Li River (Lijiang River)

A well-known part of the Guilin River, it flows from the Piled Festoon Hill to "Bilian Peak" in Yangshou, covering a distance of 83 kilometres. This green ribbon-like river runs zigzag through a multitude of hills against a backdrop of steep peaks, luxuriant flowers and green hills along the shores are mirrored in the blue water, giving the visitor a poetic inspiration. In drizzly days, the peaks embraced by clouds and mists and river.
 

Blanketed over by light fog make people feel like in a fairyland. Sailing from Yangdi downstream to the south, one will soon see a hill with nine peaks and steep precipices by the riverside. This is the "None Horse" Hill. Viewed from afar, it looks like a colourful mural, examined at a close distance; it presents a vivid image of nine horses in different postures: standing, drinking, neighing and galloping….In misty or rainy days, the image of the horses are even more vividly outlined as if they were galloping through a curtain of clouds and mists. As the old saying goes, "Since an ancient time a mountain is as beautiful as painting; at present day, a painting is just as pretty as a mountain". If one really wants to count the number of horses a folk ballad gives a hint:" a man who can find seven horses will come second in the highest imperial examination; a man who can see all nine horses well come first in the highest imperial examination."

Further trip downstream after a right turn well soon bring one to see swift currents and clusters of strange rock. Looking through the crystal-clear water, one will soon find a yellow stone plate at the bottom, like a piece of yellow cloth, hence the name "Yellow Cloth Shoal". Then, one will see along the shores seven peaks in various shapes like seven gentle and sweet young girls standing gracefully. The mirror-like river gives a clear reflection of the beautiful scenery. "I see the green peaks clearly mirrored in the river, yet, my boat sails through as if just over the peaks". The Famous "Reflection of the Yellow Cloth Shoal" is here. Further downstream, one will see "Xingping Scenery", Yangshou Landscape", etc. After making a sightseeing trip on the Lijiang River, a head of a foreign said: "I have been to many famous foreign cities; none of them is as beautiful as Guilin." Tourists say: "A visit to Guilin is incomplete without a trip on the Lijiang River".
 

Other Hot Spots and Tourist Attractions Nearby

Elephant Trunk Hill
The hill is at the confluence of the Lijiang River and Yangjiang River inside the city. This hill is so named because it outlines a vivid image of an elephant sipping water from the river with its trunk. Between the body and the trunk there is a round-shaped space, known as "water moon" arch, which is about 10 metres high and 20 metres deep. The river flows through the arch resembling a "bright-moon". Sailing through the arch, one feels like being under a huge arch bridge.

Crescent Hill
Located to the east of Guilin, the hill gets its name from a new-moon shaped opening of a cave in the western slope of the hill. The hidden Dragon Cave at the food of the hill has a stretch of water and a food path, Yihong Pavilion", "Xiaoguanghan Temple" and other buildings are located half way up the hill.

Fubo Hill
It is located to the east of the city with half of the hill reaching into the Lijiang River. The hill stands in solitary loftiness with a thrusting peak. It seems to restrain the swelling water when the river is raising with violent torrents and waves, hence the name Fudo (restraining waves). On the hilltop there is a Fudo Temple and the Returning Pearl Cave. At the foot of the hill, there are other scenic spots.

Seven-Star-Rock Cave
Formerly known as "Qixia Cave" and "Bixu Rock", It is on the Seven star-Rock hill to the east of Guilin. The cave presents a twisted extension of more than one and a half kilometres. This cave, the biggest and the most fascinating cave of Guilin, includes "Liudongtian Cave" and Liangdongfu Cave, offers numerous spectacular views and is big enough to hold ten thousand visitors at a time; originally, the cave was an underground channel and became a tourist attraction as early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581 A.D.-907). Inside the cave, well-developed stalactites and stalagmites form numerous fantastic scenes such as `Monkey Picking Peaches`, `Two Lion Fighting for a Ball`, or in the shapes of fruits, forests and gigantic waterfall.

Reed-Flute Cave
The cave is at the Guangming Hill about six kilometres northwest of Guilin. This huge cave, eroded out of karst formation and with a maximum height of 18 metres and width of 93 metres. This ancient scenic spot dates back to more than 1,000 years ago, It has been widely claimed as Art Galley of Nature" because of its dazzling beauty of strange karts formation and marvellous scenery.
 

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