Guilin 桂林市 - Yangshuo Scenery 阳朔风光

Yangshuo, 65 kilometers southeast Guilin, is a county (population 300,000) directly under its jurisdiction. It is located in the upper reaches of Gui River and Li River runs through it . The county sits on a typical karst topography where there are green mountains and jade-like streams everywhere. The scenery along the Li River is superb, and a traveler of the Ming Dynasty Xu Xiake (1586-1641) described it as “the land of green lotus and jade-colour bamboo shoots碧莲玉笋世界” Yangshuo boosts four major scenic areas with over 20 scenic spots, each with its own peculiarity. Furthermore, the landscape changes colour and looks as the season and the day change, and gives different tastes in different weather. Of interest to visitors are Green Lotus Peak, Yangshuo Park, Mount Painting, and Mount Moon. There is a very popular saying : “Guilin’s scenes are the finest under Heaven, but Yangshuo’s are still better.” It is a very popular travellers’ destination in its own right and certainly a good place to live and work, with a diversity of opportunity. The town draws millions of visitors from both home and abroad. Undeniably, to live in Yangshuo is to be a lover of mountains. Which is not to say that all the people of Yangshuo spend their leisure hours gallivanting among the forests of the high country.

Green Lotus Peak 碧莲峰

So called because the peak looks like a blossoming lotus flower, in the major hill of Yangshuo County (population 300,000). To its east is the Li River, and to the west, the county seat. Walking along the river bank, the tourist can enjoy mountains in distance and waters nearby, and quite a number of stone inscriptions, of which the most interesting is the giant Chinese character 带 (Dai, literally meaning “belt”), because it is actually composed of fourteen Chinese characters meaning “As the hills and rivers in this area lead the world in beauty, so the youngsters should strive to become leading figures in talent and ability.”

Getting into the “Art Gallery” River-Facing Pavilion the tourist sees pictures of natural beauty all round, and going up higher into the Jianshan Tower 鉴山楼, the tourist commands a spectacular view of all the hills and peaks and all the streams far and near.

Yangshuo Park 阳朔公园

Located in the county seat, the park is surrounded by hills, with a stream running through it. In the park there are Duxiu Hill独秀山, Xilang Hil西朗山l and Zhongling Hill钟灵山. “The Crane-Freeing Pavilion放鹤亭 ,” “the Pavilion for Meeting the Immortals会仙亭 ” and “Reposing on the Clouds Pavilion卧云亭” are built on the top of the Zhongshan Hill.

Ancient Banyan Tree and Pierced-Through Rock 古榕树和穿岩

The 1,300-odd-year-old Banyan Tree is located only 7 kilometers south of the Yangshuo County seat. Its branches spread out in all directions, and its roots twisting crisscross, and the tree takes six men to encircle its trunk with their arms stretched out. Under the tree there is an aged ferry, called “Aged Ferry under the Shade of the Aged Banyan.” On the opposite bank of the river stands a hill with a cave going through it, therefore the hill came by the name “Pierced-through Hill.” A hook-shaped rock, called the “golden hook,” protruded from near the hilltop, and another rock is found at the foot of the hill, which resembles a living frog ready to jump into the stream at any time.

The Moon Hill 月亮山

About one kilometer from the Banyan Tree lies a hill whose peaks tower the sky as if it has reached the clouds. The hill has a cave with a diameter of 11 meters looking just like a full moon, hence the name. Viewed from different angles, the cave takes different shapes, just as the moon changes shape with the elapse of time; this is one of the major charms of Yangshuo.

Fuli is a very small town in Yangshuo, with a mere 1,000-strong population. Nearly a third of its people work with traditional Chinese art and crafts, making painted folding fans, framing calligraphy or painting. Most of them get rich by selling these handicrafts to tourists. Former US President Bill Clinton called their fans “natural air-conditioners” when he visited Yangshuo in 1998, bringing unexpected fame as well as cash to the town.

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