Things to do in Guǎngxī
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Silver Beach
This is what most Chinese tourists come to Běihǎi for: Silver Beach, a long stretch of silvery-yellow sand with so-so waters, about 8km south of the city centre. There's a host of midrange, doll's-house-lookalike hotels and a number of places to eat, serving expensive but very fresh seafood. Take bus 3 (Y2) from the central bus station; it runs until 10pm.
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Yiyuan Restaurant
This outstanding, inexpensive Sichuanese restaurant on Nanhuan Lu has a tasteful all-wood exterior and an English menu. The owner imports all her spices from Sìchuān and you can taste the difference. Try the stir-fried eel with dried chilli and Sichuan spices.
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Aquarium
If the popular Zhongshan Park is too rocking with senior citizens disco dancing, then head northeast to the more derelict part of town and the northern waterfront where you will find little Haibin Park (Hǎibīn Gōngyuán). Inside the park is an expensive aquarium . Two buildings house seven spacious exhibition halls filled with tanks of strange and colourful fish. Most of the exhibits feature local marine life from the Gulf of Tonkin (Běibùwán).
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Bike Asia
Bike Asia arranges outings from half-day expeditions to three-day adventures. Two- to four-week cycling expeditions are also arranged through China, Mongolia, Laos, Cambodia, Tibet and Nepal. Bike Asia also hires decent and well-maintained mountain bikes.
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Karst Café
Karst Café has one- to 10-day climbing excursions. Climbing in Yángshuò has mushroomed in popularity over the past decade. Autumn is the best season for clambering up the karst towers.
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Peaks & Hills
Yángshuò is surrounded by towering, leafy, limestone peaks. The most accessible is Bìlián Peak, which overlooks Xi Jie(West St)and the Lí River, and can be climbed in about half an hour for some excellent views. Yángshuò Park (阳朔公园; Yángshuò Gōngyuán) is a short walk west of Xi Jie and where you'll find Man Hill (西郎山； Xīláng Shān), which supposedly resembles a young man bowing to a shy young girl represented by Lady Hill (小姑山； Xiǎogū Shān). Dragon Head Hill (龙头山；Lóngtóu Shān) is a short walk north of the town centre.
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Cycling
There's no shortage of places to rent bikes (from Y15 per day), but for the best equipment and strong advice on possible trips, try Bike Asia, above Bar 98. Bikes go for Y50 per day (deposit Y350), including safety helmet and map. English-speaking guides (from Y300) are available.
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Guǎngxī Provincial Museum
This ugly, mammoth museum actually has a superb collection of ancient Dong bronze drums, some dating back more than 2000 years. They were used as sacrificial and ritual vessels as well as musical instruments, and the biggest is a whopping 165cm in diameter. In the leafy back garden are some full-size examples of Dong and Miao houses, and a nail-less Wind and Rain Bridge, which now houses an impressive restaurant, Āmóu Meǐshí.
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Seven Stars Park
One of China's original tourist attractions, first opening to sightseers during the Sui dynasty, the 137-hectare Seven Stars Park makes for some pleasant strolls. There are peaks to climb, caves to explore, lawns to picnic on and even wild monkeys to see; early evening on Moon Tooth Hill (月牙山; Yuèyá Shān) is your best bet. Skip the thoroughly depressing zoo.
To get here, walk, cycle or catch bus 10 or 11 from the train station. From the park, free bus 58 runs to Wave Subduing Hill, Folded Brocade Hill and Reed Flute Cave.
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Crystal Palace of the Dragon King
The Crystal Palace of the Dragon King grotto can comfortably hold about 1000 people, though many more crammed in here during the war when the cave was used as an air-raid shelter to protect the locals.
Entry is pricy and you may want to try and slip away from the tiresome tour to explore by yourself. Surrounding walks in the park, including those up to Half-Hill Pavilion and across to Lotus Pond, are pleasant.
