“A land of rivers and mountains, unparalleled in the world, with youthful effort, fame that lasts forever.” “Where mountains and rivers meet, the destination is always the Li River.”… When it comes to Guilin, perhaps you already know from your elementary school textbooks that it is “the best under heaven for its mountains and waters,” but the impression is too vague. You need to delve into every detail of Guilin to truly appreciate it.
Overlooking the First Bend of the Li River from Damian Mountain
The breathtaking scenery of the first bend of the Li River can only be seen from Damian Mountain. Damian Mountain, also known as Goupo Mountain, is located opposite Xingping Dock, with Luoscrew Mountain on its left. The mountain is named for its shape, which resembles two small dogs snuggling together, hence the name Goupo Mountain. Climbing to the top to see the circular river bay and the charm of the Li River, the scenery is all-encompassing.
As the saying goes, “A mountain need not be high; with immortals, it becomes divine.” Climbing Damian Mountain truly makes you feel like you have arrived in Guilin. Not to mention the grandeur and ever-changing beauty of the first bend of the Li River, but just the challenge of climbing the undeveloped Goupo Mountain, the sense of adventure and conquest, is irresistibly appealing to hiking enthusiasts and photography buffs.
Damian Mountain is an excellent spot for watching the sunrise, with sunrises, sea of clouds, and crepuscular rays, all complemented by the circular river bay, making it simply stunning! As the saying goes, “The best scenery lies at the perilous peak.” Although Goupo Mountain is only about 300 meters high, its steep slopes and the lack of a proper path make it a challenging climb. The only way up is a narrow trail carved out by local farmers with hoes and sickles, which is the only shortcut for landscape enthusiasts to reach the top.
The Li River Scenic Area is the largest and most beautiful karst landscape in the world. For thousands of years, it has captivated countless poets and artists. Centered around Guilin City, it stretches from Xing’an Lingqu in the north to Yangshuo in the south, connected by the Li River.
Overlooking the Sunset from Laozhai Mountain
At sunset, standing on Laozhai Mountain, you are awestruck by the magnificent scenery along the Li River. Looking down at the numerous karst peaks, with rivers winding around and fields scattered in between, you can truly experience the feeling of “looking down upon all the mountains.” When visiting Guilin, you must see the Li River, and the essence of the Li River lies between Yangdi and Xingping. Laozhai Mountain offers the best view of Xingping’s finest landscapes.
There is a formal path leading to the halfway point of Laozhai Mountain, where the Sino-Japanese Friendship Pavilion is located. Continuing upwards takes you to the true summit, the best spot for viewing and photographing the scenery towards Xingping, where you can see the true beauty of the Li River. There is a true story about Laozhai Mountain: In 1996, a Japanese traveler was so moved by the strange and beautiful landscapes of Laozhai Mountain that he stayed in Xingping. He voluntarily built the paths and viewing pavilions on Laozhai Mountain. The pavilion at the top is called the “Friendship Pavilion,” and the one at the original octagonal pavilion site on the mountain waist is named the “Peace Pavilion,” symbolizing “Sino-Japanese friendship and peace.” He also opened the “Laohua Mountain Inn” at the foot of the mountain. Since then, he has vigorously promoted Xingping, turning it from an obscure town into a well-known tourist spot. The people of Xingping happily said, “Lin Kezhi is our Xingping’s civilian tourism ambassador!”
Rafting on the blue waves, people travel in the painting. At first glance at this scenery, you know it is the scene on the back of the 20-yuan RMB note, taken from the scenery of Xingping Town, Yangshuo County. The red sunset and the mountain peaks are reflected in the Li River, touching everyone by the river.
“Ma Yue Huashan Ren Di Jing, Guo Ran Jia Sheng Zai Xingping” is Marshal Ye Jianying’s high summary of Xingping Ancient Town. Xingping Ancient Town is a town with a history of more than a thousand years. It is about ten kilometers away from Yangshuo.
Capturing the Beauty of the “First Bend of the Li River” from Xianggong Mountain
As the saying goes, “Xianggong Mountain is beautiful, Laohua Mountain is charming, and the most beautiful and charming is Mount Mian.” The Li River flows from west to east, and when it passes Xingping, it forms a large “bow” shape, winding around the mountains and creating the most beautiful scenery of the Li River, known as the “First Great Bend of the Li River.”
Xianggong Mountain is located on the west bank of the Li River in Xingping Town, Yangshuo, and is named for its shape, which resembles an ancient official with a crown and official clothes. Locals also call it Hebao Mountain. It is a typical karst terrain, famous for its light and shadow, sea of clouds, sunrise, and rosy clouds! Standing on the viewing platform and looking far into the distance, everything is immersed in a sea of clouds. The mist in front of you changes endlessly, flowing through the mountain peaks that stand like spring bamboo shoots in the clouds, like a flowing poem, silently performing the rhythm and cadence of ups and downs, which is another kind of beautiful realm.
Yangshuo Wuzhi Mountain
Yangshuo Grape Cuiping Wuzhi Mountain is located in the core area of the world natural heritage “Southern Karst,” the core area of Grape Peak Forest, in Cuiping Village, Grape Town, Yangshuo County, which is known as the hometown of longevity in China, one of the top ten selenium-rich places in China, and a world-famous tourist destination. Under Wuzhi Mountain is Zhuge Village, which is the largest settlement of Zhuge Liang’s descendants found in South China so far, and its geographical form is arranged in the pattern of the “Big Dipper.”
Mountains are masculine, and water is feminine. Mountain streams can be the blood vessels of the mountains; flowers, trees, and flowing water are embraced by green mountains. If the mountains in Guilin are handsome men in the world, and the clear springs everywhere in the mountains are beautiful girls in the world, then Wuzhi Mountain in Cuiping Village, Yangshuo is undoubtedly a great husband among the mountains and waters of Guilin.
