Guilin gets its name from the osmanthus trees that line its streets, and when they flower in autumn, the whole city smells of apricot and honey. The name means forest of cassia, and the city of about six hundred and fifty thousand people sits in a bowl of limestone hills in the north-east of Guangxi, on the banks of the Li River. The hills are the point: they rise in sharp, steep-sided cones and towers right in the middle of the town, so that streets, bridges and parks have to find their way between them. Elephant Trunk Hill, on the river bank, has an arch at its base that makes it look like an elephant drinking.
The geology is limestone laid down in a warm shallow sea some three hundred million years ago, then slowly dissolved by rain and rivers into a karst landscape of towers, caves and sinkholes. Reed Flute Cave, on the edge of town, is filled with stalactites lit in coloured light, and it has been a tourist attraction for more than a thousand years, with ancient inscriptions on its walls. The Li River winds south through the hills towards Yangshuo, a trip by bamboo raft or cruise boat that has been celebrated by painters and poets for centuries.
Guilin is also an old and practical city. In 214 BC, the Qin emperor ordered the building of the Lingqu canal, linking the Xiang river, which flows north, with the Li, which flows south, and so connecting the Yangtze basin with the Pearl River and the South China Sea. It is among the oldest working canals in the world. The city's most famous dish is rice noodles, served with a dark, spicy sauce, pickled beans and slices of meat, and the local chilli sauce is a point of pride.
For the rider, Guilin is a comfortable base with wide streets, plenty of fuel stations, and roads leading out into the countryside, where the limestone peaks stand above the rice fields in rows. Visitors who want to ride in China must check the rules on licences and registration, which are strict. Autumn is the best season, with clear skies and the osmanthus in bloom, and spring brings mist and rain, which is atmospheric but wet. Summers are hot and humid, and heavy rain can flood the river.