he highlights of the Li River can be seen along the 84km waterway from Guilin to Yangshuo. Pinnacles covered in deep foliage( in mist in rainy days), clear water, deep ponds, dangerous shoals, vistas of ideal countryside can be seen along the river banks. The scenery varies according to the weather and season. On sunny days the Li River looks like a bright landscape painting with the clear reflection of green peaks. On foggy and rainy days, the Li River is shrouded in mist and appears mysterious and magical.
Attractions:
Stones in wave and foggy rain
Each turn of the river holds new surprises. In the green forests on the left bank lies a village named Langshi Village, where the houses are built with black bricks and red tiles. Mountains such as Dahuang Mount, Wenbi Mount, Bijia Mount and the Lion Mount are on the right side of the river, whereas Guanyin Mount, White Rabbit Mount, and the Gold Cock Peak are on the left side. The origins of these names have been lost in history.
The Fresco Hill – The Nine-horse Mount
61km from Guilin and 4km from Xinping(a small fishing village on the river bank) lays Nine Horse Mount. The cliff face has images of what looked like a group of horses. Variegated in yellow and white, dark and light, the horses have different postures: some seem to be running, some just lying there and others playing. These images have been seen on the mountain side for centuries
The number of horses there depends on your imagination. Legend has it that the horses came from heaven. They escaped to earth when the Monkey King wasn’t watching closely. When they drank by the Li River, a painter saw them and wanted to draw them. But the horses became startled, escaped into the hills and stayed there forever. This cliff has attracted many poets, painters, scholars and tourists.
Yellow-cloth Reflection
The most famous of the reflections of the mountain scenery along the Li River is Huangbu beach. The clear water reveals a yellow rock board at the bottom of the river for about 100 hundred meters. The rock looks like a piece of yellow cloth spreading over the river bed and hence its Chinese name. On the bank near the beach, there are seven beautiful girls of different ages, called “seven fairy sisters in the world”. It’s said that one day the seven fairy sisters came from the heavenly palace to tour the River. They were attracted by the scenic beauty and forgot to return. When the Heaven King found out he ordered them to come back but the sisters chose to remain in the human world. They changed themselves into stone peaks by blowing a gust of miracle air.
