Our internship is coming to an end and we take the opportunity to visit Yangshuo for an extended weekend while still in Guangzhou... Guaranteed escape from the ordinary!          

The rice fields of Guangxi

  The city of Yangshuo is located in the autonomous region of Guangxi, north of Guangdong where we are currently based. It enjoys an excellent reputation among travelers thanks to its bucolic landscapes and the numerous limestone peaks that stand out around the Li River. This fame has reached our ears, and it is in the hope of finally discovering authentic Chine that we board a night bus from Guangzhou. Announced travel time: 8 hours.

Just as we're beginning to fall asleep, the driver informs us that we have already arrived in Yangshuo. We are only two passengers getting off, while the bus continues on towards Guilin, its final destination. It is 4:30 in the morning... We find ourselves dropped off on a seemingly deserted main street. We will learn later that this is Pantao Lu, the city's principal thoroughfare, crossed daily by thousands of vehicles. For now, we can barely make out our surroundings and can hardly believe we are surrounded by magnificent mountains.

Unaware that we would arrive so early, we set about searching for a budget hotel, guided by the few streetlamps lining the road. The plan was to reach Xi Jie (West Street), which represents Yangshuo's main tourist avenue.

Needless to say, we immediately took the wrong path, soon pestered by two men on motorcycles offering to lead us to a place to spend the night. After nearly an hour of walking in the dark, we finally find the street in question and witness the sunrise by the Li River.

The karst peaks gradually emerge around the city, giving us glimpses of the landscapes we had imagined finding. The stress of finding ourselves in yet another Chinese city with an overstated reputation gradually gives way to contemplation and wonder.

We are fortunate to find a hotel to our liking on a parallel street for 150 RMB per night. The view from our room is quite nice, which doesn't hurt...

A well-deserved nap and we set out to explore Xi Jie, which has essentially come alive in the meantime. We had never seen so many foreigners in Chine before (except perhaps at the Canton Fair), which probably explains why most locals speak reasonable English.

The city loses some of its appeal with this influx of tourists, though that doesn't stop us from enjoying a good European breakfast!

Yangshuo and its surroundings

  The excursions available around the city are so numerous that it would be pointless to list them all. It should be noted that it was once possible to take hot air balloon rides to appreciate the panorama, but this is no longer an option following an accident that claimed the lives of 4 Dutch nationals... To save time, we decide to rent a scooter for two at the entrance of Xi Jie.

The owner of Li Shi is very pleasant and provides us with scooter, helmets and a regional map for 100 yuan, with 400 yuan deposit. To say it's a trivial price considering we'll be riding all day until 6 p.m.

This somewhat impromptu ride will undoubtedly remain one of our finest memories in Chine, revealing ever more breathtaking landscapes. These curiously resemble the one featured on a 20-yuan note... We'll discover various trails later that lead us through rice fields and villages where the residents display rare warmth and hospitality.

These trails will lead us somewhat by chance towards the Yulong River valley, where a multitude of bamboo rafts ply the waters.

We decide to try the experience for the modest sum of 150 RMB for two, including water pistols designed to spray your fellow passengers. And it's clear that everyone gets into the spirit of things, from 7 to 77 years old! As we've said before, the Chinese are certainly competitive folk...

The journey on the Yulong River lasts more than an hour and concludes after descending several "mini-dams" that serve as fords.

Our souvenir photo

  It's already time to head back, an opportunity to capture other equally magnificent sights.

But where is Char Li?

  The return to town is obviously less enchanting, especially as traffic is heavy and the Chinese drive like maniacs...

Before returning the scooter, a quick stop at the gas station is called for, where we manage to fill the tank for less than 10 yuan!

  After that, back to the hotel with the goal of resting before the evening that promises to be spectacular...  

Impression Liu Sanjie

  During the high season, the city of Yangshuo hosts every evening an internationally renowned son et lumière spectacle: Impression Liu Sanjie (the three Liu sisters), orchestrated by the renowned director Zhang Yimou. Among other credits, he is responsible for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, quite a mark of quality as you might say... In total, over 600 performers, singers and dancers take the stage for more than an hour in the open air, right in the middle of karst hills specially lit for the occasion.

We managed to secure tickets the morning of for 180 yuan, with transfer in a minivan included. We were thus fortunate to find ourselves right in the middle of the stands, offering an unobstructed view of the performance.

We didn't understand much of the story being told, based on the scenario of a very popular Chinese musical comedy, but we particularly appreciated the festival of colors, the traditional staging and the costumes. Not to mention the melodious singing that still echoes in our heads...

Special mention to the scene featuring fishermen on their rafts with their cormorants under golden light, absolutely enchanting... As usual, the show was marred by Chinese spectators talking loudly throughout, and who even have the audacity to leave ten minutes before the end... A true shame when you know the price of tickets.

No matter, the spectacle lived up to our expectations, and we return to the hotel with images dancing in our heads. The night promises to be short to make the most of tomorrow's day which promises to be eventful...   To view photos related to this article, feel free to visit the gallery of Yangshuo.