Yangshuo

The typical landscape of Guanxi province was made known all over the world by some of the most important Chinese painters. Karst peaks, not higher than a few hundreds meters, come out of the blue even in the middle of Guilin, one of the most eulogized cities of China. Most of the province is not touristic yet - so go and explore it before it's too late! For Guilin it's definitely too late: here horrible flat buildings emerge in the middle of the karst scenery, and the effect is everything but charming. As for Yangshuo, though it's a small town there's not even a single old building left, but it's still a very good starting point to explore the wonderful surroundings and take some boat trips on Li river (on the left).

On the right: Moon Hill is one of the best sights some 6 kms outside Yangshuo. Cloudy, misty, days give the scenery that special touch. Everybody in Yangshuo will be ready to take you around by taxi or motorcycle, but you'd probably be better off going on foot or on a bike to enjoy some silence once for all. The only attraction in Yanghsuo is a narrow street lined with great bars and touristic shops - good bargains can be made here, especially in winter. Despite what Lonely Planet says, scroll paintings are of better quality than in other places - though not so good as in Beijing - and much cheaper. Among wooden handicraft and "antiques" you can also find some good stuff - but don't pay it as it was really made in the Qing dynasty.

How to get there: Yangshuo is around one hour by bus from Guilin - minibuses gather in front of the railway station and depart as soon as they're full for 10-15 yuan. Guilin is on the Beijing-Hanoi route (a fast beautiful train which takes you there in only 24 hours) and on the Shanghai-Kunming route (dirty and overcrowed - 35 hours from Shanghai, 29 hours from Kunming). Hints and tips: how to get a train ticket from Guilin once you're in Yangshuo? CITS, the national travel agency, is the most reliable but it charges 100 yuan per ticket. They also provide a taxi service to Guilin train station at any time (trains are usually early in the morning) - it will cost you not less than 200 yuan. In any case, book your tickets 4-5 days in advance.

Above: buffalos are still more common than tractors in Guanxi countryside. Mothers and calves often roam about alone on the road, like this youngster on the right, not yet submitted to daily work in the rice fields.         All pictures taken by Diana Lavarini on February, 19-23, 2000. Camera: Minolta Dynax 500si, 35-70 and 80-210.

 

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Sinophilia was born in 1998 as a meeting-point for China-lovers. In these years we have managed to build a database of essential information on the Chinese culture, adding here and there a few more specific essays on Chinese art, history, language and religions, and some useful tools.

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