The 83-km-long waterway from Guilin to Yangshuo is like an artists's masterpiece. The landscape is decorated with rolling hills, steep cliffs, fantastic caves, leisurely boats and is lined with bamboo. A poem says: "The river is a green silk ribbon, and the hills are jade hair-pins". It is one of China's most famous scenic areas.
Elephant Trunk Hill
Elephant Trunk Hill is located on the western bank of Li River. As the shape of the hill reminds of a huge elephant drinking water from the river with its trunk, it is called Elephant Trunk Hill.
Shui Yue Cave (Water Moon Cave) is between the trunk and the legs, which is a semi-round cave penetrated by water. The inverted reflection of the cave in water plus the part above forms a full moon. This phenomenon is unique and many laudatory inscriptions were found on the wall inside the cave. Visitors can boat through the cave to the river.
Another cave regarded as the eyes of the elephant lies in the hillside. It provides tourists an ideal position to enjoy the panoramic view of Guilin.Read more about Elephant Trunk Hill
Nine Horses Fresco Hill – Picture Hill
The most renowned hill along the Lijiang River is the Fresco Hill. Standing out with an elevation of 416 meters above sea level, the white traces on the precipice facing the river looks very much like a picture with a herd of steeds wrought by nature. The cause of formation lies in the dead and calcified lower living beings as algae which ever lived on the seeping water along the cleaves of the precipice, and by and by changed into varied colors, thereby forming colorful strips different in light and shade.
It is due to the different shades of colors formed by these dead living beings and chemical action with various elements contained in the limestone hill that has made the precipice to turn out the “Nine Horses Fresco” of different postures and descriptions, renowned far and wide in the world. But whether you can tell the mystic horse on the cliff depends on how much free rein you can give to your imagination.
A doggerel composed by the local people about it goes like this: “The horses telling man, the horses telling man, how many can you tell I’d like to see, Standing out No.2 on the Yellow List should you be able to tell seven, but you are sure to be a No.1 Scholar in the world provided you can name nine of them all out.”