CRUISE ON THE LI RIVER

Xingping (兴坪), half an hour drive from Yangshuo, is the starting point for the cruise offering the most beautiful panoramas of the Li River. Moreover, unlike Guilin, cruises are not exclusive to government companies. The rate amounts to RMB 100 instead of RMB 400 (which is really abusive) from Guilin.

Most hotels and guest houses offer excursions including the bus to Xingping, then the boat for half a day on the river. Some boats, overloaded with tourists, may spoil the romanticism of the excursion. You can get a boat for two people. Avoid the rafts, too dangerous. In addition, the provincial government distributes and then regularly cancels licences giving the concessionaire the right to offer its services to tourists. It is better to pass through a middleman at the start of Yangshuo to be sure to take advantage of the cruise. During the journey, sugar breads are déclinent, beholder the traveler with their beauty. It is an atmosphere of serenity, of fullness, in the heart of China, which seems to have remained the same for millennia. Very pure water strikes through its transparency. The landscapes reveal impressive karst ensembles. Majestic tall bamboo trees border the river. At the heart of these exceptional panoramas is the scenes of everyday life: bull grazing on the banks or to refresh in the river, village washing their linen. Buffles in Asia, with very special skin, need these water baths or daily mud in summer to face the heat. Chinese children bathe in water or walk on rafts made with bamboo. In the eyes of the Chinese, these zigzagging, which inspire both painters over the centuries, contemplate very specific forms, such as "the mountain painted or mountain aux Neuf Chevaux". You have to have a very high-profile eye to distinguish them, if so, a life of happiness opens, as the Chinese tradition wants.