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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