The park is on the northwestern outskirts of town. Take bus 3 from the train station to the last stop or hop on free bus 58. Alternatively, it's a pleasant half-hour bicycle ride. Follow the bus route along Lijun Lu, which runs into Xishan Lu and then Taohua Jiang Lu…
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Aunt
Take a pew in this cavernous dining hall and a waitress (some English-speaking) will hand you a card; convey it to the counter of your choice, point and choose from the arranged dishes and your choice goes down on the card - couldn't be simpler. A cornucopia of Chinese and Asian dishes is on view, from roti prata to scrummy tāng bāo(汤包), lamb kebabs (羊肉串; yángròu chuàn), local Lijiang mussels, stewed carp (烧鲤鱼; shāo lǐyú), lashings of jiǎozi and fiery bowls of dan dan noodles (担担面; dàndan miàn).
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Zhongshan Lu Night Market
For jewellery, clothing, souvenirs and pretty much anything else you can think of, check out Guìlín's cavorting Zhongshan Lu Night Market . Flung up with bright lights every night from 19:00 to 23:30 along an extensive strip of Zhongshan Zhonglu all the way from Wumei Lu north to Jiefang Xilu, there's a copious strip of stalls selling jade, jewellery, clothing, bags, name chops, perfume and tons of other consumables and trinkets.
A further tourist night market sets up towards the southern end of Zhengyang Lu, but you will have to contend with the persistent xiǎojie (young girls) latching onto males and asking if 'massagey' or, more bluntly, 'sex' is required.
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Returned Pearl Cave
On the southern slope of the hill is Returned Pearl Cave . The story goes that the cave was illuminated by a single pearl and inhabited by a dragon; one day a fisherman stole the pearl but he was overcome by shame and returned it. A 1000-year-old Buddha image is etched into the wall somewhere in the cave, along with more than 200 other images of the Buddha, most dating from the Song and Tang dynasties.
Somewhere, too, is a portrait and autograph by Mi Fu, a famous calligrapher of the Song dynasty. A sad sight is the Sword Testing Stones, which are remnants of stalactites hacked off by soldiers of the warlord showing off their metal and mettle.
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Yángshuò Taichi Health Centre
Runs classes for both the Yang and Chen styles of taichi. Cheap accommodation is available for students.
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Nengren Vegetarian Restaurant
Fantabulous veggie dishes cooked up within chanting range of the main hall of the Nengren Buddhist Temple on the corner of Xinyi Lu and Lijun Lu. Let the vast menu (Chinese only) take your tastebuds to Nirvana and sample the Nengren vegetable dumplings (能仁斋饺子; néngrén zhāi jiǎozi), the ample curry mock beef noodles (咖喱素牛肉面; gālí sù niúròu miàn) or the straightforward traditional vegetable noodles (传统素面; chuántǒng sùmiàn).
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Elephant Hill Park
At the southern end of Guìlín where the Li River and the Taohua River converge, one of Guìlín's best-promoted sights is Elephant Hill Park, where Elephant Trunk Hill - unlike other misshapen lumps of rock with tenuous names extracted from Chinese myth - indeed resembles a proboscidean mammal dipping its snout into the Li River. Visit Water Moon Cave and head up the peak walk to Puxian Pagoda (Pǔxián Tǎ) for views of the park and the picturesque Li River.
Cormorant fishing in the Li River is a popular tourist drawcard. Take bus 2 or freebie buses 57 or 58 to the hill.
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Elephant Trunk Hill
At the southern end of Guìlín where the Li River and the Taohua River converge, one of Guìlín's best-promoted sights is Elephant Hill Park, where Elephant Trunk Hill - unlike other misshapen lumps of rock with tenuous names extracted from Chinese myth - indeed resembles a proboscidean mammal dipping its snout into the Li River. Visit Water Moon Cave and head up the peak walk to Puxian Pagoda (Pǔxián Tǎ) for views of the park and the picturesque Li River.
Cormorant fishing in the Li River is a popular tourist drawcard. Take bus 2 or freebie buses 57 or 58 to the hill.
