This article, translated from Chinese, examines the mountain and water painting of Huang Dufeng, a founder of the Guangxi School of Painting, as an example of how regional character and plein-air practice can be combined. After introducing the karst landscape and long history of Guilin, the author outlines Huang’s training under Gao Jianfu at the Chunshui Painting Academy of the Lingnan School and later under Zhang Daqian at the Dafengtang, and identifies two creative peaks: the plein-air series Guilin Landscapes of the 1960s and the bold works of the mid-1970s to early 1980s, represented by A Hundred Miles of the Lijiang River. Close analysis shows how Huang overcame the difficulties of painting Guilin’s isolated, steep hills by using the flow of the river and boats to structure compositions, varying dry and wet brushwork and ink tones, and adopting light ochre and blue. Rather than copying stylised traditional formulas, he adapted Song-dynasty principles and brush techniques to observed scenery and widened the range of colours in shanshui painting. Advocating a “Guangxi style”, he painted throughout the region and laid the groundwork for the Lijiang Painting School and art education at Guangxi Arts University.