Guilin

Elephant Trunk Hill is the symbol of the city of Guilin. It looks like a huge elephant stretching its trunk and drinking water, hence the name. The round opening under the elephant’s trunk is known as Water-Moon Cave because at night the reflection of the moon can be seen through the arch and it looks like it is under the water and floating on the surface of the water at the same time. It is also a masterpiece of karst landscape, composed of pure limestone deposited on the sea floor 360 million years ago.

Yangshuo County is a county in Guilin. Surrounded by karst peaks and bordered on one side by the Li River it is easily accessible by bus or by boat from nearby Guilin. Visitors to Yangshuo can swim in the Li River or the cleaner Yu Long (Dragon River), climb one of many nearby karst peaks, hire a bicycle for a cycling trip through the karst scenery, arrange a sightseeing trip on the Li River by bamboo raft or cruise boat, or visit a number of local cave systems, including a butterfly cave.
Bamboo rafting on the Yulong River is one thing must be done during Yangshuo tours. Rafting on the Yulong River does not mean that you go over rapids or waterfalls, it is actually a very peaceful way of travelling on water, the languid river is surrounded by a primitive, but pure, natural landscape, combined with green bamboo forests and rolling hills. You can put bicycles on the back of the raft, and experience another popular way of seeing the valley by cycling along riverside tracks.

The performance regards the lmpression Sanjie Liu as the general theme, and creatively combines the classical Sanjie Liu’s Songs, ethnic groups’Culture and the fishing lights together, to reflect the harmonious atmosphere between human beings and nature. With 65 square kilometers water area, 12 famous mountain peaks, 67 well-known artists home and abroad made a contribution. With 600 actors and actress involved, this is a totally different performance from the conventional form. The theatre is nature itself. In this stage, only half of the performance is created by man, and the other half belongs to the mysterious nature. In the show, you won’t see the plots, the characters and the usual scenes, but rather a series of impressions from the landscapes and the ordinary life of the place.

Guilin is famous for its magical limestone pinnacles and spires. Crown cave is one of the karst scenery but unique in ways of sight-seeing. Crown Cave (Guanyan Cave) is about 29 km (18 miles) south of Guilin. Due to the crown-shaped hill, the cave beneath was given the name Crown Cave. The Crown Cave contains a giant underground river system. Equipped with a sightseeing elevator, small trains, sampans and sightseeing roller coasters, it has received a Guinness World Record for having the most numerous means of touring a cave.

Longsheng Multi-ethnic Autonomous County is about 80 kilometers from Guilin. Located approximately 27 kilometers southeast of Longsheng County, a vast region of rice terraces stretches layers upon layers, coiling around from the base of Longji (the dragon’s backbone) Mountain to its summit. This is the most amazing terrace in China, the Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces. Construction of the terraces was completed in the early Qing Dynasty, about 500 years ago. Longji (Dragon’s Backbone) Terraced Rice Fields received their name because the rice terraces resemble a dragon’s scales, while the summit of the mountain range looks like the dragon’s backbone. During the early morning, when the weather is fine, the sunrise on the summit of Longji Rice Terraces is magnificent.
The Yao with a mountain, Miao with a forest, Dong with field and Zhuang with water vividly shows the distributing of ethnic minorities of Longsheng. Visitors are often fascinated by the diverse social customs of the ethnic groups. Local villages have their own refined building styles, dress, and varied customs. While travelling around these villages, you may find cafes or teahouses, which often carry local flare and are great places to rest. Longsheng’s many festivals and celebrations make it a wonderful destination as well.