The long and winding Li River, meandering on its way from Guilin to Yangshuo, has been the inspirations for countless poems, paintings and songs. Poets were praising its beauty 1,000 years ago. It is the main attraction in the area around Guilin and, along with visiting the region's many ethnic minorities, is the primary reason many travelers come to Guangxi.

The 83km-long waterway from Guilin to Yangshuo is like an artists' masterpiece. The landscape is decorated with rolling hills, steep cliffs, fantastic caves, and leisurely boats and is lined with bamboo. As a poem goes: "The river is a green silk ribbon, and the hills are jade hair-pins".

Winding its way amidst the mountains and through villages, the Li River adds great charm to the picturesque landscape. Along the way, you can see the karst peaks with their unusual shapes, the pure and clean waters, and the beautiful, rustic scenery. To take a cruise doen the Li River is to step into a Chinese landscape painting.

The cruise usually departs from Zhujiang Wharf. It is about 40 minutes drive from Guilin city. The subsequent 4- to 5-hour cruise will take you to a beautiful and sedate ancient city - Yangshuo.

Duxiu Peak, also named Solitary Peak, stands in solitary grace in the center of the ancient Jingjiang Princely Mansion. It towers abruptly from the ground with an elevation of 216 meters.

This is a majestic, solitary peak, steep and precipitous, rising at the very centre of the city. It has been called the "Pillar of the Southern Sky." In the haze of dawn or the glow of sunset the peak is purple or gold. A climb up the 306 stone steps to the top is rewarded by a panoramic view of the city. The nephew of a Ming Emperor built a palace at the foot of the peak in the 14th century. Today, only the gate remains.

Standing above the ground, Fubo Hill, or Wave-Subduing Hill, slopes into the Li River in the east and looms in the west. It is so named because waves and ripples run back wherever they meet the peak, which descends into the river, blocking the water. A tale also has it that Ma Yuan, called General Fubo, of the Han Dynasty had once passed by Guilin on a southern expedition. He poured all the pearls he carried into the river, so the hill was named after him in his memory, and there used to be a Fubo Pavilion on the hill in the Tang Dynasty.

The Fubo Hill now still has a lot of places of interest, such as Kuishui Ting (Kui Stream Pavilion), Tingtao Pavilion (Listening to Waves), Banshan Ting (Half the Hill Pavilion), Huanzhu Cave (Returned Pearl Cave), Shijian Stone (Testing Sword), Qianfo Cave (Thousand-Buddha Cave) and Coral Cave. There is also a pot that is said to be big enough to cook for one thousand people and a cast iron bell, which was built by the daughter of Prince Ding Nan of Qing Dynasty, named Kong Youde as a memorial of him.

The Shijian Stone (Testing Sword Stone) in the Returned Pearl Cave, which is closely attached to Li River, is a giant stone, hanging from the ceiling of the cave with only a few inches to the ground. It seems that its top and the ground were suddenly separated as a result of General Fubo's sword testing and it remains a wonder.
In Retured Pearl Cave and Qianfo Cave, there are many stone slabs and Buddha images carved in relief in the Tang and Song Dynasties.

It is certain that The Reed Flute Cave, with its many stalactites, stalagmites, and unusual rock formations is a must-see attraction in China. This large, underground complex of grottos, unique rock and stone formations, and multi-color lighting contains some of the most extraordinary scenery offered by Guilin. The Crystal Palace of the Dragon King and the Old Scholar stone are just some of the famous attractions contained within the caves. It is situated at Guangming Hill in the northwestern suburbs of the city.

Guilin Reed Flute Cave is about 240 meters long and a trip lasts roughly one hour. Alongside the u-shaped route, visitors can see oddly shaped rocks and stone pillars as your guide shares interesting stories about them. Illuminated by colored lights, the cave looks like a dazzling palace, which is the reason that the cave is otherwise known as the Art Palace of the Nature.

Inside the cave, there are more than 70 ink inscriptions, dating back to 792 AD, written during the Tang Dynasty, over one thousand years ago. These aged marks indicate that it was an attraction even in ancient times.

Since the cave opened to the public in 1962, millions of tourists have visited it. Now the cave is one of the main tourist attractions in the area, just second to the famous Li River.

Elephant Trunk Hill juts out into the Li River at its junction with Peach Blossom River. It's the symbol of Guilin City. Elephant Trunk Hill is so named because it looks like a giant elephant drinking water with its trunk on the Li River bank. At dusk, it looks extraordinarily lively. Between the trunk and legs, there is a cave called "Moon-over-Water Cave". The Cave looks like a full moon floating on the surface of the water. On the top of the hill, there is a Ming Dynasty pagoda. It looks like a hilt of a dagger on the back of the elephant, reminiscent of the legend of the hill's formation.

• Scenic Spot of Water Moon Cave

Between the elephant trunk and its body space is a round cave that resembles a full moon drifting on the water, thus the name. On a full-moon night, the waters ripple and the moon glitters to form a fantastic scene that has been highly honored by poets and painters over history. In and out of the cave are many carvings and inscriptions, the most well known of which is a poem by Lu You, one of the four great poets of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279).

• Scenic Spot of Elephant Eye Cave

Climbing through the snaking stone path highway up to the hill, visitors will see another cave going through the hill, the Elephant Eye Cave. With a height of around 2 meters, the cave spans 5 to 10 meters in width, about 52 meters in length. It is so called because of its location. A look through the cave affords a good view of the surroundings.

• Scenic Spot of Puxian Pagoda

On top of the hill stands the Puxian Pagoda. Built in the Ming Dynasty, the cylinder shaped pagoda looks like the handle of a sword. According to legend, a heavenly elephant once came to earth to help the workers. This angered the emperor of heaven who stabbed the elephant where it stood drinking, thus turning it into stone.