Just over an hour south of Guilin, Yangshuo, with its natural scenery and laid back air, is a great escape from the gray and pollution of China’s big cities.
The town of Yangshuo is a backpacker’s paradise. Quirky souvenir shops and essential services like internet cafés, telecom services, food guzzling corners and pharmacies abound. Yangshuo town has flourished so swiftly that it is practically unrecognizable from the latest edition of whichever guidebook you own – new streets have sprouted up with shops offering all sorts of comfort foods, the main thoroughfare has been widened to accommodate the growing volume of traffic. Clusters of shops selling herbs, teas and daily provisions line the inner alleyways.
A lively buzz hums throughout the cobbled streets. Young and old gravitate towards the chill-out joints, especially along West Street (xījiē西街), a 2km stretch crammed with shops, pubs, cafés and hotels. Here’s where flickering neon lights have replaced red lanterns and the air is rich with band music and banter.
Yangshuo’s subtropical weather, characterized by temperate summers and winters, encourage the travel-weary to lounge by numerous street-front cafés, enjoy a banana pancake and sip an ice-cold beer or two.
The western face of the remodeled town is juxtaposed with the eastern charm of the postcard-perfect natural scenery. Dotting the horizon are craggy tree-covered mounds ranging from 100m to 300m high.
This little county of some 300,000 inhabitants, comprised of various ethnic groups such as the Zhuang, Yao, Miao and Han, has blossomed since the Sui dynasty some 1,400 years ago. Glimpses of the rich cultural background can be seen in the many shops selling local products such as talcum, silk, huge wall fans, scrolls and exquisite pottery pieces.
Enriching the land are the pristine waters of the Jinbao (jīnbǎo 金宝) and Li rivers (líjiāng 漓江), the latter winding some 56km through Yangshuo, connecting it with Guilin. The river is central to Yangshuo’s prosperity; river water is funneled to irrigate the lush fields. Most locals still work the land on the paddy fields and orchards punctuating Yangshuo – many peaks, though a growing number of locals are involved in the more profitable tourism industry.
Walking, biking, rafting or swimming are several ways to appreciate Yangshuo’s charms. To beat the noonday heat, take a leaf from the village children frolicking in the clear river waters, often seen watching over a herd of buffaloes or wielding homemade fishing rods fashioned from bamboo.
Bamboo groves and willow trees line both banks of the waterfront, and locals use the light but hardy plant to build wafer-thin rafts to fish, rinse vegetables or ferry tourists from one embankment to the next. When visiting the water caves, these bamboo river taxis will bring you close up to stalactites as they slide effortlessly beneath dipping limestone canopies.
UNRAVELING YANGSHUO
There is plenty au naturel to see in Yangshuo: karst peaks, plains and villages. Fortunately, Yangshuo’s many pretty sights are incredibly well-connected. Rent a bike for a day from one of the many bicycle rental shops in Yangshuo and drink in the sights as you pedal.
A leisurely 30-minute ride from Yangshuo, and to the west of the highway, is Moon Hill (yuèliàng shān 月亮山), a limestone pinnacle with a moon-shaped hole square in the middle. It cost RMB 9 to access Moon Hill’s superb view, there are stairs that lead from the bottom of Moon Hill to its windy, arched peak. Be prepared for a good workout as you haul yourself to the top. The path gets narrower, rougher and more slippery as you near the peak, but the panoramic view is worth the sweat. If you start at 5:30am, you can make it in good time for the electrifying sunrise. On a clear day, you get a rewarding 360-degree-view of karst topography and Jinbao River unfurling in the distant horizon.
If you’re hungry from your climb, head for Moon Hill Village (yuèliàng shān cūn 月亮山村), just across the road from Moon Hill. Mama Moon (yuèliàng māma月亮妈妈) is a sprightly tour guide who speaks a smattering of eight foreign languages and whips up a delicious spread of village fare for the famished including tomato and egg omelets, fresh fish, steamed chicken, and tasty winter melon soup.
Climbing enthusiasts will be thrilled with the thousands of natural peaks to test their rock-climbing skills. Climbing equipment is easily available from Mountain Retreat, Lizard Lounge and Karst Café all located in Yangshuo. Suggested peaks include Copper Door (opposite Mountain Retreat), Gold Cat Hill (jīnmāo dòng 金猫洞) and Thumb Peak (mǔzhǐ fēng 拇指峰). Or try scaling slippery Green Lotus Hill (bìlián fēng 碧莲峰), Upper and Lower Antenna Hills.
Just a stone’s throw away is a series of newly opened caves: Black Buddha Caves (hēifó dòng 黑佛洞), Water Caves (shuǐyán 水岩) and Dragon Cave (jùlóng tán 巨龙潭). Entrance fee ranges from RMB 100 to a steep RMB 120 per person. The Water Caves have garnered rave reviews, but be prepared to leave damp and slightly dirty from your splashing about. The boat ride into the dark cave seems foreboding – the limestone canopy dips so low at certain points, passage between rock and water seems impossible, but somehow the master oarsman gets the crew through. The tour inside the cave can take up to 5 hours, after which you can rest your feet at the Water Cave Café.
The Black Buddha Caves, located at the back of Moon Hill Village boast rich mineral clays with purported medicinal qualities. You can buy a bathing suit from the equipment shop near the cave entrance and your exploration can last up to 3 hours. There are no toilets in the cave, but it’s discreetly dark. A popular cave activity is the muddy mudslides. All hell breaks loose on this sludgy playground as adults are transformed to gleeful seven years old rolling in dollops of thick gooey mud.
Famous for its exquisite Ming dynasty architecture and centuries-old wood carvings, Xingping Village (xīngpíng 兴坪)is also noteworthy for its superior fengshui. Seven mountains form a protective shield around the village and two stone guardians stand erect at the village entrance. Together, they keep the temptations of the modern world at bay, but these relics also tend to discourage proper sanitation and sanitary habits. Odors of the natural kind abound in this rural backwater albeit culturally rich village.
Ornamental eaves, elegant sloping roofs and ancient homes have long drawn scholars and dignitaries to walk the quaint back alleys. It’s said that Sun Yat-sen visited the village when he was preparing to tackle the warlords of the north. In 1998, former American President Bill Clinton also popped by. Xingping can be reached from Yangshuo via a RMB 2.50 minibus, but picture-perfect Xingping is best appreciated if you bike or walk along the country roads.
The scenery along the Li River, which snakes all the way from Guilin, will knock you senseless – it’s got the Chinese ideal of water and mountains. Farmers, children and water buffaloes are visible along the many river bends playing, washing, collecting water or transporting their day’s catch. Fishermen come in the feathered coat of cormorants, birds perching on their master’s bamboo boats waiting for prey. The metal clasped around their neck stops them from swallowing their catch.
A recently opened Lotus Cave (liánhuā dòng 莲花洞) in Xingping showcases more than a hundred different types of lotus flower; the entrance fee is about RMB 50 and it takes a good 4 hours to enjoy.
The enormous Banyan of a Thousand Years (qiānnián gǔróng 千年古榕) is 1,400 years old. Located just 7.5km south of Yangshuo, is a major tourist attraction. Measuring 17m high, 7.1m wide and spanning an area of over 1,000m – the ancient tree lies on the western bank of the Jinbao River. Entrance to the park is RMB 18.