Known internationally for its limpid rivers, verdant mountains, mysterious caves and grotesque rocks, Guilin has won a really good reputation of owning the country's most beautiful sceneries for hundreds of years, attracting a myriad of people throughout the world to come and explore. As the tourism industry undergoes a rapid development, the sideline-shopping takes on its prosperity as well. Either the honored "Guilin's Three Treasures"-sanhua alcohol, Guilin fermented bean curd and Guilin chili sauce, or some Guilin-styled artistic works such as Yangshuo Painted Fan, Guilin Landscape paintings, Guilin stone sculptures etc. enjoy great popularity among travelers. Let TOC be your guide to unveil the mysteries of shopping in Guilin.
What to shop
Guilin's Three Treasures
Sanhua alcohol, Guilin fermented bean curd and Guilin chili sauce are considered as "Guilin's three treasures" as well as the favorites among travelers in Guilin.
Guilin Sanhua alcohol
With a profound history that can be traced back to the Southern Song Dynasty, Guilin Sanhua alcohol is famed for its amazing aroma, soft tastes and pleasant aftertaste. It is the major representative of rice aromatic Chinese white spirit, being crowned as the "king". Its tasty owes not only to the utilization of the pure water from Li River, high-quality rice as well as selected distiller's yeast as its main materials, but also to the favorable storage conditions caused by caves which are cool in summer and warm in winter. Moderate drinking of it can refresh oneself and promote healthy blood circulation, doing great to people's health.
Guilin fermented bean curd
Bean curd is usually available in two varieties: the white and the red, and Guilin farmented bean curd is on behalf of the former one, enjoying great fame as early as in the Song Dynasty. It is made in a quite simple process with fresh bean curd being cut into cubes and mixed with nodule mould, then left to ferment for 2-3 days until a mouldy coating appears on the surface. Fermented bean curd is often served as a part of Chinese breakfast, well-known for its softness and savoury taste. Used as either condiment or side dish, it will arouse your appetite a lot.
Guilin chili sauce
Guilin chili sauce wins an outstanding status by its unique flavor, not only salable to the natives but also marketable in Southeast Asian regions. The main materials include excellent red pepper, fragrant garlic, lobster sauce, aromatic Sanhua alcohol, fine salt etc., making the chili sauce yummy, tasteful and savoury. The types of Guilin chili sauce vary due to the different seasoning namely garlic chilli sauce made of garlic. You are assured to love it.
Yangshou Painted Fan
Yangshuo painted fan is a distinguished folk handicrafts in Guilin. A painted fan is made by Nan bamboo(a kind of valued bamboo) as its bone, rice paper or silk as its surface, well-decorated with painted flowers, birds, insects, grand landscapes, classical traditional beauties etc., all of which are nicely�drawn by local artists. Besides, beautiful paintings are also coupled with poems, calligraphy, seal etc., making it an exquisite handiwork and souvenir for travelers to present as a gift to his family members, relatives and good friends. These fans are widely available in Yangshuo and Guilin, however the best place to buy is in the small shops in the town, where bargaining is always encouraged.
Guilin stone sculpture
Guilin stone sculpture has developed as early as in the Tang Dynasty with the witness of over 500 figures of Buddha of stone sculptures on cliffs in North Hill, Fupo Hill, Silk Double Hill, etc, providing important reference for the stone sculptures today. It also sells as a local souvenir. Guilin stone sculpture is usually made by Guangxi Luchuan stone and Dongxing stone. The former stone has colors of emerald, ink green, bright green etc. with an excellent quality of glittering and translucent as jade; the latter stone is colorful, smooth, pure and beautiful, full of floweriness. Both of them are good materials for stonework. Through artists' five processes of selection, design, striking, fine carving and lighting, vivid and beautiful Guilin landscape, lifelike wild animals, flowers, birds, fishes, insects, and various figures of Buddha have been presented in front of you. Collecting some would be a great option to commemorate your sweet Guilin tour.
Recommended Local Fruits
Luo Han Kou
Luo Han Kou, also called as fructus momordicae, is a famous local specialty of Guilin. It got its name due to the appearance just like the belly of Buddha; and Luo Han means arhat or monk in Chinese. It tastes yummy, cool and sweet, maybe 200 times sweeter than can sugar. For centuries, Luo Han Kuo has been used as a traditional Chinese herb, for its good efficacy of arresting cough, relieving pain in the throat and protecting yourself from constipation, bronchitis, acute gastritis as well as chronic enteritis. Besides, it is considered to be conducive to lowering your blood pressure as well. Presenting some as gifts for your beloved family members would be a great idea!
Guilin chestnuts
The chestnuts are palatable and sweet-flavored, full of nutritions and mineral compositions such as protein, starch, carotene, amino acid, calcium, phosphorus, potassium etc. Even in ancient times, they are treated as great delicacies. The best place to produce chestnuts in Guilin is Yangshuo, where chestnuts are thin-skinned, tasteful and bright in color, enjoying great reputation among people throughout the country. The sweet roasted chestnuts, very savoury and yummy, are loved by people in all ages.
Where to shop
666 meters in length, Zhengyang Pedestrian Street is located in the downtown area of Guilin city. Surrounded by lots of restaurants, hotels, theatres, stadiums, shopping malls and scenic spots, it is honored as "the first commercial street in West China". The street owns all the conveniences that are required for good shopping and an extremely pleasant shopping atmosphere. Every day, thousands of travelers from both home and abroad come here for exploration.
Another major shopping district in Guilin is along Zhongshan Rd, with all silk shirts, jackets, and ties being widely available. Besides, you can also find other popular local items including bamboo carvings, scrolls and paintings, embroidered tablecloths, carved seals (have your name engraved on them in Chinese characters), beautifully carved tea sets etc. Nevertheless, all high-quality handicrafts and antiques like landscape paintings, sandalwood fans, antique ceramics and china, jade rings and bracelets are provided at the Guilin Antique Store.
Editor's words:
Since Guilin is a great scenic spot as well as an old-timey historical and cultural city, shopping here should mainly focus on something Guilin-styled. If you are interested in shopping and want to add it in your Guilin journey, please talk to the trip advisors of TOC. Wish you have a beautiful memory here!
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