Li River
Reputed as "the finest scenery under
heaven", Li River (or Li Jiang in Chinese)
is one of China's most enchanting rivers. Crystal
clear waters, uniquely shaped Karst hills, rice
paddies and bamboo groves comprise the unsurpassed
beauty of Li River.
It is often said that "East or west,
Guilin's scenery is the best". While in the eyes
of Guiliners, all of the fairy scenes of Guilin
are the invaluable presents they get from Li River,
their mother river.
Li River originates in the thick forestry
and mountainous area of the Mao'er Mountain (Cat
Ear Mountain), the highest mountain in Southern
China, in Xing'an County, which is another ideal
place to those adventure-lovers about 122 kilometers
to the north of Guilin City. It winds its way
south for about 437 kilometers, passing through
Guilin, Yangshuo, Pingle and Zhaoqing and finally
meets the Xi River (West River) at Wuzhou City.
Around its headwaters, Li River is
connected with the Xiang River, which flows northwards
into the Yangtze River, in the upper course. The
connecting canal, called the Lingqu Canal, was
carried out by thousands of soldiers in Qin Dynasty
(221 - 207 B.C.), taking the order of Emperor
Qingshi (259 - 210 B.C.), the first Emperor in
the history of China. In that time, the Lingqu
Canal made Li River become a very important waterway
connecting the Yangtze Valley with the Pearl River
Delta.
The most beautiful scenery of Li River
lies in the section from Guilin to Yangshuo,
for about 83 kilometers. With startling hills,
steep cliffs, amazing caves, real farming villages
and bamboo groves, the landscape is fantastic.
It boasts the largest and most beautiful scenic
area in China and attracts thousands of visitors
from home and abroad every year now. Visitors
who had ever come to the River all praise highly
of the beauty of Li River.
From the ancient times, Li River has
become a must-see scenic spots for Chinese. As
far as in the Tang Dynast (618 - 907 A. D.), a
legendary poet named Du Fu (712 - 770 A. D.) wrote
two mostly referred lines "The River is a green
silk ribbon, and the hills are jade hairpins."
Chen Yi, the former Chinese Minister of Defense,
once said he would like to live in Guilin beside
the Li River rather than to get a residence in
the Paradise. Other Chinese leaders, Deng Xiaoping,
the designer of China's Reform and Opening-up
Policy, and Former President Jiang Zeming both
take Li River Cruises during their inspections
in Southwestern China.
Lots of celebrities in the West World
also make their time to visit this beautiful river,
Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, the former US
Presidents, to just name a few. "I have visited
more than 80 countries and over a hundred cities.
I have found that no city can surpass the beauty
of Guilin. Guilin is really a bright pearl in
China." said the former US president Nixon after
his Guilin Tour. Besides, former US president
Bill Clinton held that "No place in China is more
evocative of the beautiful of your country than
Guilin". The nice photos that they took in Guilin
with their families were put on covers of newspapers
and travel guide book, which stirred up American
tourists for planning a Guilin tour and a cruise
on the famed river.
Taking a cruise on the Li River from
Zhujiang Wharf, about 40 minutes' drive from Guilin
city, you will be inspired by breathtaking views
of peaks and pinnacles, crystal-clear water and
reflections in the water together with the serene
pastoral views of rice paddies and water buffaloes.
You are certainly walking into a traditional Chinese
painting by cruising on it.
No Guilin
tours are complete with a Li River cruise,
because of the unbelievable charms of Li River.
Once seen, never forgotten. Those are the miracles
of Li River.
Li River Cruise
Boat Trip From Guilin To Yangshuo
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