Folded Brocade Hill

Towering over Li River's west bank, Folded Brocade Hill (Die Cai Shan) lies in the northeastern part of Guilin city. The name is derived from its queer-looking rocks, which are broken horizontally. A visual feast of magnificent scenes such as Diecai Pavilion, Wind Cave and Cloud-Catching Pavilion, along with countless stones with inscriptions created by famous Chinese scribes, awaits your eyes.

Brief Introduction

It is a hill of many names and stories. It is known as Folded Brocade Hill because of the many rock formations piled up layer upon layer. Legend says that there used to be many osmanthus trees on the hill, so it is sometimes called Osmanthus Hill. Folded Brocade Hill covers an area about 2 square kilometers in the urban area. People can climb up this hill easily. Many Chinese characters decorate the rocks along the trail leading to the hilltop.

The pavilion in Folded Brocade Hill called Diecai Pavilion Diecai Pavilion offers a charming bird's-eye view of the surrounding scenery and to the west of it there is a range of unique garden architecture in the style of the Dong, an ethnic group. From the top you can enjoy the panoramic view of Guilin’s colorful landscape and lush greenery, resembling an intricate brocade fabric. And the splendid scenery on the top of the hill will be impressive especially in the sunset.

There are many inscriptions on precipices of all previous dynasties celebrities; especially they are the essence of cultural relics. If climb to the top of the Bright Moon Peak, stop in Nayun Pavillion, the whole city landscape is like a painting under your eyes. Folded Brocade Hill, was named after the nephew of Yuanzhen of the Tang dynasty getting visited Folded Brocade Hill, wrote a Folded Brocade Hill Note, said: "according to the map and record, the mountain is like a cloth full of stone stripe, the mountain is colorful alternate with green which like folded brocade so it named Folded Brocade Hill.” Folded Brocade Hill rocks are like colorful silks and satins, piled up layer upon layer of the name. 

What to See

【Folded Brocade Park Gate】
Folded Brocade Park Gate was built in 1990, and it is archaized round door that has cornice, hard ridge, slope crest, and green tiles. Our country modern famous calligrapher Wang Xiaju wrote "Folded Brocade Hill" on a horizontal tablet and hang on it, the ticket office is on the right and the left side of the walls decorated with glass window which is of primitive simplicity and elegance.

【Folded Brocade Hill Gate】
The Zhiyang Hall of Folded Brocade Hill is archaized building, stands above the location of throat of way to Shangfeng Cave; from here people can ascend the stairs. In the gate, there is banner “Folded Brocaded Hill” wrote in clerical script by Wei Jichang; on both sides there is couplet hung on the columns wrote by Zhang Xianghe and Guilin calligrapher Wu Chundao in Qing dynasty. After the entrance, that is, people will enter into the place mix with historical relics, religious resort, and natural scenery.

【Jingfeng Pavilion】
In the platform right of Wind Cave and South Cave of Folded Brocade Hill, there is a pavilion built in Tang dynasty Huichang period (841-846), past dynasties have once repaired it, but it became waste pavilion and dozens of precious poems block-printed editions were ruined in the war of Anti-Japanese. Jingfeng Pavilion was once a famous building, all previous dynasties celebrities have poems block-printed editions in here, and Constitutional Reform and Modernization famous people Kang Youwei, centenarian patriotic Ma Xianbo successively lived in here.

Folded Brocade Pavilion is located in the Folded Brocade Hill mountaineering path. It is square pavilion with flattop, single-layer, red pillar and green title, about 5 meters high, 7.5 meters long, 8.5 meters wide. Area of 64 square meters. In the front side there is hanging horizontal inscribed board of “Folded Brocade Hill” wrote by the famous calligrapher Wang Xiaju. Folded Brocade Pavilion is close to Yuyue Mountain in the east, adjacent to Siwang Mountain in the west and fact to Bright Moon Peak in the north which is in harmony with mountain scenery. Folded Brocade Pavilion is an ideal place for recreation.

【Folded Brocade Palace】
Folded Brocade Palace is located between Bright Moon Peak and Yuyue Mountain, is a large landscape architecture construction group constructed on the basis of north Guangxi Dong minority building, building area of 1300 square meters, built in 1990. The central axis of Folded Brocade Palace is drum tower and the corridor; the whole building can be divided into two courtyards of east and west. Compound is center on water pool, shelf in the east, pavilion corridor in the west, building in the south, and waterside pavilion north.

Travel Guide of Folded Brocade Hill

【Recommended Visiting Time】 1 hour
【Best time to go】 June and October is the best time to go. During this two months, the weather in Guilin is cool, the average temperature is 25 degree which is suitable for climbing mountain.
【How to get to Folded Brocade Hill】
1. Taking bus No.2 and 203 to Folded Brocade Hill
2. Taking bus No.1, 18, 100 and 203 to Dongzhen Road
3. Taking bus No.1, 2, 18, 99 and 100 and 203 to Fengbei Cross (Red Cross Women and Children Hospital)