#TravelingHandInHand# Finally Meet You, Half of Yangshuo's Beauty

It is said that Guilin's landscapes are the best in the world, and Yangshuo's are even better. As such a famous travel destination, I had never planned to visit it. As a Sichuan native living in Chongqing, I've seen too many mountains and rivers since childhood. Countless short weekend trips have taken me to various mountains, and I really didn't want to use my annual leave to see more of the same scenery.

Travel in 2020 became cautious, so we chose to drive to Yangshuo. This travelogue has been delayed for so long because I'm really conflicted about Yangshuo and didn't know how to write about this trip. As for scenery, Yangshuo is truly beautiful. In June, Yangshuo was sunny and cool. Even after seeing countless mountains and rivers, Yangshuo's landscapes are still worth visiting. However, the tourism management in Yangshuo really needs improvement, so much so that we cut our trip short and went straight home without visiting the planned Longji Rice Terraces. This was the first time we ended a trip early due to a poor travel experience.

Yangshuo gave me beauty

A Li River bamboo raft with misty green smoke matches perfectly

After heavy rain, the swollen Li River became muddy

The most beautiful part of this trip: Yulong River

Little lotus buds just emerging

Ten Li Gallery—picturesque landscapes

Xianggong Mountain, 60 yuan entrance fee—just for this view, too bad there was neither sunrise nor sunset

A non-cliché photo check-in

On the day we left, we accidentally discovered a small path that amazed us, and so we had dinner on the boat against the sunset.

The two guesthouses we stayed at were probably the highlight of the trip, so let me start with accommodation. Personally, I don't really like guesthouses. I've stayed at some internet-famous ones and found most of them disappointing—basic facilities and hygiene never match hotels. But Yangshuo hotels had few good options, while distinctive guesthouses were everywhere. So this time we stayed at two guesthouses, one in Xingping and one in Ten Li Gallery. Overall, we were quite satisfied. Before arrival, a housekeeper contacted us, set up a WeChat group, and made communication easy. Facilities and cleanliness were decent.

Yueshu (Yangshuo Ten Li Gallery Yulong River Branch)

Ctrip link: https://hotels.ctrip.com/hotels/detail?hotelid=916865&cityid=871

Recommendation: 4.5 stars

This guesthouse is located inside the Ten Li Gallery scenic area, almost at the far end. During the pandemic, there were no restrictions on self-driving cars, so we could drive directly to the hotel. There were parking spaces at the entrance. The rooms are individual bungalows. Our room had a small courtyard with an outdoor bathtub. Since it's a bungalow, privacy wasn't an issue. It was very pleasant to soak in the moonlight at night.

The hotel had a swimming pool, but there were quite a few children that day, so we didn't use it. The public area decoration and greenery were beautiful. The most distinctive feature was this moon-shaped lamp, where almost everyone takes a silhouette photo.

The guesthouse runs a shuttle to West Street. The housekeeper contacted us in advance, sending the self-driving navigation address and public transport timings. Upon checkout, we received a small gift. Now for the drawbacks: the room facilities were mediocre—no seating except the bed. The wooden floor in the courtyard had some broken planks that hadn't been repaired and nearly tripped us. These details do fall short compared to hotels, especially given the price, which is higher than many five-star hotels in cities. Hence 4.5 stars.

Yangshuo Lihua Chenjia Garden Hotel

Ctrip link: https://hotels.ctrip.com/hotels/detail?hotelid=8557723&cityid=871

Recommendation: 5 stars

Most visitors to Yangshuo include Xingping Ancient Town and the 20 RMB background view. This area is about 30 km from Ten Li Gallery, so it's advisable to stay one night in Xingping. Most accommodations in Xingping are in the ancient town or along the Li River near the 20 RMB background. Guesthouses along the Li River generally offer river-view rooms, separated from the river by a road. Meals can be had in Xingping Ancient Town. Most guesthouses have some photo spots with the Li River landscape as a backdrop.

The room facilities at Chenjia Garden were relatively new and clean. Service was the same—housekeeper contact, thoughtful, small gift at checkout, and fruit upon arrival.

On the rooftop, the guesthouse built a 'Sky Mirror' with the 20 RMB background as the backdrop. On a clear day, photos turn out great. But when we checked in, there had just been a heavy rain the day before, so the weather was not good.

Day 1: Xingping Ancient Town - Boat tour - Xingping Ancient Town

Day 2: Xianggong Mountain - 20 RMB background - Yangshuo West Street

Day 3: Yulong River rafting

Day 4: Ten Li Gallery

Xingping Ancient Town is nestled by the Li River, surrounded by mountains. The stone-paved alleys are charming, but during the pandemic many shops were closed, making the town seem deserted.

Xingping's most famous attraction is the 20 RMB background. At the pier in Xingping Ancient Town, there are bamboo rafts that can drift downstream to Nine Horse Mural Hill. However, due to several days of heavy rain, the Li River had swollen and bamboo rafts were halted.

