As the autumn breeze blows, the tree leaves and rice fields change color, with yellow gingko leaves, red maple leaves and golden rice paddies adding a piece of romantic ambience to autumn. Now autumn is drawing near and the weather is getting cooler, here are the best places to see autumn colors in Guilin, where you can not only fully relax, but you can explore the beauty of autumn that touches your heart.
Exploring the Golden Color in the Longji Terraced Fields
Golden Color in the Longji Terraced Fields in autumnComposed of Ping'an Zhuang Terraced Fields and Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Fields, Longji Terraced Fields are just like a vast painting spreading between heaven and earth, whose beauty will really take your breath away. Longji Terraced Fields also hover like a huge dragon on the Longji Mountain (ranging from 300 to 1,000 meters above sea level), where the scenery changes seasonally, featuring a verdant summer and a golden autumn.
Longji Terraced Fields are a paradise for shutterbugs owing to their indescribable changing charm from morning to evening, every day. Walking along the rustic path in the fall, you can appreciate the golden undulating rice paddies showered in the golden sun, the antique cottages randomly scattered in the fields and the blue sky flecked with scudding clouds. Standing on the top of Longji Mountain, you can see the idyllic scenes of buffaloes grazing on the grass and villagers gathering rice in the fields. Once in a while, you will overhear the antiphonal songs of the Zhuang and Yao ethnic minorities.
It's a highlight to watch the sunrise in the Longji Terraced Fields, so you're highly recommended to spend a night at Ping'an Yao Village and get up early to take photos of the "Seven Stars Surrounding the Moon" at the premier platform in the Ping'an Zhuang Terraces. The ethnic minority costume rental service is available in the village, and you can rent one for the purpose of taking photos, if you are interested.
Also read Longji Terrace Rice Fields Photography Tips.
Appreciate Red Maple Leaves in Gudong National Park
Mountain springs, cascading waterfalls and red maple leaves are three highlights of Gudong Scenic Area. Gudong is 26 kilometers away from Guilin with the Li River to the west, Guilin to the north, Yangshuo to the south and Haiyang to the east, and it's picturesque throughout the year, being especially beautiful in autumn.
Gudong's cascading waterfalls are powered by gushing underground springs with a drop height of over 100 meters and which have various shapes. Some are like huge dragons spurting water, some are like mandarin ducks tumbling merrily about in water, and some are like silver rivers falling from heaven.
The autumnal color of Gudong is hidden among the 494 acres of maple trees on the mountains, which is extremely impressive as the maple trees are tinted with deep red and complement their reflections in the limpid water, constituting idyllic scenery beyond words. As the wind whispers through the maple trees, it's really a comfort to see, to listen and to smell just by standing on the hanging bridge. The best time to appreciate red maple leaves in Gudong is from late November to the middle of December.
Admiring Yellow Gingko Leaves in Haiyang
Yellow gingko leaves Haiyang VillageAs the autumnal wind blows across the paths and dances among the fallen yellow gingko leaves in the slumbering Haiyang Village, you'll realize that autumn is in the air.
Situated 45 kilometers south-east of Guilin and surrounded by mountains, Haiyang Village is celebrated for its millions of gingko trees in Guilin, over 17,000 of which are over 100 years old, and it's praised as the first gingko village of China.
You'll be fascinated by an ocean of gingko trees at your first glimpse of the village, which is so impressive that you will never forget it for the rest of your life, because the gingko trees are scattered everywhere. Haiyang Village has a rustic charm of its own, where the shabby stage still retains its antique flavor and the locals live a leisurely and carefree life; it's extremely beautiful as the yellow gingko leaves shower down.
The village is flooded with thousands of visitors each year. Some go to take wedding photos, some for making films, and others just out of respect for its fame. Tongmu Bay is the best place for taking photos in the village, and the best time to visit it is in November.