Legendary Locations: Guilin, China

Rebecca Shore | Feb 5, 2014

Hannah Davis in China, 2013 :: Derek Kettela/SI

SwimDaily is celebrating the impending launch of Swimsuit's 50th anniversary issue with this video-a-day series featuring our most memorable shoot locations, hosted by the memorable-in-her-own-right Emily DiDonato.

Be sure to come back daily because we are sending ONE LUCKY READER on the trip of a lifetime to the No. 1 Legendary Location. Go here for more details!

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Even the smell of the place lures you in: Guilin means "forest of sweet Osmanthus"—the fragrant, flowering trees that grow all over the city and between the the karst mountains that overlook the Li River.

The surrounding areas contain even more natural treasures. Take a 2 1/2 hour car ride followed by a long hike up a mountainside and you'll wind up at Dragon's Backbone, where ripe green rice terraces stretch majestically for mile after mile, coiling around the mountainside. Or hitch a ride on a fisherman's bamboo raft for a leisurely ride down the Li and soak in the rolling landscape and untouched beauty of the province.

–Darcie Baum