| Last weekend, I had a Li River Hiking with some of my | | | | hundreds of bamboo rafts in Li River, and the raft itself |
| friends. It was my first hiking travel and I could not | | | | was a splendid scenery. |
| disguise my excitement. | | | | Xingping Ancient Town was located at 17 km from |
| Li River is the soul and mother river of Guilin, which is | | | | Yangshuo. It was set up in Three Kingdoms (220-280 |
| famous for “the most beautiful landscapes under | | | | A.D.), and used to be the center of Yangshuo County |
| heaven”. Nobody miss it once coming to Guilin. | | | | until Yangshuo Town was set up in 590. It has been |
| We started from the city center of Guilin at 8:00 am, | | | | the most important town beside the Li River for the |
| and took bus to Yangdi Ferry terminal in Yangdi Village, | | | | past 1700 years. The scenery from Yangdi to Xingping |
| which was the starting point of Li River Hiking. The | | | | is the most beautiful section of Li River. In 1974, after |
| name of village was derived from a hill that shaped like | | | | one of the Marshals of our country, Ye Jianying, visited |
| goats’ horns. We visited Yangdi Village, which was | | | | Li River, he wrote a poem, which said "Xingping ranks |
| located at the bank of Li River. Many old villagers | | | | first in Li River." |
| hawked their local food and handicrafts like Li River | | | | Another highlight in Xingping is Fishing Village. In 1921, |
| fishes, Li River Shrimps and silk balls to us. I tasted the | | | | Sun Yetsan, the president of the Republic of China, |
| fishes, it was really good but a little salty. | | | | visited this village when he went to Guilin from Wuzhou |
| We took the knapsacks and began our hiking tour. | | | | for the Northern Expedition (1926-1927 A.D.). In 1998, |
| The hiking path was along with Li River, we | | | | when the former U.S. President Bill Clinton came to |
| appreciated the two-side landscapes and passed | | | | Guilin, he stayed in the village for one more hour and |
| through the local villages to experience the real | | | | praised as “the first village of Li River”. |
| farmers’ lives. | | | | Xingping is also the location for the picture on the back |
| After one and half an hour hiking, we arrived at | | | | the Chinese 20 Yuan note. You can actually go to the |
| another village, Langshi Village at 1:30 pm, which was | | | | exact spot from where the photo was taken. The |
| famous for the different shapes of stones. Langshi | | | | primary image on the back side of the new 20 Yuan |
| meant shaped stones were eroded by waves. In the | | | | note is a view of a fisherman on his bamboo raft |
| village, it still preserved the old irrigation system and | | | | floating down the Li River through the spectacular |
| houses, which were not used any more, just for | | | | karst mountains. That is the short distance between |
| visiting. There is a old saying: “Nature gives the | | | | Xingping and Fishing Village. |
| power to Guilin, and Guilin pays back the marvelous | | | | Li River takes a big turn at Xingping and the beautiful |
| hills”. Most of hills in Guilin were named as their | | | | landscape and country scenery will never disappoint |
| shapes, and the Apple Hill in Langshi Village it is. Look | | | | you, verdant bamboo greeting you all the way along |
| far away, one of the hills like a huge apple floats on | | | | the river in breeze, fishermen floating by on bamboo |
| the Li River, and an old man is watching beside it. | | | | rafts with their cormorants. The reflections of the |
| The whole hiking tour lasted 4-5 hours, and we | | | | verdant peaks show the fascination of Guilin |
| prepared the simple lunch including bread and few of | | | | landscape. Intoxicated in the natural painting, you will get |
| fruits. Of course, you could buy some local food from | | | | to know why the newly-issued RMB 20 note carries |
| the villagers. The food was not expensive, you could | | | | the painting of this part of the river. |
| taste all kinds of local food by less than 10 Yuan. | | | | Xingping was the terminal of the Li River hiking, and the |
| Frankly speaking, we were tired as long hiking, but the | | | | bus took us to Yangshuo, which boasted as “the |
| landscapes of the two sides were really beautiful and | | | | paradise of travelers”. |
| marvelous, we could not stop, and we all knew that | | | | Yangshuo is a focus of Guilin’s landscapes, there |
| more attractive sceneries waiting for us. | | | | are more than 30 attractions including West Street, |
| The next destination was Nine Horses Fresco Hill, it | | | | Moon Hill, the Big Banyan Tree, Yulong River Raft |
| was the most renowned hill along the Li River. Standing | | | | Cruise, Green Lotus Peak, and Yangshuo Park, etc. |
| out with a height of 416 meters, the white traces on | | | | Yangshuo is a must be place once everyone come to |
| the precipice facing the river looks like a picture with | | | | Guilin. |
| nine horses assuming a variety of poses. The cause | | | | The most attractive site in Yangshuo is West Street, |
| of formation lied in the dead and calcified lower living | | | | also named as “Foreigners’ Street”, because |
| beings as algae which ever lived on the seeping water | | | | there are always lots of westerners and backpackers, |
| along the cleaves of the precipice, and by and by | | | | and some westners settle there. Night life is rather |
| changed into varied colors, hence forming colorful | | | | active in West Street: crowded travelers, noised DJ |
| strips different in light and shade. | | | | music from the bars, various kinds of local handicrafts |
| This spectacular scenic spot has attracted many | | | | and charming lamplight, all that construct another world, |
| poets, painters, scholars and tourists, both at home and | | | | and the night life always lasts 3 or 4 o’clock of the |
| abroad. It is also a best place to take photos. | | | | middle night. |
| Considering there would be still 5km from Nine Horses | | | | We chose a bar, and seated on the second floor, and |
| Fresco Hill to Xingping Ancient Town. We decided to | | | | then drank beer freely, we just wanted to relax |
| take a bamboo raft to Xingping, we haggle over price | | | | ourselves. Of course, the beer was not too expensive. |
| with the raft-man, and got the low price at 10 Yuan for | | | | We can not stay up until the night life ended, we got to |
| one person. Rafting in Li River, we made a wise | | | | have a well sleep for the next day’s course. |
| choice, because it was the different scenery | | | | Hiking ended, and experience was still going on. |
| absolutely to see in Li River. There were always | | | | |