Lijiang remains lifeblood for famed site in Guangxi

In China today, being late in development can be a fortunate thing.

Cities in its western frontier regions, once looked down upon as lagging behind in industrialization, can nowadays easily generate tourist revenues from people escaping from the maladies - not least, the bad air - of the business and industrial cities on the east coast.

Along with the changing times and lifestyle, Guilin, once a laid-back (it still is, as compared with other Chinese cities) city in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has entered a golden age of opportunity, according to Tang Zongyuan, the city's mayor.