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British Consulate Building
Just to the southeast of Zhongshan Park as Wenming Lu intersects with Beijing Lu, stands the former British Consulate Building , within the grounds of the No 1 Middle School (一中; Yīzhōng). Dating from 1885, the imposing building is a lovely two-storey cream-coloured edifice with verandahs and shutters, flanked by palm trees. A further traditional building can be seen just to the rear, next to the newly built white-tile church.
Bus 2 from the train station stops right outside. Nearby Zhongshan Park is a pleasantly green park with several amusement rides for children.
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Former Residence of Xu Beihong
The Former Residence of Xu Beihong is one of Yángshuò's few cultural landmarks. Innovative Chinese artist Xu Beihong (1895-1953) is best remembered for his galloping horses that injected dynamism into previously static forms of Chinese brushwork.
Admirers of Chinese guildhall architecture can glean something from a visit to the Hongfu Palace Hotel and Le Vôtre Café, both of which occupy sections of the former Jiangxi Guildhall (Jiāngxī Huìguǎn), a notable vestige from the Qing dynasty occupying a site along Xi Jie.
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Impressions Liú Sānjiě
The top show in town is directed by moviemaker Zhang Yimou, the man who also directed the opening ceremony at the Běijīng Olympics. Six hundred performers, including local fishermen, take to the Lí River each night. Twelve surrounding karst peaks are illuminated as part of the show, which gets rave reviews from many travellers. Book at your hostel or hotel: hotels often arrange slight discounts.
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Guìlín Rén
Cheap set local meals at this ever-popular and handy restaurant designed with a fast-food, no-nonsense approach. Orange-and-white-clad employees even go through motivational songs to boost morale and foster team spirit. There's no English menu, but dishes include three-flavours hotpot (三鲜火锅; sānxiān Huǒguō) and black pepper beef with rice (黑椒牛柳砂钵饭; hēijiāo niúliǔ shābō fàn). Instant coffee served.
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Boats departing Liberation Bridge
Boats run between the hours of 08:00 and 22:30, departing from Liberation Bridge, nosing up the Li River and under Mulong Bridge to Mulong Lake (木龙湖; Mùlóng Hú), through Baoxian Lake (宝贤湖; Bǎoxián Hú) to Rong Lake and the pagodas of Shan Lake, before drifting down the Taohua River (桃花江; Táohuā Jiāng) to Wenchang Bridge (文昌桥; Wénchāng Qiáo). Departure and destination points can vary according to the season.
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Àomén Shíjiē
Just along from the Xinhua bookstore, this gigantic dining hall is lined with hatches where you order your dish, a waitress in tow while you make your choice. There's no English menu, but the wall-mounted photo menu makes ordering a piece of cake. Try the peppery mápó dòufu (spicy tofu with crumbs of pork) or the more straightforward gōngbào jīdīng fàn (spicy chicken chunks with rice) or the tasty méicài kōuròu bāo (pork with cabbage).
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Sun Pagoda
Octagonal seven-storey Moon Pagoda (Yuè Tǎ) is connected to Sun Pagoda - the world's tallest copper pagoda - by an underwater tunnel. Constructed from a staggering 350 tons of copper (don't climb during lightning storms unless you want to be truly illuminated), the 41m-high Sun Pagoda has nine floors and must be one of the world's few pagodas equipped with a lift. Artful Chinese gǔzhēng(zither) performances are held in the choicely positioned teahouse near the base of Sun Pagoda.
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Moon Pagoda
Octagonal seven-storey Moon Pagoda is connected to Sun Pagoda (Rì Tǎ) - the world's tallest copper pagoda - by an underwater tunnel. Constructed from a staggering 350 tons of copper (don't climb during lightning storms unless you want to be truly illuminated), the 41m-high Sun Pagoda has nine floors and must be one of the world's few pagodas equipped with a lift. Artful Chinese gǔzhēng(zither) performances are held in the choicely positioned teahouse near the base of Sun Pagoda.
reviewed
