Taiping soldiers captured the walled city of Yongan(Chinese: 永安; pinyin: yǒng ān)(now Mengshan Town) from Qing forces on September 25, 1851.

The remains of sections of wall, replica cannons, other artifacts are preserved and now form a tourist attraction on the northern end of Mengshan Town.

There are direct bus services from Mengshan town to Guilin, Wuzhou and many cities in the Guangdong Pearl River Delta including Guangzhou and Zhongshan.

Although similar to Guilin and Yangshuo with attractive karst scenery, potential for outdoor activities, such as caving, rafting, climbing and mountain biking, Mengshan does not have any significant tourist industry or infrastructure.

Coffee mainly of the Arabica variety grows well in Mengshan county in frost free areas but planting is on small scale.