The scenery melts into the water surface at night—mooring in Dragon City by the Liujiang River, with the Confucius Temple standing before your eyes, exuding a “radiant cultural aura.”

▲Liuzhou has a history of over 2,100 years as a city and is a renowned historical and cultural city. (Photo / Reporter Huang Weijia)

Reporter Huang Weijia / Reporting from Guangxi

Liuzhou is located in the central-southern part of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, covering a total area of 18,707.25 square kilometers, with a population of 3.7587 million. The terrain is flat, surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and north, which is why it is also known as “Pot City.” Liuzhou has a developed industrial sector and was the third city in China, after Beijing and Shanghai, to produce over one million cars annually. Despite this, the area also features karst landforms, prompting former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to describe it as having “beautiful mountains and clear waters, and clean land.”

“Wear in Suzhou, play in Hangzhou, eat in Guangzhou, die in Liuzhou.” Coffins are one of Liuzhou’s specialties. Made from a single piece of oil-sand fir without any joints and then coated with cooked tung oil or raw lacquer, the wood is solid, lightweight, and resistant to rats and termites. These coffins do not decay even when buried for a hundred years and were bestsellers across the country since the Northern Song Dynasty. After the local government promoted cremation, the traditional coffin industry gradually declined but reinvented itself by crafting exquisite “mini coffins.” Taiwanese people might find them a bit taboo, but locals believe they symbolize “promotions and wealth,” often giving them as gifts.

▲Liuzhou Qishi Museum. (Photo / Reporter Huang Weijia)

“Liuzhou Qishi (exotic stones) are the best under heaven.” Liuzhou is abundant in unique tourist-attracting exotic stones. With large reserves, diverse types, and vivid characteristics in shape, color, texture, and pattern, the local “stone-playing industry” is particularly well-developed. The Malushan Qishi Expo Park is a national 4A-level scenic spot in China, centered around the Liuzhou Qishi Museum—the largest specialized Qishi museum in the country. It has three floors and is divided into more than 10 exhibition areas based on stone types or regions. The museum displays thousands of items, all “rare treasures,” making you feel as if you’ve stepped into a dreamlike hall of natural art.

▲Azure skies hide dragons—Liuzhou has a legend about eight dragons appearing in the river, hence it was also called “Dragon City Commandery” during the prosperous Tang Dynasty. (Photo / Reporter Huang Weijia)

▲Divine Turtle, appearing as if freely swimming in the sea. (Photo / Reporter Huang Weijia)

▲Majestic Aura, from afar resembling the head of a lion, radiating strength and dominance. (Photo / Reporter Huang Weijia)

The Liuzhou Confucius Temple was first built during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. In the tenth year of the Yuanhe era, Liu Zongyuan renovated the temple and wrote the “Inscription for the Newly Renovated Temple of Confucius, Lord of Culture, in Liuzhou.” In 1928, the temple was destroyed in a citywide fire, with its main structures reduced to ashes. To promote local history, in 2009, the Liuzhou Municipal Government decided to rebuild the temple at the foot of Dentai Mountain, beside Jiahe Mountain, and along the Liujiang River. Construction began in March 2010, and miraculously, it stood majestically before the public in just over half a year.

▲The Liuzhou Confucius Temple is primarily composed of major architectural elements such as the mountain gate, Dacheng Hall, Chongsheng Hall, and Lizheng Hall, integrating both northern and southern Chinese architectural styles. (Photo / Reporter Huang Weijia)