Zhaoqing

Zhaoqing lies on the West River in central Guangdong and was an important city on the historic route between the Central Plains and the south. Its signature scenery is the Seven Star Crags, a cluster of limestone peaks rising from lakes that has been called a Guilin in miniature. Nearby Dinghu Mountain is one of China's first nature reserves and a UNESCO biosphere site. The city preserves a well-known Ming-era city wall and long ties to inkstone craft, as Duan inkstones are prized among China's four famous inkstones. With a humid subtropical climate and high-speed rail to Guangzhou, it blends heritage, lakes and green hills.