Yangshuo County, Guilin City, Guangxi Province

July 14, 2015 (Tuesday)

Depart for Yangshuo as planned (700 kilometers from Wentang Town to Yangshuo County/about 8 hours). After getting up in the morning, I filled the 5-pound air-pressure thermos bottle (the hot spring water boiled), and after breakfast, I bought three breakfasts (each with an egg, a steamed bun, a fried stick, unlimited porridge and pickles). Make lunch on the road and fill the stainless steel insulated barrel with porridge.

At 8:30 we left Shanshui Hot Spring Sanatorium and bid farewell to Wentang Town. Compare your mobile phone Baidu with the original planned driving map before going on, so as not to lead it to the small road again. On the first 20-odd kilometers of the road entering the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway (G60), there is a section of road construction. It is difficult for the car to drive with a low chassis. If you accidentally hit the ground, you will travel on the potholed road with its slow speed. Go around and find a relatively flat road surface. Fortunately, this section of the road is not long, otherwise the car would have crashed to pieces.

After boarding the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway (G60), you turn to the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway (G4), turn to the Quannan Expressway, also known as the Xiamen-Chengdu Expressway (G72), turn to the Guilin Ring Expressway (S6501), and turn to the Guiwu Expressway, also known as the Baotou-Maoming Expressway (G65). You get off the expressway at Baisha Interchange, get on an unknown county road, pass through Baisha Town and go to the National Highway (G321), and finally arrive at the Futedes Hotel in Yangshuo County at 5:30 p.m.

Yangshuo County, which belongs to Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is located in the northeastern part of Guangxi and south of Guilin City. In my impression, it should be a small county with ethnic characteristics and tranquility, but as soon as I entered the county, I felt a little different from what I imagined. National characteristics can be reflected everywhere, but the commercial atmosphere is strong and the entire county is in chaos. There are spies sent by various travel agencies everywhere, introducing hotels, peddling tickets for the performance of "Image of Third Sister Liu", and scalpers promoting local products. As soon as the car stops, several scalpers will come forward to give enthusiastic introductions. Maybe I imagined Yangshuo too well, and there was a gap in my heart. Anyway, Yangshuo still has its own characteristics. For example, you can see mountains like pots of woofou on the street, you can step into the beautiful Li River within two steps, and every restaurant has delicious beer fish and so on.

Let's take a look at the streetscape of Yangshuo first

After arriving in Yangshuo, due to the hot weather, the itinerary plan was changed. The tour was basically arranged in the morning, and you could rest at noon or afternoon.

July 15, 2015 (Wednesday)

I changed my original itinerary and first visited Xingping Ancient Town and the elite section of the Li River rafting. Yangshuo County is 25 kilometers away from Xingping Ancient Town, which takes about half an hour. After getting in touch with the boat owner who was drifting on the Li River, he parked the car and boarded a boat similar to a bamboo raft. Xingping Town has a lot of docks. The so-called bamboo raft rafting is a bamboo-like boat made of aluminum alloy. It has 4 seats and a diesel engine is hung at the tail. This is different from what I imagined.

After boarding the ship, the ship owner only cared about sailing the boat without explaining. Even if he spoke, he could not hear clearly because the diesel engine was loud. Looking at the river surface again, there are "bamboo rafts" all around us rushing forward like a competition. The entire Li River is filled with the waste smell and annoying noise emitted by diesel engines, which really ruins the scenery.

After arriving at Yangdi, we went ashore for a short rest, and then boarded the boat and rushed back.

Back in Xingping Town, the afterglow of the engine noise still echoed in my mind after landing. It was so hurt.

Xingping Ancient Town originated from the first year of Wu Ganlu of the Three Kingdoms (AD 265). It was called Xiping County in ancient times. Xiping County was abolished in the tenth year of Emperor Kaihuang of the Sui Dynasty (AD 590) and replaced it with Yangshuo County. Xingping was then governed by Yangshuo County.

