The town of Yangshuo is capable of offering one of the best images of nature
Calcareous hills covered in green and with rounded tops emerge like gentle giants from the banks of two calm rivers. On the plain between them, beautiful rural China manifests itself in the form of rice fields and colorful orange trees . A place that tries to remain oblivious to the shift towards capitalism that the country is experiencing. A paradise where time has stopped.
The city of Yangshuo, nestled between the Li and Yulong rivers has grown considerably in recent years. This is not new in a country that has become a global economic giant, but the fundamental pillars on which that development has been supported are somewhat unusual: agriculture and tourism . In fact, he has managed to combine both.
Arriving in Yangshuo, nature offers you a small preview of what you will discover when you explore the area in depth. This city, inhabited by just over 300,000 people – minuscule by Chinese standards – is located surrounded by small limestone mountains completely covered by vegetation.
One of the highlights of Yangshuo is the rice terraces.
Another of its natural borders is the Li River . All the streets of Yangshuo seem to lead to it and perhaps for this reason its sinuous riverside is the most touristic area of the city. Calle West (West Street) is the one that concentrates the largest number of tourist bars, cafes and restaurants . On the outside of all these businesses, you can feel that western air that tourism brings, but once you enter the places, China is still there.
This is the case, especially, of the Lucy's Place Restaurant , located on a street adjacent to West Street. Lucy has been engaging in interesting and lively conversations with tourists who come to try her fantastic Chinese food for years. You can't leave Yangshuo without trying Lucy's orange duck. The main dressing is the company of the hostess.
The trinket stalls they also take West Street. In them you will find lamps, fans, handicrafts, decorated umbrellas... And, of course, clothes from the best brands on the market (at a suspiciously low price).
The most touristic part of the Chinese town (bars, cafes, restaurants...) is located on West Street.
Entertaining with the bustle of buyers and sellers, you will arrive at the waters of the Li River. In this central part of Yangshuo, some small and beautiful bridges, decorated with flowers and red lanterns , cross the small arm of water that flows into the wide bed of the Li.
Nail bamboo rafts they are propelled by oarsmen who go from one bank to another like ants in constant excitement. Some carry tourists who want to experience a first contact with the river, but others transport local people - who live in the surrounding villages - and goods.
GOING DOWN THE LI RIVER IN SEARCH OF THE LIMESTONE GIANTS
That first raft ride through downtown Yangshuo does not prepare you for the awe-inspiring experience of navigating the wide Li River, especially in its section between Xinping and Yangdi.
At the pier near Xinping, bamboo rafts await travelers. On each of them there is a small and simple structure – also made of bamboo – that serves as protection from the sun and rain. In less than 5 minutes, you find yourself sailing down the Li.
Bamboo rafts are the means of transportation to travel the Li River.
The landscape – depicted on the back of the 20 yuan bill – is from another planet. As far as the eye can see the picture is made up of endless karstic hills that are reflected in the waters, of blue and gray tones, of the Li . The silence is absolute, increasing the sensation of finding yourself in one of those places in the world where Mother Nature is the owner and mistress of everything, leaving the human being as an insignificant spectator.
Some mountains they emerge totally attached to the river, while others are seen far away in the distance. Some are completely covered with trees, vines, bushes and plants of all kinds. Others show more ocher patches of exposed limestone. Some are solid, with hardly any corners. Others are pierced by dozens of cavities. But all of them, without exception, are worthy of being protagonists of the incomparable work of art that they form as a group.
The walk usually lasts about two and a half hours . At the end, you feel completely renewed, as if those mountains had the power to recharge your vital energy.
The rafts are propelled by oarsmen who go from one shore to another like ants in constant excitement.
DISCOVERING THE SURROUNDINGS OF YANGSHUO BY BIKE
A good way to use that new energy that runs through your body is pedaling through the fields that are around Yangshuo. Put the GPS to work if you want to get to places like the dragon bridge – with more than six centuries of history -or the **Moon Hill**, a limestone mountain that has a huge moon-shaped hole on its top.
The routes are not signposted and you will not find a single person who can guide you in English. However, getting lost in the fields of this rural part of China is more interesting than visiting the tourist sites.
The peasants are really friendly and they will try to help you with signs, smiles and some freshly picked orange. You will cross through scattered villages where children play in the fields, oblivious to technology and urban concerns. It's like a Journey to the past in which China shows one of its friendliest faces.
The Hill of the Moon is a mandatory stop
EXPLORING KARST CAVES
After the experience with the bamboo raft and the bike ride, it is time to delve into the deep cracks that abound in this porous karstic region.
Among the numerous caves found in the surroundings of Yangshuo, two stand out: **Water Cave and Dragon Cave**. The first is the favorite of those who travel to Yangshuo in summer, because inside they find some natural mud pools which, they say, rejuvenates skin and spirit. Others cold and transparent pools They serve to clarify the mud, while there are third cavities that contain thermal waters . An authentic natural spa.
In winter, however, the Water Cave is half frozen, so it is preferable to visit the Dragon Cave. In it you can enjoy beautiful stalactites and stalagmites , whose reflection in the water is intensified by an original set of lights.
When you leave Yangshuo and its fields you will feel that you leave something of yourself there. That part that we all still have, archaic and wild, that longs to live in a purer and simpler world.
Opting for the bicycle to discover Yangshuo is always a good option