Jingjiang Princes City and Solitary Beauty Peak

Jingjiang Princes City at 1 Wangcheng Road in the Xiufeng District of Guilin, Guangxi, China, is a Ming dynasty princely palace compound begun in 1372 for Zhu Shouqian, a grandnephew of the Hongwu Emperor, who was enfeoffed as Prince of Jingjiang. Around 300 years of princes lived within its walls, and the complex is among the best-preserved Ming princely residences in China. Its walls enclose gates, halls, courtyards and gardens, and today part of the grounds houses Guangxi Normal University, so the site mixes historic architecture with a working campus. Visitors enter through the main gate and walk the central axis past the Chengyun Gate and the remains of the palace halls to the foot of Solitary Beauty Peak (Duxiu Feng). The peak is a limestone hill of about 152 metres, and a climb of 306 stone steps leads to the summit pavilion, which offers 360-degree views over Guilin's rooftops, the river and the surrounding karst hills. A ticket including the climb costs about 100 yuan, which should be confirmed on Trip.com, and children under 1.2 metres enter free, with reduced prices for students with ID. The site opens from about 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, and a visit takes two to three hours with the climb. Along the route are Ming and Qing inscriptions, a carved stone tablet collection known for the poems left by earlier visitors, and a cave on the lower slopes. The best views are on clear mornings, and steps become slippery after rain, so wet days are best avoided. Crowds peak at midday and around public holidays. Buses 1, 2, 10 and 99 stop at Wangcheng, and a taxi from the centre costs about 8 to 12 yuan. Fubo Hill is a short walk away, making a natural pairing.