Seeking Memories of Guilin: A Three-Day, Two-Night Journey (Part 2)

On the second day in Guilin, we went to Yangshuo.

"Guilin's mountains and waters rank first under heaven, but Yangshuo's surpass Guilin's." When visiting Guilin, a trip to Yangshuo is a must. There are two ways to get there:

One is to take a cruise ship along the Li River, enjoying the scenery all the way to Yangshuo. This is managed by Guilin's tourism department. The boat departs at 9 a.m., takes about 4 hours, and costs 215 RMB or more, including lunch. Then you return by bus. This is the classic way, offering the most beautiful views of the Li River with commentary on scenery and historical stories. The downside is the higher cost and longer time. The Mopan Mountain Pier is far from the city center, requiring a taxi or pre-booked tour bus.

The second option is to take a high-speed train or bus to Yangshuo, then explore the best scenic spots on your own. The advantage is flexibility—you can go wherever you want without restrictions. The disadvantage is that you need to plan your own itinerary, which can be troublesome and you might encounter pitfalls.

Since I had taken the cruise before, and I thought the 9 a.m. departure was a bit late, we wanted to get there earlier to play. So we chose the earliest bullet train at 8 a.m. from Guilin North Station to Yangshuo, costing 25 RMB per person. Then we planned to see the "Huangbu Reflection" (the scene on the back of the 20 yuan note) and Xingping Ancient Town.

Bus No. 100 starts at 6 a.m., runs every 9 minutes, and takes about 30 minutes to reach the North Station. We planned to go early to eat something and then take the train.

Our accommodation was right next to the bus stop, so we came out early to wait. There were almost no people on the road. We waited a long time but no bus came. The morning wind was chilly, making my husband and me feel a bit stuffy. We felt something was wrong. Then, anxiously, we saw a bus across the street and realized that the route started from the North Station, not two-way as we assumed. Perhaps because the scenic spots are not too far, this city seems not fond of waking up early—it's quite laid-back and lazy. Fortunately, the city is small. Maybe they timed it so that this bus arrives exactly in time for the first high-speed train.

The scenery along the way was breathtaking: rolling hills reflected in clear flowing rivers, interspersed with farmhouses and pavilions under construction. The entire train ride felt like a tour itself.

After 20-plus minutes, we arrived in Yangshuo. The station itself was picturesque. Next to the station was the Yangshuo high-speed rail shuttle bus, costing 5 RMB per person, which took us to Xingping Ancient Town.

Upon arriving at Xingping Ancient Town, someone immediately came over to offer us a ride to the boat dock for 10 RMB per person. Just then, a couple happened to be nearby, so the four of us shared the ride. Alternatively, you could walk to the dock and take a boat, then ride an electric bike back from the disembarkation point. The driver was a young man in his 30s, quite nice, answering all questions and introducing the scenery along the way. He first took us to see the "Huangbu Reflection" on the back of the 20 yuan note. The beauty of the Li River mountains lies in their reflections. Among them, the reflection at Huangbu Beach is the most enchanting. This is the cream of the Li River's essence. The river is clear and emerald green, and at the bottom lies a large, yellowish stone slab several zhang long and wide, exactly like a yellow cloth spread on the riverbed, hence the name Huangbu (Yellow Cloth) Beach. On the mountain wall, there is a rock with stripes resembling a big black horse, said to be the lagging horse among the Nine Horses of Huashan. On both sides of the beach, there are seven peaks of varying sizes, like seven fairies bathing out of the water, so they are called "Seven Fairies Descending to Earth." Because it was the dry season, the riverbed was somewhat dry, but the scenery was still enchanting. I had prepared a 20 yuan bill with a special serial number ("leopard number") in advance and took a photo with the real scene.

Then we went to the dock to raft to the Nine Horses of Huashan. This rafting section is managed by Yangshuo County, costing 80 RMB per person, about 40 minutes. Previously, it was bamboo rafts, but now they look like bamboo rafts but are actually electric-powered, saving a lot of effort but losing some rustic charm. Still, the scenery was fantastic.

The crystal-clear river water within reach, the picturesque mountains and waters, bamboo groves, cruise boats—everything was a view. I truly experienced the poetic charm of "Peaks cast reflections on water, mountains float; without mountains or water, the spirit is not engrossed." If the mountains and waters of the north are like the broad and tolerant man, then Guilin's are like the charming and delicate maiden. Unfortunately, it was overcast, so we couldn't see the sunlight piercing through the clouds with sparkling waves. Visibility was good, though. On both banks, peaks stretched endlessly, green and layered, each scene connecting to the next, varying in shape and changing endlessly. The Li River's surface was misty and vast, the water crystal clear, like a giant mirror reflecting the mountain shadows—poetic and picturesque, blending reality and illusion. We could constantly feel the mist drifting and brushing our faces. By the water, green bamboo groves formed dense clusters, tender green and graceful, too much to take in. At that moment, I didn't want to think about anything; I was just satisfied with the beautiful view before me, truly wanting to stay drunk here forever.

We arrived at the Nine Horses of Huashan. The driver was already waiting on the shore and took us back to Xingping Ancient Town. Xingping Ancient Town was established as a county and town during the Three Kingdoms period. The town is small, surrounded by mountains and rivers, full of beautiful scenery—white walls, black tiles, and stone alleys. Most of the ancient buildings in the town are well-preserved, and many original residents still live there. The most famous attraction is the Ancient Opera Tower, also called the Ten-Thousand-Year Ancient Stage, built in the 4th year of Qianlong's reign (1739) during the Qing Dynasty. The entire structure is brick and wood, with unique style, fine craftsmanship, intricate patterns, simple and elegant. One can imagine the bustling prosperity of people coming and going at the pier back then.

Like most ancient towns, Xingping has become quite commercialized. Both sides of the ancient street are lined with restaurants, specialty shops, and snack stalls. We found a nice-looking courtyard—No. 61 Restaurant Main Store—and ordered beer fish, stir-fried pepper leaves, and tofu soup. The portions were huge, and the total cost was only 99 RMB. The pepper leaves were recommended by the owner. We asked her what local vegetables they eat, saying we would eat whatever they eat. So she brought us pepper leaves. It was the first time I knew pepper leaves could be stir-fried and they were delicious. The sugarcane juice in the ancient town was also very good, with a strong green sugarcane flavor.

After a full meal, we took a bus from the station next to the ancient town back to Yangshuo to visit the famous West Street. This West Street was no longer the same as before. Only by walking to the riverbank and looking down from the stone steps that reached the water could we vaguely see the scene of the past. The waterside had hardly changed. This was where Guilin's cruise ships docked. The old man with cormorants sitting on a bamboo raft seemed to have been waiting there all along, never leaving.

It started to drizzle. There were buses from Yangshuo to Guilin all the time, and the return trip went smoothly. Three days and two nights, time was tight, and the visit was somewhat rushed. But for a three-day short break, this was perhaps the best arrangement.