Guilin finds fresh ways to surprise

Beyond the terraces

The Longji Rice Terraces have drawn visitors for more than three decades. Yet tourism development here has not entirely displaced traditional village life. Many communities have retained their local character, with residents continuing to play an active role in the tourism economy.

In Dazhai village, tourism revenue is shared with residents and reinvested in maintaining the terraces. A July 2026 report by China News Service shows that the village returns 7 percent of ticket revenue to terrace maintenance and offers farming subsidies of up to 900 yuan ($125) per mu (667 square meters) to encourage continued cultivation.

In early 2026, 285 households shared tourism dividends totaling 6.47 million yuan, the report says. The village has also adjusted its rice harvest schedule to extend the tourist season, helping local homestays attract visitors for longer stays. More than 200 homestays now operate in the village.

Li Yaoqi, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University's School of Tourism Management and director of its Cultural and Tourism Consumption Research Center, says the Longji area had reached an important turning point. With visitor numbers already substantial, the focus should now be on improving the quality of tourism rather than simply attracting more people, he says.

For He Shixuan, marketing operations manager at the travel agency Shenzhen Century Holiday Travel Group, part of the terraces' appeal lies in how they change throughout the day and across the seasons.

"The scenery of the Longji Rice Terraces is different during the day and at night, and in different seasons," she says. "A moment you experience there may stay with you for the rest of your life."

He Shixuan sees Guilin as a source of artistic inspiration, drawing on its natural scenery, local culture and ethnic traditions. China's technological innovation offers one way to understand the country, she says, while Guilin's landscapes and cultural heritage offer another.

Guilin's inbound tourism has continued to grow. According to local authorities, the city received about 1.62 million inbound overnight visitor trips in 2025, up 61 percent year-on-year. From January to July 2026, it recorded about 1.25 million inbound overnight visitors, up 63.5 percent from the same period a year earlier. Foreign exchange revenue from international tourism reached $548 million during the first seven months, an increase of 78.4 percent year-on-year.

As inbound tourism grows, making travel convenient and accessible becomes just as important, says Zhou Xiaoguang, president and CEO of Guilin Tang Dynasty Tours. He has proposed measures to help overseas visitors find assistance during their stays.

One suggestion is sending an English-language welcome message to visitors' mobile phones when they connect to a local network. The message would explain how to seek help through the public-service hotline.

Zhou has also proposed improving the hotline's English-language response and providing round-the-clock assistance with common travel challenges such as language barriers, payments, transportation and lost documents.

He believes making Guilin more accessible to international visitors means ensuring they know where to turn when they need help, as well as offering more ways to experience the destination beyond its famous scenery.