Are you tired of the hustle and bustle of city life and want a breath of fresh air? Are you curious about the diverse cultures and exotic flavors of China? Then come to Yangshuo, a small town in the south of China that offers all that and more. In the 1980s, many foreign backpackers were drawn there after it was included in the Lonely Planet travel books. Yangshuo lies in the northeast of Guangxi Province and to the southeast of Guilin.
Even though Yangshuo features an almost constant parade of Chinese tourists who can be spotted wearing red baseball caps and following the flag of their tour leaders, the town has a reputation as an international village because you can get authentic Western cuisine and good English is spoken there. Yangshuo is a great place to base oneself for a few relaxing days of exploring the rivers and surrounding landscape, checking out caves and local temples, or just taking it easy in one of its many cafes and bars.
The streets in Yangshuo are preserved in the original traditional style, presenting the simple and ancient atmosphere of the town. West Street is the most exciting to stroll down. You will find not only many international tourists there but also quite a number of international residents managing cafs and restaurants.
Another draw of Yangshuo is the special geography which presents breathtaking beauty, which is combined with 1,400 years of history that imbue Yangshuo with a deep traditional culture. The diverse ethnic minority groups, including the Hui, Zhuang, and Yao, enrich the region with unique folk culture.
The famous Li River traverses the county and irrigates the most beautiful scenery. Along the river, thousands of hills stand in different poses and with different expressions, such as Moon Hill, Mural Hill, and Schoolboy Hill, which is the set of the famous opera Impression of Sanjie Liu. Sanjie Liu is a fairy singer in the legends of the Zhuang ethnic minority group. Big Banyan, a huge tree with a history of over 1,400 years, is said to be the location of the love story of the fairy Sanjie Liu. The Little Li River, also known as the Yulong River, is a paradise for river cruises because of its green hills, silky water, and ancient bridges. You can also go to Xanadu, a tranquil minority village full of folk culture.
Yangshuo also attracts tourists with its delicious specialty foods like beer fish, Niang dishes, and special snacks including rice noodles and glutinous rice cakes. You can buy them from vendors all over the county. Local specialties like shaddocks, which is a fruit similar to a grapefruit, cumquats, and Chinese chestnuts are worth trying. If you want to buy souvenirs, painted fans, embroidered balls, and painted shirts are all good choices. You can buy these articles both in the tourist spots as well as in the local malls.

Xanadu
Xanadu provides the opportunity to escape city life. Located approximately nine miles away from the city center, this enigmatic village is full of fantastic buildings, primitive rurality and the diverse cultures of ethnic groups. It provides the perfect opportunity to bring you back in touch with nature.Xanadu was the first scenic spot to win the Nation's 4A Standard. Xanadu was immortalized in the famous poet of the East Jin Dynasty (317-420), Tao Yuanming's masterpiece. There is a poem 'Where is Xanadu in East Jin? It lies in Yangshuo, Guangxi.'

Impression Liu Sanjie
Another jewel of Yangshuo is their outdoor performance of 'Impression on Sanjie Liu'. This performance premiered on March 20th, 2004 at the Sanjie Liu Sing Fair, one mile from West Street (Xi Jie). Here, you will find the world's largest natural theater with the Li River as its stage and twelve mist shrouded hills as its backdrop. Mist, rain, moonlight, hills and their inverted reflections in the river are all used to create nature's stage. The viewers are seated and surrounded by greenery on terraces on natural islands in the river. The sound equipment and lighting equipment are blended into the natural surroundings so that they are not the usual eyesores. The valleys, the hills, the cool breeze and the bubbling stream all contribute to a three-dimensional sound effect. The play changes with the different season and weather so that there is something new and unique every time you see it. This type of play utilizing nature as an element is a revolutionary new concept.
The play is based on the famous film 'Sanjie Liu' produced in 1961, which made the Li River famous worldwide. Sanjie Liu is a fairy singer in the myths and legends of the Zhuang ethnic minority. She is incomparably beautiful, and has voice to match her beauty. The performance is divided into seven chapters including the preface and epilogue. Each chapter fully explores the elements of the natural surroundings allowing the viewer to feel like he is part of the action.

