How to Visit Daxu Ancient Town (Tips, Photos & Map)

Guilin is a picturesque city, aft-lauded as "The Best Landscapes under the Heaven".  The city is surrounded by rivers and lakes, and dotted with karst hills, a cityscape typical of a mesmerizing Chinese painting.

Daxu Ancient Town (Daxuzhen)

But Guilin's fame doesn't totally rely on its natural beauty, it also boasts several sites of historical importance and cultural value. Daxu Ancient Town (大圩古镇) is one of them, which used to be off-beaten path. Now Daxu Ancient Town has become a popular travel destination which attracts those who are interested in Chinese history, traditional buildings and culture.

So if you are planning Guilin tour, you may consider adding Daxu Ancient Town on your Guilin travel schedule. Basically a return side trip to Daxu Ancient Town from Guilin city center takes about 3-4 hours. It is located about 19 km southeast of Guilin city center.

"Daxu" literally means "a big market". Daxu Ancient Town used to be one of the four ancient market towns in Guangxi Province. The ancient town developed from Song Dynasty ( 960 -1279),  prospered in Ming and Qing dynasties ( 1368 -1911) and reached its peak during Republic Era of China ( 1912 - 1949 ).

Daxu Ancient Town's only street runs along Li River for 2 km (on the east bank of the river), flanked by traditional one- and two-story wooden houses. Walking on the stone-flagged street brings you back to the past when it was a busy trade and market town. Today, the town is well-preserved and still inhabited by the locals from generation to generation.

How to Get to Daxuzhen (Daxu Town)

Take the public bus No.306 and get off at the last stop - Daxu Square ( 大圩广场). At Guilin, basically you have several places to get on the Bus 306, such as Guilin North Railway Station, Guilin East Railway Station and Public Tansport Donghua Station (公交东环车场 - 公交站).

Actually the Bus 306 is operated by Lingchuan County where Daxu Town is located, and the 306 bus line goes from Lingchuan General Bus Station, passing through the city of Guilin along over stops, than back to Daxu Town. So theoretically you have more than 10 bus stops on the way in Guilin for your bus ride to Daxu Town on the Bus Line 306. The Bus Line 306 totally have 52 stops and Daxu Square is the last bus stop - the 52th stop.

The earliest departure from Guilin is 6:30, and the latest return from Daxu Town is 18:30. Be ready for small amount of cash in coins or notes for the bus tickets.

Virtual Tour of Daxu Ancient Town

Now follow me to have a glimpse of the ancient town.

The ancient town attracts more and more foreign tourists nowadays and I happen to meet some of them,  a busload of tourists from Spain.

They are talking and laughing, every much intrigued by the ancient Chinese houses and handicrafts.

The large original stone paved street tells us a historical past.

The two-story wooden house has ornate wood carvings and western style of handrails.

You will see some local food culture, herbal medicine and crafts arts are still preserved till today like distillery, bamboo craft and many more.

It is a leisurely place. Most of the inhabitants are seniors and kids with doors open, living an easy and slow pace of life.

The Longevity Bridge is a single arch stone bridge, originally built in Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in 1899. The bridge is firm with many stone steps at the confluence of Li River and Ma River.

The 2 km stone flagged and cobbled street is interesting for a two-hour stroll,  immersing yourself into the traditional Chinese life - its historical culture and traditional buildings.

There used to be 13 docks along the street on the water edge at its peaks when it served as the local trade and commercial hub. Today, you can see some of them alive with water transportation and bamboo rafting activities.

Tip:  Hassle-free Guilin Guided Tours

If you don’t want to do a self-guided tour and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,  here are some options for organized tours to Guilin:

Further Readings