Guilin Li River Cruise

Well-known both home and abroad for its verdant hills, limpid waters, fantastic caves and exquisite rocks, Guilin has enjoyed the reputation of having the country's most beautiful scenery for hundreds of years. Guilin is a bright pearl on the list of China's top tourist attractions and the Li River is the highlight of sightseeing tours in Guilin. Originated in Mao'er (Cat) Mountain in Xin'an county northeast of Guilin, the Li River winds its way southeast for about 426 km.
Li River cruise takes visitors from Guilin to Yangshuo. A state-level scenic area, it is the centerpiece of your Guilin tour, as well as one of the highlights of any China tour. This section of the Li River appears like a classic Chinese ink painting with its green hills, crystal water, verdant bamboo and clear water reflection. The great Tang Dynasty poet Han Yu vividly described the landscape as "the river winds like a green silk ribbon, while the hills are like jade hairpins".
From Guilin to Yangshuo, the Li River gracefully flows over 83 kilometers and the banks of the river offer the most beautiful scenery. The natural beauty of the Li River is indeed beyond description. You will have to visit this amazing place, to witness it with your own eyes and to feel with your own heart.
The comfortable Li River cruise will take approximately 4 hours, carrying you away from the bustle of city life and into a peaceful and relaxing world. The only thing you need to do is bring your imagination, a camera, and keep your eyes open, as the stunning Karst landscape will give you a surprise around each bend of the Li River flows under the clear blue sky. Your tour guide will tell you the legends behind the different peaks, most of which are mythical tales, and love stories. For example: Wangfu Rock (yearning for husband's return) is so-named because it looks like a woman carrying her baby on her back and yearning for her husband's return after a long day of working on the river.

Nine Horse Mural Hill:The hills and peaks in Guilin, crafted by nature, rise sharply from the ground in many different shapes. Each famous peak along the Li River has been given a name based on its shape. Some peaks however require a great deal of imagination to see how it got its name. One of the most famous peaks along the Li River is the 416-meter-high Nine Horse Mural Hill. The precipice of the Mural Hill is even and straight as if cut by knife, decorated with colors of white, yellow, gray and black. Images of nine horses may be seen indistinctly on the precipice, hence the name Nine Horse Mural Hill.
Legend says that if you can point out all the nine horses on the precipice, you would be the Number One Scholar, yet only one person in recent history has successfully pointed out all nine horses the first time he saw the hills. That person was Premier Zhou Enlai. It is a delightful experience to appreciate the stunning landscape while listening to tour guide's interpretation of the stories behind it.

Guilin Travel

Guilin is regarded in China as the country's most picturesque city. Two crystal-clear rivers meander through the city, which are encircled by mountains with unusual & bizarre rock formations and caves.
Two earth crustal movements took place about 200 and 180 million years ago thrusting the limestone sediments out of the sea bottom, which were forced upwards more than 200 meters to the surface. This karst formation was molded through many years of erosion by the wind and rain to become the hills and rocks with unusual shapes . There are many complete karsts (Limestone sites), which are of high scientific value and tourism value.

Guilin was named after the fragrance of osmanthus tree and saw its first inhabitants in the Qin Dynasty over 2,000 years ago. Guilin prospered and flourished during the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties under patronage from succeeding emperors.

It is currently home to 12 ethnic nationalities with a total population of 1,260,000 in the city and surrounding areas.
Guilin's reputation as one of the world's most beautiful places has established over hundreds of years and ranks second on China's list of the 10 best tourist destinations.

Guilin Location
Guilin is located in the northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Guilin Map)The downtown Guilin covers an area of 565 square kilometers. It is in a basin surrounded by the Yuecheng Mountain Range, Ocean Hill, Jiaqiao Mountain Range and Tianping Hill. Guilin is located almost due west to Hong Kong and about 1 hour by air.
Guilin is in subtropical and monsoon zone with warm and moist climate.The altitude is 140-160 meters. All this makes Guilin a unique natural experience for visitors.
The Li River meanders through Guilin from north to south. Most of the city lies on the western bank of the Li River.