Viewing Danxia from Yuntai Mountain
Yuntai Mountain, also known as Bajiaozhai, has a main peak with an altitude of 818 meters, named for its eight protruding corners. Its development is rare in terms of richness and quality, and it is praised by experts as the “soul of Danxia and a national treasure.” Looking up at Bajiaozhai from the bottom of the mountain, the towering peaks stretch out in eight directions, commonly known as eight dragon heads. Among the eight dragon heads, six are located in Xinning, Hunan, and two extend to Ziyuan County, Guangxi. The main peak has an altitude of 818 meters and is the highest peak in the Nanshan Scenic Area, named Yuntai Mountain for its clouds and floating peaks.
Bajiaozhai is located in the heart of the Yuecheng Ridge Mountains at the border of Hunan and Guangxi, and it is a typical Danxia landform. It is composed of a narrow red basin made of purple-red conglomerate and sandstone from the Lower Cretaceous. Within the Bajiaozhai scenic area, there are thick layers of calcareous cemented purple-red conglomerate, sand conglomerate, and mudstone red beds, deposited 140 million years ago in the early Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era, with a thickness of more than 2,000 meters.
The ecological landscape includes geological landscapes and also has good forest vegetation landscapes, with a large number of precious tree species, rare flowers and plants distributed in it, and rare birds and animals are hidden in the garden, with flowers and birds singing all year round.
Qifeng Town Dongshan Village
It is said that Qifeng Town is one of the most beautiful military camps and villages in the world. Because there is a military camp, access is relatively restricted. Qifeng Town is a typical representative of Guilin’s karst landform, named for its towering peaks and thousands of swords, with the saying “Outside Qifeng Town, there are strange peaks, and ten thousand peaks lock the blue sky.” Dongshan Village is a quiet village located in Qifeng Town, with ancient villages, crisscrossing fields, and peaks like hairpins pointing to the blue sky. The peaks are especially dotted with the scenery of the fields, forming a beautiful picture of the countryside! In the morning, the sun playfully jumps out from behind the peaks, shining through the peaks onto the fields, and the curling smoke accompanies the whole village to start a new day.
Hundreds of millions of years ago, Guilin was an ocean. With the movement of the earth’s crust, Guilin gradually became a large basin. The surroundings of Guilin were surrounded by rivers (these rivers refer to the Li River and the Peach Blossom River). The protruding parts formed today’s Guilin peaks, and these peaks refer to Qifeng Town. Qifeng Town can be said to be a good scenery that Guilin people can see at home.
Hui Xian Town Ganbei Village
Hui Xian Town is located in the southwest of Lingui District, adjacent to Yongfu, and is only 29 kilometers away from the famous historical and cultural city of Guilin. The terrain within the town is typical karst topography, with towering peaks and diverse shapes, as if a group of immortals were gathering here, hence the name Hui Xian. Climbing Ganbei Mountain, the distant peaks stand on the green carpet. Sugarcane fields are scattered here and there, and the rice fields under the setting sun appear even greener, adding more charm to the earth. The setting sun is reflected by the river, shining like a star, and Ganbei Village quietly shows the beauty of the four seasons to people.
Longji Terraced Fields
The Longji Terraced Fields were started in the Yuan Dynasty and completed in the early Qing Dynasty, with a history of more than 650 years. The Longji Terraced Fields are composed of several Zhuang and Yao villages, among which the Jinkeng Terraced Fields and Ping’an Terraced Fields are the core scenic spots, and the Longji Ancient Zhuang Village is also gradually becoming well-known.
Terraced fields are everywhere, but it is rare to have such a large-scale concentration like the Longji Terraced Fields. From the rapid river valleys to the misty mountain tops, from the lush forests to the steep cliffs, wherever there is soil, terraced fields have been opened up. The undulating and towering mountains, winding like ladders reaching the blue sky, are like huge abstract paintings between heaven and earth.
The Longji Terraced Fields scenic area is inhabited by the Zhuang and Yao ethnic groups, with the Zhuang being the majority. The Zhuang in Longji are representatives of the Northern Zhuang, with unique costumes and unique customs. Here, you can see the simple Zhuang folk dances and well-preserved Zhuang costumes, hear the beautiful Zhuang folk songs, and enjoy the authentic Zhuang culture.
The two terraced fields have both bold and meticulous carving; they are both majestic and contain a delicate artistic temperament. Due to the different mountain shapes, they present two different poetic and picturesque realms. The two are like a pair of walls shining together, forming the cultural spaces of the Northern Zhuang and the Red Yao, which can be said to be a clever combination and mutually shining.
Jinkeng Terraced Fields are located in the territory of Dazhai Village and are named for their gold production. The terrain of Jinkeng is both a huge “sinkhole” and a round pan covered like a palace. Standing at the bottom of the pit and looking up at the surroundings, the “rim” of the pit, which is more than a thousand meters high, is covered with terraced fields that are piled up layer by layer and reach the clouds. The continuous mountain body, which extends for four or five miles, is like a coiled dragon. Unlike Ping’an Terraced Fields, it shows a kind of rough beauty that is shocking.
The green rice fields seem to be the ripples drawn by God, layer by layer, tilting down from the mountain top. Looking up from the bottom, it seems like a ladder to the blue sky. Tourists are intoxicated in it, like a huge abstract painting between heaven and earth, and can’t help but admire the hard work of our ancestors and the feedback of nature.
It is these two huge terraced stages that show the world the magnificent spirit of the people of Longji in fighting against nature. The majestic and beautiful Longji Terraced Fields are full of the spiritual light of the culture of the Zhuang and Yao ethnic groups.