Overview
It's name means "forest of sweet osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant sweet osmanthus trees located in the region. The city has long been renowned for its scenery of karst topography.
Guilin is one of China's most popular tourist destinations, and the epithet "By water, by mountains, most lovely, Guilin" (桂林山水甲天下) is often associated with the city. The State Council of China has designated Guilin a National Famous Historical and Cultural City, doing so in the first edition of the list.