Hezhou: Historic Districts and Urban Green Spaces

Hezhou offers several clearly distinct themes to consider when planning a trip: the historic Xiyue Street district, parks and bodies of water within the city, and natural and cultural attractions nearby. If you are looking for hotels in Hezhou, you can first decide which focus best suits your stay. The location details help you distinguish urban green spaces from destinations outside the city; for distances, it is important to note the stated starting point.

Historic Heritage on Xiyue Street

Xiyue Street is one of the first historic and cultural districts at the level of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The district preserves 23 historic buildings. This highlights both the district’s place within Guangxi and its collection of historic buildings. If you would like to include cultural heritage in your choice of destinations, Xiyue Street is a clearly defined focus in Hezhou. This historic aspect offers a different way to experience the city than its green spaces and nearby natural attractions.

Parks, Lakes, and the Urban Landscape

Guangxi’s city park plan lists Dazhongshan Park, Ailian Lake Park, and Hezhou Garden Expo Park as the three city parks identified for Hezhou. The landscape corridor along the Hejiang River provides another point of reference: along the corridor, nine water systems connect Jintai Lake, Yongfeng Lake, and Ailian Lake. Hezhou’s ecological river and lake parks are used for walking, exercise, and relaxation. The named parks are thus complemented by a waterside landscape structure comprising several lakes and water systems.

Hezhou also has 23 themed pocket parks, including Shaliyuan Pocket Park and Taoyuan Road Pocket Park. The pocket parks and the three parks listed in the city park plan are distinct categories of urban green space. Hezhou Garden Expo Park was intended to remain a permanent site after the exhibition. The plan combined ecology, landscape, and recreation with culture, art, and tourism, and incorporated garden styles from various regions. In the plan, the park therefore had a varied role alongside the other named green spaces.

Natural and Cultural Attractions Nearby

Guposhan National Forest Park is in northeastern Guangxi, at the southern end of the Mengzhuling Mountains and within the Hezhou area. It is 21 kilometers from Babu city center. Huangyao Ancient Town is in northeastern Zhaoping County, Guangxi, and 60 kilometers from Hezhou city center. The different reference points matter for orientation: the distance to Guposhan is measured from Babu, while the distance to Huangyao is measured from Hezhou.

The attractions also differ in character. Huangyao is known for its distinctive karst landscapes, veneration of dragon culture, elaborate architecture from the Ming and Qing dynasties, Guangfu folk customs, and revolutionary heritage. The formation of Yushi Forest in Pinggui District is associated with the Jurassic period, more than 100 million years ago. The surrounding area thus includes both culturally significant places and landscapes with a geological history.

Research and Biodiversity

The Crocodile Lizard Science and Research Base is located in Hezhou Garden Expo Park. It opened in May 2024 as the world’s first scientific education and research facility dedicated to crocodile lizards. At its opening, a focus was also placed on raising public awareness of crocodile lizards and biodiversity conservation. This educational and conservation aspect adds a distinct focus to the historic and landscape-related themes.

When searching for hotels in Hezhou, you can sort the attractions by what interests you about the destination: its historic district, urban parks and bodies of water, or natural and cultural attractions nearby.

Discover more destinations: Xing An, Nanning, Guigang, Liuzhou, Yangshuo, Beihai, Fangchenggang, Hechi

For the broader travel overview: Guangxi.