Guilin is located in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, but it is not the capital (provincial capital) of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, whose capital (provincial capital) is Nanning.

Guilin: short for "Gui", a prefecture-level city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, named after the forest of osmanthus flowers, is a world-famous tourist city and one of the first batch of national historical and cultural cities in China.

On September 8, 1998, with the approval of the State Council, the city of Guilin was merged with the district of Guilin, to form the new city of Guilin.