo.
Running through the middle of it all is the Li River (漓江, Líjiāng), which flows south from the city toward Yangshuo. The stretch downstream is famous enough that its karst scenery appears on the back of the 20-yuan note.
There is an old saying about all this: 桂林山水甲天下 (Guìlín shānshuǐ jiǎ tiānxià), "Guilin's landscape is the finest under heaven." Photographers have been agreeing with it for a very long time.
A post shared by VT (@vidhya_thiagarajan)
A post shared by Sergey Kuznetsov (@kusnetzov.photography)
A post shared by Sergey Kuznetsov (@kusnetzov.photography)
Spring and autumn are generally the most comfortable seasons for walking around Guilin with a camera, since summers are hot and humid.
That said, the Li River runs highest during the summer rainy season, and mist tends to settle between the peaks in the hours after rain — which is when most of the classic Guilin shots are taken.
03 More Views from the #Guilin Hashtag
The next four come from a mix of visiting photographers and our own feed. Between them they cover a good range of the city's moods.
A post shared by Chinese Language Institute (@studycli)
A post shared by Sergey Kuznetsov (@kusnetzov.photography)
A post shared by Mercier Zeng (@mercierzeng)
A post shared by Beautiful World Repost (@beautiful_world_repost)
04 Guilin Through CLI's Lens
The rest of the collection comes from CLI's own Instagram account. Our campus sits inside the city, so most of these were taken within walking or cycling distance of a classroom.
That proximity is the whole point. Guilin is small enough that the landscape is part of daily life rather than a weekend excursion.
A post shared by Chinese Language Institute (@studycli)
A post shared by Chinese Language Institute (@studycli)
A post shared by Chinese Language Institute (@studycli)
A post shared by Chinese Language Institute (@studycli)
A post shared by Chinese Language Institute (@studycli)
If you want to photograph people rather than peaks, ask first. 我可以拍照吗？(Wǒ kěyǐ pāizhào ma?) — "May I take a photo?" — is the single most useful phrase a visiting photographer can learn.
05 More Scenes from Around the City
The last seven photos round out the collection. They range across the city and the countryside beyond it.
Guilin also makes an easy base for day trips. The karst scenery continues south past the city limits toward Yangshuo, and our Yangshuo travel guide covers what to do once you get there.
A post shared by Chinese Language Institute (@studycli)
A post shared by Chinese Language Institute (@studycli)
A post shared by Chinese Language Institute (@studycli)
A post shared by Chinese Language Institute (@studycli)
A post shared by Chinese Language Institute (@studycli)
Photos are one thing, but standing at the base of these peaks with a teacher explaining what you are looking at is another. Students who Learn Chinese in China with CLI spend their weekends in the places on this page.
Study Chinese in Guilin or Start Online
CLI offers personalized Chinese instruction built around your goals. Join our Immersion Program in Guilin or begin from anywhere with a free Chinese lesson .
06 Useful Photography and Guilin Vocabulary
These are the words that come up most often when you are taking photos in Guilin — or talking about them afterward.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 桂林 | Guilin (city name; "forest of sweet osmanthus") | |
| 广西 | Guangxi (autonomous region) | |
| 漓江 | Li River | |
| 阳朔 | Yangshuo (county south of Guilin) | |
| 山水 | landscape (literally "mountains and water") | |
| 山峰 | mountain peak | |
| 风景 | scenery | |
| 拍照 | to take a photo | |
| 照片 | photograph | |
| 摄影师 | photographer | |
| 相机 | camera | |
| 好看 | good-looking, beautiful | |
| 美丽 | beautiful | |
| 日落 | sunset | |
| 日出 | sunrise | |
| 雾 | fog, mist | |
| 竹筏 | bamboo raft | |
| 桂花 | sweet osmanthus flower | |
| 壮族 | Zhuang ethnic group | |
| 社交媒体 | social media | |
| 我可以拍照吗 | May I take a photo? |
07 See Guilin for Yourself
We hope you enjoyed our selected images of Guilin. No photograph quite prepares you for how the peaks look in person, first thing in the morning, from a bike.
If you would like to read more about the city, take a look at our article on the Guilin Flying Tigers or our tips for studying abroad in Guilin, China.