Yangshuo

Yangshuo, located in northeastern part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, lies south of Guilin and is under the jurisdiction of the city of Guilin. It is one of China's great historical treasures.

Yangshuo is an ancient city with a 2000 year history. It was established as a county during the Jin Dynasty about 1500 years ago. Yangshuo County covers an area of 1,428 square km and has 20,000 hectares of land used for agricultural cultivation. It has a population about 300,000, making up of different ethnic groups such as Han, Zhuang, Yao, Hui, etc.

As the old saying goes , "Guilin's scenery is the most beautiful in the world, Yangshuo's scenery is the most beautiful in Guilin". In Yangshuo County alone, there are over 20,000 hill and over 250 scenic spits. The clean and clear Li River winds through Yangshuo for 56km. About 70,000 limestone towers make up this inconceivable landscape. The most notable scenic spots of Guilin are in Yangshuo, i.e, Nine-Horse Painted Hill, Yellow Cloth Shoal, Xingping Village, Green Lotus Peak,Folded Brocade Hill, Young Scholar Hill, Snow Lion Ridge, the Big Banyan Tree, Moon Hill, and Dragon River. Swimming, bicycling, boating, hiking, rock climbing, horse-back riding, caving, hot-air balloon trips, minority shows, and even a spectacular 1400-year old banyan tree all make Yangshuo an outdoor lover's paradise. West Street in the heart of Yangshuo has over eighty Western-Style restaurants offering Western food, drinks, and European style outdoor seating. Yangshuo was one of the first counties to be appointed as a national tourism area.

Yangshuo has a long history in which the people have created their own culture, such as long drum dance, song gathering Cai Diao opera, dragon and lion dance. It is also home to director Zhang Yimou's world-famous Legend of Miss Sanjie Liu, the biggest and best minority show in China, with nearly one thousand performers nightly. It tells the story of the local legend of Sanjie Liu and her famous folk songs.