The Big Banyan Tree
This large towering tree, located 6km (about 3.7 miles) from Yangshuo County, is famous for having survived since the Sui Dynasty (581-618). It is also known because the Chinese film 'The Third Sister Liu', a beautiful love story, was partly shot here, adding to the romance of the tree.
This tree, 7 meters (about 23 feet) wide and 17 meters (about 55.8 feet) tall, has grown considerably over the 14 centuries. Due to its age, the tree's roots are twisted but its sprawling branches and dense leaves create a shade allows little sunshine through. It provides cool shade for many during the hot summer days. This is where The Third Sister Liu declared her undying love for her lover The A'niu in the famous film.
South of this tree is Moon Hill where a quaint little village resides. Here, you can stay and experience true village life in China without any stress of city hustle and bustle. It lies under a soft layer of haze offering a hidden, tranquil wonderland filled with rice terraces and flowing brooks.

The Moon Hill
Moon Hill is a well-known attraction located eight kilometers (five miles) south of the town of Yangshuo. The sky is seen through a hole at the peak like a full moon, giving it its name. To get to the top of this hill, you will have to walk 800 winding steps in a path called 'Appreciating Moon Path' since along the winding path you can see the sky through the hole from different angles; the full moon may morph into a half or a crescent as you tu coers. The hill's backdrop is the elegance and peace of nature.
Getting there: Take a Gaotian minibus to Yangshuo bus terminal. If you plan to cycle, Moon Hill is located about 8km south of Yangshuo on the road to Wuzhou.

Xingping village
This area along the Li River is probably the most-visited. You can view this area by river cruise such as the Guilin-Yangshuo cruise. There is also a 24km (5 to 6 hours) track for easy hiking along the Li river which is a great way to take in the Li river and mountain scenery. You can walk along the pebbly shores of the river through small villages, fields and bamboo forests. If you get tired, you can always rent a bamboo raft to float down the river.
Getting there: You can take a direct river cruise from Yangshuo town. You can also get to Xingping by minibus (called xiao mian bao or 'little bread loaves') from Yangshuo bus terminal, or cycle out there and then take boats or bamboo rafts to reach the scenic area. Again, combinations of the various modes are possible and all enjoyable ways to get there.

The West Street
West Street (Xi Jie), in the heart of Yangshuo, is filled with cafes and restaurants offering all types of Chinese and Weste food. This is where you can experience cuisines from all over the world at very reasonable prices. This is a great opportunity to break away from the usual Chinese stir-fry dishes to get a cup of espresso or some toast for breakfast. This part of town is especially popular with young inteational tourists not only because of the food but also because of all the unique souvenir and snack shops. Young Westeers and local Chinese frequent places such as Mickey Mao's, Hard Rock Cafe or Lisa's Caf濞?for apple pie, beef steak, French fries, and ice-cream sundaes. These weste delights are difficult to come by in China thus, Weste Street is a favorite for many weste tourists. The servers at these restaurant are fluent in English and the menus all come in several different languages. You can relax here and catch up with friends and relatives back home in one of the inteet cafes. Accommodation here is also very reasonably priced so you can choose to stay for a few days.
This street, with the Li River passing by, dates back to 590 during the Sui Dynasty. Despite its long history, the street is very well-preserved and still maintains a lot of its old architecture. It was opened to foreign visiters since 1978 and has been dubbed 'Foreigners Street'.
Today, this 2000m long street offers over 300 cafes, restaurants, hotels, shops, clubs, inteet cafes, and much more! It's a great place to relax and entertain yourself.

Yulong River
A river that flows from the waters of Li River, Yulong river flows through the beautiful limestone landscapes near Yangshuo. Local people travel up and down this river using rafts to get from their homes to the markets and rice fields. You can also hire a raft where you can recline on a comfortable chair while enjoying the view of the riverbanks drifting by. Swimming is another a popular activity. It is better to swim here than in the Li River because the Yulong River has gentler currents.
Several biking and hiking paths also follow the Yulong river taking you past villages and rice fields.