Guilin is my favorite city in China because of its beauty, its waterways, its cafes, and most of all because I met my wife there. It is her hometown and we will both retire there in a few years.

Not only is Guilin a fascinating city, there are many interesting places to visit within a short drive from there. The Ling (sometimes called Lingqu) canal is the oldest canal in the world. It was built about 2,200 years ago and connects two major river systems, the Yangtze (to the east) and the Pearl River.

Longsheng Rice Terraces (龙胜梯田) is another manmade wonder that was built around 650 years ago. I have some photos of both of these places in my China Daily homepage Albums. Gudong Waterfall Park(古东瀑布) is another attraction that is worth visiting. The hike to the top of all these waterfalls isn’t very difficult and if you want, you can take a ride to the bottom on a personal rail car whose speed you can control with a brake.

If you want you can also climb up some of the waterfalls with the help of chains that are placed for the convenience of amateur climbers.

I have only been in Guilin during the winter and spring but my wife tells me it gets pretty hot in the summertime. That’s OK because I grew up in the Midwest of the US where it gets very hot and humid during the summer months. It rarely freezes in the winter and the spring and autumn are pleasant. Guilin receives a lot of rain, especially in late spring and early summer. Because of this there is lush(多汁的) plant life and many large trees in the area. 

Being from California I’m used to having a car to get around. In fact, it’s practically a necessity in California. But in Guilin almost everything is within walking distance and if you need to go further, public buses are available every five minutes on the busy streets and every 10-15 minutes just about everywhere else. There are plenty of taxis too and most trips are only six yuan.

It’s a perfect place to retire.

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3○6=9              10○0=10            7○4=3

10○6=4             5○5=10             1○8=9

    Do you know Stephen Hawking? Stephen Hawking was born on 8 January, 1942 in England.When he was older,he went to Oxford University.Stephen wanted to study maths, but maths was not available(可得到的) at University of Oxford. So he studied physics instead. After three years , he went on to do research at Cambridge University.    ①   After leaving the Institute of Astronomy in 1973 , Stephen came to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.

    When he was 21 years old, he caught a serious disease.He had to“walk”in his wheelchair living his life.   ②    He continued to do his research in the field of science and he got his Ph.D. He devoted himself to his scientific research. He continued to explore the universe and travelled around the world to give lectures. In 1988, he wrote the book A Brief History of Time. Readers were pleased and surprised to find that a scientist could write about his work in a way that ordinary people could understand. The book explains how science works , tells the readers how the discoveries work and how they change the world.

    In 2002, Hawking visited China and spoke to university students in China. He told the students about his theories and thoughts on some of the greatest questions,“What is time, how did the universe begin, and what exactly are black holes?”

    Stephen Hawking died on 14 March ,2018.He was one of the greatest scientists in the world.We can learn his exploring spirit from him.