Nanning: Qingxiu Park

7 km southeast of Nanning city center is the expansive Qingxiu Scenic Area. The 15 yuan entrance fee buys you an entire day of exploration: 4 square kilometers of forests, trails, big colorful butterflies, pagodas and temples... huge. Bring a few bottles of your favorite cool beverage, some fruit, sunscreen, and you'll be good to go. At some point you'll arrive at the Tianchi and Yaochi Lakes, some great photo ops there, with a teahouse and a carp feeding area too.

From the lakes you'll see Longxiang Pagoda, on the top of Qingxiu Mountain nearby. It's the highest/largest pagoda in Guangxi Province, a 9-tiered octagonal exterior with dual spiral staircases inside... amazing 360 degree views from each level, well worth the climb. The day I was there I could see the fascinating construction of a major concrete bridge over the Yong River (north), flooding in the valleys (east), and construction of a sports stadium a few kilometers away (south).

to see this bridge completed, please visit this link: http://www.opacengineers.com/projects/Nanning

Wandering east you'll come to another mountain forest, and you might discover hundreds of steep stairs leading up to Guanyin Temple (under construction on my visit). Apparently those stairs are the back side entrance, because there's a road leading up on the opposite side, with bus and shuttles for those with tired legs. The architectural detailing and grand ornate interiors of the Chinese temples never cease to impress me. The large grapefruit (2nd photo below) give a sense of scale.