Guangxi is a Zhuang autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its location in southern China, along its border with Vietnam, and mountainous terrain, has made it one of the border frontiers of Chinese civilization. Even into the 20th century it was considered an open, wild territory. The current name "Guang" itself means "expanse", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in 226 AD. It was given provincial level status during the Yuan Dynasty and in 1949 was reformed as one of China's five minority autonomous regions. The abbreviation of the province is 桂 (Gui), which comes from the city of Guilin, the former capital, center of much of Guangxi's culture, politics, and history, and currently a major city in the autonomous region. The major tourist attraction of Guangxi is Guilin, a town famed across China and the world for its spectacular setting by the Lijiang River (Li River) amongst severe karst peaks. It also used to be the capital of Guangxi, and Jingjiang Princes City, the old princes residence, is open to the public. South of Guilin down the river is the town of Yangshuo, which has become a favourite destination for foreign tourists, particularly backpackers. Ethnic minorities native to Guangxi, such as the Zhuang and Dong, are also interesting for tourists. The northern part of the province, bordering with Guizhou, is home to the Longsheng rice terraces, said to be some of the steepest in the world. Nearby Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County. Guilin is a city in China, situated in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the west bank of the Lijiang River. Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city. The city has long been renowned for its quite unique scenery. It is considered to be the pearl of China's thriving tourist industry on account of the natural beauty and historic treasures. Covering an area of about 27,800 square kilometers (10,734 square miles), the city is rather compact when compared with other leading cities in the country. Guilin is world famous for its picturesque and beautiful scenery, and is a well-known cultural and historic city. Guilin boasts a pleasant climate for sight-seeing in all four seasons of the year. There are many ethnic minorities including the Zhuang, Yao, Hui, Miao, Mulao, Maonan and Dong, enrich the cultural life of this area. Each minority has its own unique customs and festivals and this means that they are much more abundant here than in many other places elsewhere in China. Travelers can enjoy all these pageants experiences in our special designed trip. There is a saying in China: Guilin's scenes are the Finest under Heaven, but Yangshuo' s are still better. Yangshuo is the terminal of the 65 kilometer-long Li River cruise tour and is a beautiful and sedate ancient city. Some 1,600 years ago in the Jin Dynasty (265-420) the county seat was moved to Yangshuo from Xingping. The city has a history of more than 1,000 years. Crisscrossed with rivers and streams the Yangshuo area is embraced by Li and Yulong River on the outskirts while the city is within the arms of the Dragon-head Hill, Duli and other peaks and hills. Yangshou is famous for its many mountains that are an intergraded part of the cityscape. Xuxiake, a famous traveler of the Ming Dynasty praised Yangshuo as "A world of green lotuses and jade bamboo-shoots." The town's West Street, lined with western cafes, restaurants and hotels has welcomed countless foreigners from all over the world and is known as "the Earth Village in China". The city is an excellent place for bicyclists and backpackers. Small villages hide behind the paddy, water buffalos patrol the fields while fishermen boat on the river. Each provides a feeling of tranquility far removed from the cement jungle of the large cities.