The earliest traces of human habitation in Guilin dated back to the Qin Dynasty (B.C.221- B.C.214). Since then, Guilin has become the political, economic and cultural centre of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, local civilization lived prosperously leaving many historic relics still intact today. Among the innumerable historic relics, there are some distinguished representatives including Jingjiang Prince Villa Inscription (of the Ming Dynasty), which was carved in Yinwu Hill, and is the largest of all the inscriptions in Guilin. Meanwhile, Guilin’s Ling Canal, which is located in Xing’an County, ranks as one of the three greatest Water Conservancies in Ancient China. It was built in the Qin Dynasty and is still fully functional today. Owning such an abundance of historic relics and inscriptions, in 1982 Guilin became part of China’s first batch of National Historic and Cultural Cities.
