Immersive Getaway—Sanqianli

📍 Guilin · 👁 1 reads · ❤️ 100 likes

Setting off to Sanqianli.

There is no direct train from Guangzhou South to Yangshuo. First, take a train from Guangzhou South to Guilin North, which takes about 3 hours, then transfer from Guilin North to Yangshuo Station, which takes about 0.5 hours. Once at Yangshuo Station, Sanqianli is not far, and the scenic area also provides a shuttle service.

If you find the transfer troublesome and are coming from a nearby location, you can opt for self-driving. Driving from Guangzhou to the Sanqianli hotel takes about 6 hours, with a highway toll of just over ¥200.

There are many distinctive guesthouses within the Sanqianli scenic area, each with unique themes: some themed around Zhuang brocade, some around flowers, some around the Li River fishing culture, and even boat houses that extend out over the riverbank, which is quite interesting.

Huajianji (Among the Flowers) has a flower theme. The interior decoration is adorned with flowers, and there are many flowers planted outside. You can even relax in the bathtub while enjoying the flowers.

The room's balcony overlooks the Dayuan River within the scenic area. Sitting on the balcony sipping tea, you can take in the mountains and waters of Yangshuo at a glance.

There is a music restaurant in the scenic area also called Huajianji, with a super strong ambiance and full of literary and artistic flair. It has both outdoor and indoor seating. Outdoors, you can directly enjoy the Yangshuo landscape while dining and gathering. Indoors, the experience is more literary and romantic, with warm yellow light from various hanging lamps and decorations of flowers and plants, creating a natural and romantic atmosphere.

Life is as radiant as a summer flower! The flowers at Sanqianli bloom from spring to summer, turning into a sea of flowers.

Strolling through the flower fields and wandering in the sea of flowers feels like stepping into the dream of Tagore's poetry. You can also take the Sanqianli Little Train, which shuttles through the flower sea. The sound of the whistle makes you feel as if you've instantly traveled through time.

In the scenic area, there is a "Sky Mirror" where you can take photos when it's not crowded. The swimming pool is open for swimming and photo-taking. It's more crowded at dusk when the setting sun illuminates the beautiful Yangshuo landscape.

This pool is also a spot to photograph the background of the 20 yuan note, and the variety show "Youth Travel" once checked in here.

The Dayuan River in the scenic area offers water amusement activities, such as kayaking, allowing you to have close contact with the waters of Yangshuo.

When you come to Yangshuo, you must take a bamboo raft. With clear waters, green mountains, and reflections of the peaks, you feel like you are sailing on the emerald waves and traveling through a painting.

At night, Sanqianli features a landscape performance called "Three Lifetimes, Three Thousand Li" (San Sheng San Shi San Qian Li). The story is about the three reincarnations of a little fisherman's girl and a divine fish, telling a love story set in the landscape of Sanqianli. As a live-action performance, it creates a strong atmosphere. The audience gathers in the stands to watch, reminiscent of watching village operas as children.

Sanqianli occasionally hosts large events. If you time your vacation right, you can unlock unexpected surprises, such as the summer Intangible Cultural Heritage Fireworks Festival, where striking iron flowers and exploding fireworks in the sky complement each other, creating a beautiful nighttime spectacle.

A day at Sanqianli is a day of literary and artistic pursuits.

There are many artistic performances within the scenic area. Performers dressed in ethnic minority costumes use the entire scenic area as their stage, singing and dancing anytime, anywhere.

At the Ancient Art and Culture Experience Center, you can rent various beautiful Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing). Especially for girls, you'll love it! The entire scenic area is full of ancient-style architecture. Wearing elegant Hanfu as you walk through the streets and alleys feels like traveling back to ancient times—a truly beautiful experience. Besides Hanfu, the center also offers other activities such as traditional papermaking, plant wax dyeing, hand painting, and archery.

There is also a calligraphy experience called "Xizi Xianchao" (Leisurely Copying of Fine Characters) in the scenic area, where you can wear Hanfu and enjoy the fun of ancient calligraphy like the ancients.

Qiu Guangchu round fans can be considered one of the representative traditional crafts of Guilin. Round fans, also called palace fans or silk fans, are traditional Chinese crafts and artworks. The inheritance of Guilin round fan craftsmanship stems from the perseverance of an old man from Lipu, Qiu Guangchu. Mr. Qiu Guangchu, combining local traditional bamboo crafting techniques from Maling, established a complete process, becoming the first creator of the round bamboo split-thread fan craft in China (using a single bamboo piece to make the entire fan frame).

The scenic area has a round fan experience pavilion, where you can not only admire and purchase extremely exquisite and beautiful round fans but also DIY to try making your own round fan—a super memorable souvenir.

You've eaten Guilin rice noodles many times, but you've never tried making them by hand. At the Guilin Rice Noodle Experience Center in the scenic area, you can make a bowl of rice noodles entirely by hand—a fun experience you won't find elsewhere.

To fulfill the last wish of Mr. Xu Beihong, Sanqianli has created an art space along the banks of the Li River, focusing on art, intangible cultural heritage, and cultural creativity. It presents a spatial narrative centered on Xu Beihong's artistic life, with his calligraphy and painting works displayed in the pavilion.

In addition, there are three exhibitions: Cao Ye's poetry exhibition, paper-cutting exhibition, and photography exhibition. Visitors can visit according to their interests, and all are free of charge. The first cultural and creative base of the Guangxi Museum of Nationalities is also located in Sanqianli, showcasing the distinctive costumes, history, culture, and customs of Guangxi's 12 indigenous ethnic groups, as well as hundreds of cultural and creative products in multiple series, fully reflecting the unique Guangxi culture.

Besides the experience centers, there are many lovely small shops in the scenic area. There is a Yidecheng Snuff Shop. Snuff, also called sniffing medicine, is a type of medicine prepared in a specific way and inhaled through the nose. The medicine itself is secondary; the snuff bottles are particularly cute and intriguing.

There is also Fengwuji (Collection of Local Products), where the packaging of the items is very special, making them great as souvenirs.

Sanqianli, a wonderful and interesting holiday. Accompanied by the Guilin landscape and a unique ancient-style town, it offers literary experiences and immersive DIY activities. Although the scenic area is not large, it has many attractions, making it a great destination for a short weekend getaway.

Travel Diary Contents:

1. DAY1-Park1: Travel

2. DAY1-Park2: Accommodation

3. DAY1-Park3: Flower Sea

4. DAY1-Park4: Playing in the Water

5. DAY1-Park5: Night Tour

6. DAY2-Park1: Cultural Performances

7. DAY2-Park2: First Experience of Ancient Art and Culture

8. DAY2-Park3: First Experience of Round Fan Making

9. DAY2-Park4: First Experience of Making Guilin Rice Noodles

10. DAY2-Park5: Art Exhibitions

11. DAY2-Park6: Little Lovely Souvenirs