Sunday, May 26, 2013

Cold Winter - Guilin & Yangshuo

GUILIN :
As the famous tourism city in China, Gulin has long enjoyed the reputation that "Guilin wins the world for its mountains and waters". 

      Located in the northeast part of Guangxi, Guilin has warm climate and abundant rainfall; the Karst landscape creates the rising mountains with various forms; the water of the winding Lijiang River is crystal clear; the mountains have many deep caves with grand sceneries; the grotesque rocks in the caves are the genius work of the nature. All of these constitute the “four wonders” of Guilin: green mountains, clear water, surprising caves and grotesque rocks. Lijiang River, Xiangbi Mountain, Diecai Mountain, Ludi Rock, Qixing Park and other famous scenery spots contribute to the unique charm of Guilin landscape. - (Source :China Culture)














Elephant Trunk Hill (Xiangbishan)
Elephant Trunk Hill is located on the western bank of Li River. The shape of the hill is just like a huge elephant drinking water from the river with its trunk, thus the mountain was named so.
Shui Yue Cave (Water Moon Cave) is between the trunk and the legs, which is a semi-round cave penetrated by water. The inverted reflection of the cave in water plus the part above forms a full moon. This phenomenon is unique and many laudatory inscriptions were found on the wall inside the cave. Visitors can boat through the cave to the river  - (Travel China Guide)




Seven Star Park & Camel Hill

Seven Stars Park, covering an area of more than 120 hectares (297 acres), is the largest comprehensive park with mass scenery in Guilin City. Located at the east bank of Li River, the park is 1.5 kilometers (0.9 mile) from the downtown area of Guilin. It was so named because of the seven peaks (the four peaks of Putuo Mountain and three of Crescent Mountain) inside resemble the form of the Big Dipper constellation.

The park is endowed with elegant mountains, clear water, miraculous stone forest, deep and serene valleys, plentiful animals and plants and valued cultural relics. It has been popular since the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties. The main sights contain Flower Bridge, Putuo Mountain, Seven Stars Cave, Camel Hill, Crescent Mountain, Guihai Stele Forest and Light of China Square.








 






Camel Hill, looking like a life-like squat camel, lies behind Putuo Mountain. It was once called Hu Shan because it is shaped like a flagon. A hermit in the Ming Dynasty once lived here and grew large numbers of plum trees. In spring, the full-blown plum blossom, together with the rays of the sunrises or sunsets drapes the hill with a gorgeous glow. This is one of the Ten Scenes of Guilin. Around the hill are bonsai gardens, a zoo and teahouses.
 



YANGSHUO

Yangshuo is famous for a profusion of scenic hills and rivers. The Lijiang and TianjiaRivers, which run by the town, are the two largest of the 12 rivers in the county. Peaks are so peculiar, so beautiful and so many that they are seen one after another to an incalculable extent. Famous scenic spots in Yangshuo include Jianshan Mountain, Bilian Peak, Shutong Hill, Yangshuo ParkChuanyan Cave, etc. A commercial street in the town is also a tourists favorite. Native products are abundant thanks to the fertile mountains and rivers. Fruits here are most famous at home and abroad including orange, tangerine, pomelo, chestnut, kumquat, etc.








Li River
The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is the centerpiece of any trip to northeastern Guangxi Province. Gorgeous Karst peaks give you surprises at each bend of the limpid river under the blue sky. Water buffalo patrol the fields, peasants reap rice paddies, school kids and fisherman float by on bamboo rafts. With its breathtaking scenery and taste of a life far removed from the concrete metropolis, the scenery along the river become one of China's top tourist destinations.






Silver Cave 
The Silver Cave is a brilliant cave marked on almost all travel itineraries. Inside this water-eroded cave is a spectacular world of various stalactites, stone pillars and rock formations created by carbonate deposition. Illuminated by colored lighting, the fantastic spectacle is found in many variations along this 240-meter-long cave. Walking through the serried stone pillars, tourists feast their eyes on changing spots, feeling they are in a paradise where the Gods live.







Impression Liu Sanjie show
This is the world largest natural theater which utilizes the waters of the Li River as its stage, with twelve mist shrouded hills and the heavens as its backdrop. Mist, rain, moonlight, the hills and their inverted reflections in the river all become the ever-changing natural background. Its auditorium is housed on the natural islands of the river with the audience standing on the designed terraces, surrounded by green plants. The sound equipment here cannot be seen because it is in harmony with the natural environment. The valleys, the hills, the cool breeze and the gurgling streams are all elements contributing to the three-dimensional sound effect. Day by day, different weather offers different sceneries with the four seasons refreshing the performance as well, so you will have unique experience every time you watch it. This is really a new concept opera using nature as an integral part of its performers; hence its name - 'Human's Masterpiece Cooperated with the God'.
 








Shangri La
We stopped at Shangri-La on the way back to Guilin. Very interesting place to visit with beautiful traditional village landscape scenery








 


To see more pics of Guilin & Yangshuo, go to Cold Winter-Guilin & Yangshuo