Though set at the junction of two major rivers, GUIPING is slightly disappointing; just an ordinary Chinese town three hours or so west of Wuzhou along the Wuzhou-Nanning highway, with a little industry and a lot of sugar cane. Guiping is centred around Guangchang , a public square at the intersection of east-west-oriented Renmin Lu and south-pointing Guinan Lu, where you'll also find the long-distance bus station with connections to Wuzhou, Nanning and Liuzhou. In practice, however, you may well find yourself dropped off on the main road, a couple of kilometres south of town; catch a cycle-rickshaw up Guinan Lu to the centre.

 

The Chinese come to Guiping to see Xi Shan , a typical formalized sacred mountain right on the western outskirts - catch a bus (7am-4.30pm) from Guangchang square or simply walk for twenty minutes along Renmin Xi Lu to the gates (¥11 entry). Far tamer than the country's great holy peaks, Xi Shan is a comfortable introduction to the Chinese obsession with landscaping natural phenomena to turn them into places of pilgrimage and weekend excursions. The two-hour hike to the top follows paved paths leading off into a forest of fish-tailed palms and huge pines, past the usual run of temples - near the entrance, Xishi Si has an excellent vegetarian restaurant open for lunch - and up to a summit with hazy views of the two rivers snaking across a watery flatland to join at Guiping. Tea aficionados should sample the famous Xi Shan brand; rumour has it that temple-bought leaves are superior to anything you'll find in Guiping's shops.

Guiping's accommodation includes spacious, threadbare rooms at Dianzi Binguan (dorm beds up to ¥30, doubles with bathroom ¥30-75), on the west side of the square; and nondescript, elderly furnishings at either the Guiping Binguan (doubles from up to ¥30), or Guiping Fandian (singles/doubles ¥30-75), both east along Renmin Zhong Lu. There are heaps of wholesome places to eat in the area, with the ingredients laid out for you to point and choose, and staff are delighted to have foreign custom - dog is very popular in winter.