Guilin(900 views)
Release date:2010-01-28 17:22:07
The train stopped frequently on the twenty-four hour trip to Guilin. At the peak of Chinese New Year celebrations, my friends and I had managed to get tickets on a special train. It had few passengers but made long stops on stretches of track in the countryside.
Out the window, the landscape slowly shifted from rice paddies to jagged hills. I wasn’t sure what to expect upon arrival in Guilin. One traveler I’d met had suggested skipping Guilin and promptly heading down the Li River. The area around Yangshuo, he said, was a much better place to appreciate the iconic karst scenery.
Upon arrival in Guilin, however, my doubts were dispelled. Defined by its terrain, Guilin is a modern city dotted with parks, bridges, tree-lined lakes and limestone pinnacles. The view of Fubo Shan and Xiangbi Shan -- with more peaks looming in the distance -- brought me back to Guilin on several occasions.
One of the most tempting things to do in Guilin is climb one of the peaks along the river. Duxiu Feng (Solitary Beauty Peak) lies just north of the city center inside the grounds of the Jinjiang Prince’s Palace. With stone stairways, jagged rocks and views of the city and beyond, Duxiu Feng feels both natural and manmade. A crescent-shaped pond lies at its base. When I visited, a snack vendor was selling beer and ice cream on a terrace near the top.
After descending Duxiu Feng, I walked a few blocks to shop for tea and sit down for a home-style meal. The night market was a short bus ride away on Zhongshan Road, Guilin’s central artery, and had an array of souvenirs and small crafts, not to mention a number of local snack foods.
Along with the peaks, the Li River and a handful of lakes and waterways mark the cityscape of Guilin. One lake, Rong Hu, is crisscrossed by pathways and bridges, all of which are lit up at night. Just east of Zhongshan Road, two pagodas overlook Shan Hu, another lake. Trees and paths line the lake around the pagodas, which are also brightly lit after dark. Taking great photos seems almost too easy.
Seven Star Park, located across Liberation Bridge on the other side of the Li River, is one of Guilin’s major attractions. It has a relatively steep admission charge, but I found the park worth the price for its trails, architecture, small zoo, limestone caves and the seven peaks that give it its name.
On my second trip to Guilin, I rushed with a visiting family member to make the last cave tour of the day. The caves were impressive in size and dramatically lit, but the tour guide spent most of the time explaining how the rock formations resembled various animals. Afterwards, we scrambled towards the pavilion at the top of one of the peaks. The sun was going down and the path was dark under the tree canopy. The pavilion at the top, however, was surrounded by florescent lights. From it, we could see layer upon layer of peaks beyond the city in every direction.
Over the next few days, we visited the area around Yangshuo. We cycled and hiked around the countryside and found a local guide who took us down the river to her cousin’s house, where we ate stir-fried root vegetables and cured pork. The activities possible around Yangshuo made it a highlight of our trip to the Southwest.
However, after hiking and taking a wet boat ride on a drizzly day, we were happy to return to Guilin, wander the night market and enjoy some hot pot in a Sichuan restaurant. The bridges and pagodas were illuminated, as were the peaks in Seven Star Park across the river. The scene was still captivating, even after a few days in the countryside.
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