Splendid Guilin Tour

Your visa free tour to Guilin starts this morning. First of all, you will be picked up from the hotel in Guilin’s downtown area by our tour guide. Then, we will drive north to the Longji Rice Terrace for about one hour and thirty minutes (70KM).

The Longji Rice Terrace is blessed with clusters of fields with wavy sections. When you see layer after layer of terraced fields here, you will certainly think about why people treat the land in this way. In fact, terraced fields serve as an effective measure to control soil and water loss in sloping farmland here. Moreover, they have the advantage of good ventilation and sufficient sunlight, which is conducive to crop growth and nutrient accumulation. At present, the Longji Rice Terrace has two major scenic areas: Ping’an Terraced Fields and Jinkeng Terraced Fields. For example, in Jinkeng Terraced Fields, you can visit the Thousand Leveled Ladder. As suggested by its name, you can stand on the lookout here to watch thousands of layers of terraces. At the same time, you will feel that the cascading terraces under your feet rise like tidal water, forming a terraced world filled with strength and beauty. You will be amazed by the rough and shocking beauty of the terraced fields in the Longji Rice Terrace.

After lunch, we will drive back to Guilin and head for the Elephant Trunk Hill. This hill is named because it looks like an elephant that is drinking water by the river. Between the “trunk” and “legs” of this elephant is a moon-shaped hole named Water Moon Cave, with an area of about 150 square meters. There is a legend about Water Moon Cave. Early on, there was a young man whose surname is Han learned some magic skills somehow. He could collect the moonlight in a gourd ladle and store it in a bamboo basket. In the dark night, he could release the moonlight to illuminate the fish in the river and facilitate him and his friends to fish. Before long, the news that Han had magic skills reached the ears of the county magistrate. One day, the county magistrate invited his boss, local gentry, and rich men to drink and have fun in his garden. But it was getting dark, and these people did not want to end their orgy. So, the county magistrate ordered Han to bring the bamboo basket and use the moonlight to light up so that the orgy could last all night. Han did not want to waste the moonlight on these corrupt officials. Being rejected, the county magistrate snatched away Han’s bamboo basket before Han turned away. The county magistrate tilted the bamboo basket to pour out the moonlight. To everyone’s surprise, it was not the moonlight that came out of the basket, but floodwater. All at once, the garden was submerged, and the officials were washed away. Han sat in the basket and floated away with the water through the moon-shaped hole of the Elephant Trunk Hill. Later, local people linked Han with this moon-shaped hole by using the name: Water Moon Cave. If you are interested in this story, you can ask your tour guide for more information.

What is mentioned above is all the first day’s visit, and we will move back to the hotel in Guilin’s downtown area.

Longji Rice Terrace

Elephant Trunk Hill

This morning, we will drive east for about 50 minutes (35KM) from Guilin’s downtown area to Mopanshan Pier. Then, we will board the Li River Cruise for sightseeing. By the way, during this 4-hour-long cruise trip, you can have a Chinese box lunch on the cruise.

After the cruise trip, we will arrive at Yangshuo West Street. This street combines ancient houses and bustling shops. Walking along the West Street, you can see that some ancient houses on both sides of the street retain Chinese-style tiles, sloping roofs, white-washed walls, and hanging balconies. They extend along the street in rows. You can also look at the cantilevered eaves of these ancient houses with carved beams and painted rafters. On the other hand, the shops, bars, and cafes here are neatly arranged in European architectural style. In the West Street here, almost all shop signs are in both Chinese and English, eliminating regional differences and integrating Chinese and Western cultures. Maybe you will enjoy yourself in Yangshuo West Street so much as to forget to go home.

After that, we will drive north for 1.5 hours (70KM) back to the hotel in Guilin’s downtown area. This is the end of your Guilin Visa Free Tour. Say goodbye to this charming city!

Yangshuo West Street

Li River

Author: Yan Weiran

Proofreader: Lexie