Things to Do in Yangshuo

Along the banks of the Li River (Li Jiang) as it winds south from Guilin, dramatic karst peaks, dense vegetation, and the winding river itself create magical vistas that loom large in the Chinese imagination, having inspired art and verse for centuries. From Guilin to Yangshuo, there’s never a dull stretch along China’s most beautiful river.

While the Yulong Bridge is the largest single-arch bridge in the province and the Xiangui Bridge is the oldest passage across the Yulong River, the Fuli Bridge is the tallest span. When seen from a distance, the bridge’s high arched back and the reflection it creates in the water form a perfect circle, called a full moon by locals.

The Yulong River, also known as the Little Li River, is the largest tributary of the Li River, and it runs 26 miles (43 kilometers) across Yangshuo county. The river flows past limestone karsts, bamboo forests, rice paddies, ancient villages, and stone bridges. Floating down the river, or hiking or biking next to it, provides up-close views.

The history of Fuli Ancient Town, beside the Li River, dates back more than 1,000 years. A picturesque scene set amid some of Yangshuo’s most famous karst formations, many of the town’s cobbled roads and old stone houses remain intact. The village is known for its intricate painted fans, handmade from bamboo and delicate tissue paper.

Nearly a kilometer long, lively West Street (Xi Jie) is the most famous street in Yangshuo, and often referred to as the town’s heart. It’s also Yangshuo’s oldest street, lined with restored buildings from the Qing Dynasty that today house a vibrant mix of cafés, restaurants, bars, hostels, hotels, and shops selling a vast array of goods.

Also known as the Dragon Bridge, the 600-year-old Yulong Bridge stands amid hundreds of tall karst peaks, rural mudbrick villages, rice paddies, and grazing water buffalo. The 197-foot-long (60-meter-long) single-arched bridge—the largest of its kind in Guangxi Province—is shaped like a rainbow bending its way over the languid Yulong River.

One of the main attractions along Yangshuo’s scenic “Ten Mile Gallery,” this large, ancient tree is said to be over 1,400 years old. At 56 feet (17 meters) tall and with a trunk 23 feet (7 meters) around, this massive tree covers an area of nearly 11,000 square feet (1,000 square meters).

Yangshuo Cooking School offers classes to those visitors who want to not only munch their way around China, but also to take home a new skill: the ability to re-create some of their favorite regional dishes. Set in a traditional farmhouse on the Li River, the Yangshuo Cooking School offers a scenic spot to get hands-on.

Ping’an Village is one of three main villages that comprise the Longji Terraced Fields Scenic Area northwest of Guilin. The terraced rice paddies here rank among the region’s most spectacular as they spill down the mountainside toward a river. The village itself is home to a few hundred people living much as they did centuries ago.

Yangshuo Park, located in central Yangshuo, is a favorite hangout of local residents, who come to the park to exercise, play games such as chess or mah-jongg, sing and dance, or relax and unwind. It’s an easy place to escape the tourist crowds of West Street and to spend a few hours relaxing and enjoying life as the locals do.