Hill sights in China
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A
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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Club Rock & Toad Rock
It's a 30-minute walk to Club Rock (棒槌峰; Bàngchuí Fēng) from Pule Temple - the rock is said to resemble a club used for beating laundry dry. Nearby is Toad Rock (蛤蟆峰; Hámá Shí). There is pleasant hiking, good scenery and commanding views of the area. You can save yourself a steep climb to the base of Club Rock and Toad Rock by taking the chairlift, but it's more fun to walk if you're reasonably fit. Take us 10 to Pule Temple.
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Beginning to Believe Peak
Beginning to Believe Peak is a major bottleneck for photographers gathering around jaw-dropping views. The staggering and otherworldly views from the summit reach out over huge valleys of granite and enormous formations of rock, topped by gravity-defying slivers of stone and the gnarled forms of ubiquitous Huangshan pine trees (Pinus taiwanensis). Many rocks have been christened with fanciful names by the Chinese, alluding to figures from religion and myth.
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B
Folded Brocade Hill
Folded Brocade Hill affords some of Guìlín's best views, complemented by restored pavilions, some originally dating from the Ming dynasty. Climb the stone pathway that leads you through the cooling relief of Wind Cave (风洞; Fēng Dòng), its walls decked with inscriptions and Buddhist sculptures, some damaged during the Cultural Revolution. Buses 1 and 2 run past the hill.
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C
Pagoda Hill
If you tire of the cave at Tunnel Hill Park, you can cross the Xiaodong River (小东江; Xiǎodōng Jiāng) - a small branch of the Li - and hike up to a fairly interesting pagoda on Pagoda Hill. Near the summit of the hill is a wind-eroded chasm that supposedly resembles a moonscape from afar.
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D
Wave-Subduing Hill
Close to Solitary Beauty Peak and beside the western bank of the Li River, Wave-Subduing Hill offers fine views of the town. Upon entering the gate, look out for the large rice pot left behind from the Dingyue Temple - it's big enough to cook rice for 1000 people.
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Xiàng Shān
Xiàng Shān is west of Old Town. You can follow one of the many rails that lead straight up to a dilapidated gazebo and then across a spiny ridge past a communications centre and back down the other side, making a nice morning hike.
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Chörten
Further north of Shangri-la, atop a hill to the west of Changzheng Lu is a chörten with good views of the town.
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