Solitary
Beauty Peak
Solitary Beauty Peak (Duxiu
Peak) stands in solitary grace at the center
of the ancient Mansion of Prince Jingjiang
(a noble family in the Ming Dynasty). Towering
from the ground with an elevation of 216
meters, it is reputed as "Sky-Supporting
Pillar in the South". During the Southern
Dynasty (420-589), some 1500 years ago,
Yan Yanzhi, governor of Guilin, wrote the
line: "none can surpass this solitary
peak in beauty." hence the name Solitary
Beauty Peak.
At the foot of the peak are
Dushu (Study) Rock, Taiping (Peace) Rock
and Yueya (Crescent) Pond. On the eastern
side of the hill there are many inscriptions
from the Qing dynasty, such as "Southern
Sky-supporting Pillar" and "Purple
Gown and Golden Belt." A flight of
396 stone steps leads from the west foot
of the hill up to the top, where you can
get a panoramic view of the whole city and
all the mountains surrounding it.
Note that this peak is situated
in the grounds of the Guangxi Normal College,
so visitors may enter only after 2:00 pm.
Boating south from the dock,
and passing Nine Dragons Playing in the
Water, the ship enters the Ox Gorge, where
the next highpoint of the trip arrives.
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