This is the first instance of what I call poor management. When we parked at the pier, someone told us that because of the high water, bamboo rafts were canceled; only large boats were available. He showed us a map and said their boat could take us to various places. We initially ignored him and asked at the ticket office, where the staff also said bamboo rafts were stopped and only large boats were available, and told us to inquire at the pier outside. So we went back to the man who first approached us, asked about the itinerary, agreed on a price—I even repeatedly confirmed whether we would drift all the way to Nine Mural Horse Hill. In the end, we only took a ferry to a small island on the opposite bank. Once on the island, someone rode an electric scooter and took us on a loop around the island. What? We thought it would be a boat tour, but it turned into an island loop! They said the water level was too high, so large boats couldn't go there. Actually, the whole trip cost maybe over 100 yuan, I can't remember exactly—anyway, not expensive. But why couldn't they just tell us from the start? Why trick us into taking a 'large boat tour' when it was just a ferry crossing, and we never went to Nine Mural Horse Hill? The driver kept pointing out mountains, saying 'this one looks like... that one looks like...' I guess my imagination wasn't good enough—I couldn't see it.

Well, at least the scenery was decent.

Xianggong Mountain is located within Xingping Town, between Huangbu Beach and Nine Mural Horse Hill. It attracts many photography enthusiasts for sunrise, sea of clouds, and sunset. Entrance fee: 60 yuan.

There are two ways to reach Xianggong Mountain: by car or by boat. If starting from Yangshuo, you can charter a car or drive. If from Xingping, it's recommended to take a boat. Xianggong Mountain is very close to Xingping, separated only by the Li River; you can take a boat to the foot of the mountain and then hike up. Driving from Xingping would be a long detour—we drove and took a very long mountainous road. Most guesthouses in Xingping offer trips to Xianggong Mountain; it's most convenient to book directly through the hotel.

The view from Xianggong Mountain is indeed beautiful. When we descended, a young lady was hesitating at the ticket booth whether to go up. She asked me if it was worth it. I told her it was worth going, but not worth 60 yuan. That's my honest feeling. Xianggong Mountain has only this one viewing platform; there's nothing else to see or do. If you don't go before 7 a.m. for sunrise, if there's no sea of clouds, no sunset, and the Li River is muddy like we experienced, then the 60 yuan ticket really isn't worth it. So I suggest checking the weather forecast.

This brings me to my second complaint: during the whole trip, anytime we stopped by the roadside—to check navigation, get something from the trunk, or just pull over—someone would immediately appear to charge us a parking fee. I have no idea where they came from. There were no parking spaces, and it wasn't private property; we just pulled over to the side, and yet someone would come out to collect a fee. Unbelievable.

The Yulong River is the longest tributary of the Li River within Yangshuo. We chose the section from Jinlong Bridge to Jiuxian. The rafting took 1.5 hours, costing 255 yuan per boat for two people. This section uses manual bamboo rafts, slowly drifting on the Yulong River with undulating peaks on both sides and a gentle breeze.

This was the most beautiful part of the trip, but also the most frustrating. Because the distance from Jinlong Bridge to Jiuxian is over 60 km. After rafting from Jinlong Bridge to Jiuxian, there was no official shuttle back to Jinlong Bridge, where our car was parked. Instead, a swarm of unlicensed taxi drivers started soliciting, asking for hundreds of yuan. If you refused, they would sneer at you. I wonder what the Yangshuo officials were thinking. Obviously, everyone who finishes rafting needs to go back. Isn't this tacitly allowing these unlicensed drivers to charge exorbitant fares? If you can ride a bike, you can rent an electric scooter or bicycle.

I consoled myself: at least we enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Ten Li Gallery is just a main road—big road, big road, big road. Cycling is the best way to explore, but it's not friendly for those who can't ride. When we went, there was no traffic restriction, so we could drive in. I didn't see any public buses or sightseeing cars in the scenic area; I don't know if they normally run. After all, the entire road is about 5 km, and walking is quite tiring.

Within Ten Li Gallery, there are attractions like the Totem Ancient Path, Butterfly Spring, Big Banyan Tree, and Gongnong Bridge. One day is enough to visit them all. The Big Banyan Tree scenic area really just has this one big banyan tree—yet they charge an entrance fee! Fortunately, it's only a few yuan, haha.

A commercial street: for meals in Yangshuo town, you can go to West Street. Beer fish restaurants line the street one after another. It's nice to stroll around in the evening.

This travelogue was delayed for too long, and now I've finally finished writing it in a messy way. I want to say that my trip to Yangshuo left me with both beauty and frustration. To be accurate, Yangshuo might be more suitable for a group tour—maybe then all those unpleasant things wouldn't happen. In the blink of an eye, another spring has arrived. For our next trip, let's go see the peach blossoms in Nyingchi.