Mystical Landscapes of China

by Evelyn Lim WACA rep, HKIC


Guilan

Guilin lies in the northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and boasts “the most beautiful scenery under heaven.” It literally means “osmanthus tree forest “ named after this local tree whose scent wafts through the city in autumn. Everything a tourist wants can be found here – green mountains and plateaus, crystal clear waters, unique caves and magnificent landscapes. The beautiful Li River caps all this by winding through the city. On the evening of 9 May, I joined 18 fellow interliners and their friends at the Hong Kong International Airport to catch our flight to this favoured destination. After just over an hour, we arrived at Guilin. Mr. Mo and Jesse met us on arrival and after a short exchange of formalities, we were driven to our hotel, The Sheraton, in town. Most of us then ventured out for supper and to savour the local atmosphere. Guilin was still bursting with activity deep into the night.

10 May – Guilin

En route to the first scenic spot, we passed ballroom dancers on wide street pavements. Many retirees use the great outdoors as their gymnasium for exercise, from dancing to tai chi and more. It is a beautiful sight. There were a few inconspicuous shop signs displaying the sale of “dog meat hotpot” – a very local delicacy and therefore, not recommended for our international travelers!

Our first stop was The Reed Flute Caves, a gigantic cavern of impressive limestone caves with stalactites and stalagmites and exotic neon lighting blazing at the rocks. During World War II, the cave was used as an air raid shelter as the interior is huge and can hold thousands of people. It took more than an hour just to admire the highlights of this cave. It was definitely worth a visit.
The Reed Flute Cave

The “icon” of Guilin is the Elephant Trunk Hill, which looks like an elephant dipping its trunk into the Li River to get a drink. The climb to the top of the hill is steep but worth the effort for a splendid view of the city. Lunch followed and it was the deep fried local river prawns and Guilin rice noodles washed down with a free flow of local beer that was a hit with all. The spice was yet to come.

After lunch, we headed north to the Longji (Dragon’s Backbone) Rice Terraces in Ping An, a pleasant bus journey of about 3 hours. From the base, it was a 30-minute climb up a string of spiraling peaks to our special accommodation for the night. This was a 600-year-old village of the Zhuang minority group. Zhuang women help tourists carry
their bags, big or small, up to their destination and charge a mere 20 yuan. Sedan chairs can also be hired to carry weary tourists for a negotiable price. The 30-minute climb was rewarding to say the least. The whole landscape is covered with spectacular terraced rice paddies.

The Longji Rice Terraces are amongst the most spectacular in the world. It took the Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Dong and other minority people centuries to build and perfect these terraces. The fields link mutually and cover the steep mountains, spiraling from hill foot up to the top, rising as high as 1180 meters from the valley floor. It is a magnificent sight. Li An Lodge is charming and exquisite and there is no comparison possible. It is built entirely of wood and looks over endless endless paddy fields. Each room in this small boutique hotel is beautifully decorated with museum quality deco. For example, the Melody room is adorned with old Chinese musical instruments. We had the “Calligraphy Room” with the added bonus of learning about the origins of Chinese handwriting, its evolution and the instruments used to produce the writing. Dinner was an intimate affair as we were the only guests on this night. The food was sumptuous and as close to home cooking as one could get. Following dinner, some of us adjourned to look for the stars from the patio. The nightcap was red wine or beer with accompaniments of smoked salmon and other snacks brought in from Hong Kong and afar. We were surrounded by old and new friends, in the middle of terraced rice paddies. It was a fairyland situation! What a beautiful surprise the day had been.