Xingping Ancient Town is located in the northeast of Yangshuo County, 25 kilometers away from the county seat. The Li River makes a big bend here and is a bright pearl on the Li River.

The background of RMB 20 is the scene taken in Xingping Town, where a special viewing point has been set up. Standing in the designated position with the money and comparing it, it is basically similar.

Xingping Ancient Town is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with beautiful scenery, with white walls, black tiles and stone alleys. Most of the ancient buildings are well preserved. It is the most beautiful ancient town along the Li River.

Due to the hot weather, I ended my trip to Xingping Ancient Town early and returned to Yangshuo County before 3:00 p.m., and went to visit the West Street after a little rest.

Yangshuo West Street is nicknamed "Foreign Street" and has a history of more than 1400 years. Less than 1 kilometer away, Yangshuo West Street is made of stone slabs and has a curved S-shape. The streets are filled with various tourist souvenirs. West Street is also the street with the highest concentration of foreigners in China. It is said that the number of foreigners who come here every year to live and relax is three times the number of permanent residents here.

The restaurants, restaurants, Internet cafes, bars, etc. on West Street are all a mixture of Chinese and Western. Almost all the signs are in Chinese and English. From the boss to the waiter to the stall ladies on the street, everyone can speak fluent English. There are no regional differences here. The idle and leisurely life makes many tourists who come here unwilling to leave for a long time.

West Street is the largest foreign language corner in China and is known as China's "global village". This phenomenon has attracted the attention of the Chinese people and the world. Its exotic night view is even more charming.

"Stealing a few days of leisure", maybe only here can you feel what life is.

The West Street is not as good as I thought and the introduction was. The noise is too loud. Every shop has to make some noise to attract customers, and it is impossible to even have a meal in peace.

July 16, 2015 (Thursday)

Our itinerary was rafting in the Yulong River. Since rafting does not bring back and forth, I don't drive myself. He chartered a car in the hotel lobby to take us to the upper reaches of the Yulong River for rafting, and then pick us up downstream back to Yangshuo.

The Yulong River is the longest tributary of the Li River in Yangshuo, with a total length of 43.5 kilometers. It is called the "Little Li River". It is not the Li River that is better than the Li River. Yulong River Scenic Area does not have any so-called modern buildings, no traces of artificial carving, and no urban hustle. Everything is so primitive, natural, simple and pure. If the Li River is compared to a "big family girl", then the Yulong River is a "small family girl" that makes people feel excited.

Real bamboo rafts are used for rafting in the Yulong River. Two people are seated on each raft. The raft owner supports it down the river with a bamboo pole. The entire rafting of the Yulong River takes about 5 hours and is divided into the upper half and the lower half. We choose the upper half. During this rafting, the water flow was slow and there were more than a dozen drops.

But there are also some that go upstream, and when crossing the drop, there is a simple mechanical device to send the bamboo rafts up.

Some tourists give raft owners extra money to let them go into the water to play.

Local children are also playing with bamboo rafts

Occasionally I see villagers repairing bamboo rafts

There are also fishermen fishing and selling aquatic products on the river

There are also leisure people fishing by the river

This is a "water photo studio" where photographers take photos of you in certain locations on the river without you knowing it. Pay if you want it, and delete if you don't want it.

At 1:00 p.m., we ended the rafting of the Yulong River and chartered us back to the hotel. After lunch, we went to the Da Banyan Scenic Area.

Da banyan Scenic Area is located on the south bank of Jinbao River in Chuanyan Village, Gaotian Town, 7.5 kilometers south of Yangshuo. The big banyan tree is 17 meters high and has a tree circumference of more than 7 meters. It has a thick shade covering more than an acre. It is more than 1400 years old. Although the trunk is old and intertwined, it is still full of vitality.

The Yulong River and the Li River are difficult to tell apart in the photo unless there are obvious buildings or other markings.

July 17, 2015 (Friday), this is the last day in Yangshuo. I mainly rest, and I also go shopping, shopping, eating and drinking because I have to return the next day.