Guilin: Pearl Of Southern China
by Habeeb Salloum
Located in the middle of one of the world’s most
natural-stunning landscapes, Guilin has long laid claim to having the
most beautiful scenery in China. The city with a population of 700,000,
a small city by Chinese standards, is encircled by a countryside of
weirdly shaped Karsts - bizarre stone forests with many formations
appearing like camels, elephants, horses, lions and upside down ice
cream cones. It is a fairytale world of strange-looking hills, traversed
by clear and sparkling waterways, several of which meander through the
city, as well as spectacular caverns of stalagmites and stalactites in
endless shapes and forms.
 This landscape of
unusual limestone hill formations was created over millions of years ago
when the region emerged from a seabed. The spectacular Karst tableau was
formed by erosion from wind and rain, resulting in the unique landscape
one sees today. It is an eerie appearing countryside, captivating all
who travel to this part of China.
Since 1973, when the area was opened to visitors,
the tourist industry has grown until today it has become second to
agricultural products as the mainstay in Guilin’s economy. What the
Chinese call the ‘most beautiful attraction on the face of the globe’ or
‘heaven on earth’ is drawing thousands of tourists from both inside and
outside China.
 For centuries,
artists and poets have been fascinated by the sheer splendour of the
panorama, giving them the inspiration to produce excellent works of art
therefore transforming Guilin into a cultural city. According to a
Chinese saying, Guilin’s atmosphere and scenery are the ‘first under
heaven’.
 One
gentle autumn day I found myself in the midst of this amazing landscape when
the Sweet Osmanthus were in bloom and their fragrance saturated the air. It
seemed that these perfume-defusing shrubs were everywhere. They were so
numerous that they have given their name to the city (Guilin mean forest of
Sweet Osmanthus).
 After
an hour’s drive south of Guilin, our group of eleven climbed aboard a
riverboat, docked with many others on the 437 km (271 mi) Lijiang River, for
a cruise. The usual cruise offered is usually for 83 km (52 mi), but we had
come in late autumn and the water in the river was very shallow. Hence, we
had to take a bus to Yang-Ti, a village overshadowed by the Karst-shaped
hills. The spot is considered to be the most breathtaking sight on the
Lijiang River - called by the Chinese a ‘blue ribbon of silk’ and the
dominating hills ‘hair pins of jade’.
 Now
as our boat began to move down stream through a natural art gallery, I
looked around me. It was truly an awesome sight. The forest of green upside
down cone-like shaped hills with their peaks hidden by mist created a
magical landscape that had an eerie appeal.
 Between
this forest of rocks we made our way until we came to a wide section of the
river beyond which a shallow part barred our way. We anchored in this
pleasant spot, overshadowed by a sheer cliff rising abruptly above the
water. On its face were extraordinary likenesses of horses in different
positions: one bending to drink, another lying down, while still another one
galloping.
 Soon,
one after another, the cruise boats anchored around us until we were
surrounded by some 60 boats, all serving lunch at the same time. Every spot
on this section of the river appeared to be taken - the waters totally
covered by tourist boats.
 Munching
away on a dozen dishes of Chinese food prepared on the boat, I looked up,
“Want snake wine? Very good! Very good for health!” I could not believe my
eyes, the man had a gallon of wine with a snake inside filling up about half
the bottle. “It’s horrible! Take it away!” One the women in our group
seemed upset.
The man left but, undaunted, returned a few moments
later with another bottle. “Penis wine! Very tasty penis wine! Penis of
animals in wine, very good for men!’ I almost choked on my food. Everyone
appeared stunned. Seeing that there was no interest, the man departed.
 However,
after he left, jokes were bantered around then two of our group followed the
man and bought bottles. Sure enough, the labels indicated that penises of
animals were among the ingredients. “This penis wine will make a great
conversation piece at one of my parties”, the young lady who had bought one
of the bottles grinned.
 Sailing
upstream, as the sun began to slip on the horizon, the forest of stone
hills, overshadowing us, began to appear like ghosts at times or as men,
while at other times as beasts. It was a scene that kept us company until we
disembarked at Yang-Ti.
 The next morning,
after a 20-minute bus ride, we were walking through the Ludi (Reed Flute)
Cave - one of the 3,000 caves in the region. An awesome cavern, made tourist
friendly, with a dazzling variety of stalagmites and stalactites, it is the
most spectacular of the caves.
We walked through this largest cave in the area along a
zigzagging path through a fantastic world of naturally formed animals and
other natural works of nature. Under coloured lighting, they appeared like
a wonderful wonderland of gardens, orchards or whatever else one could
imagine. At the end of a 500 m (1640 ft) manmade trail, as we walked out
from a world of strange shapes and eerie shadows, a natural sculpture of a
lion, with even a white fang, Bade us adieu.
 On
the way back, reflecting on our river trip and the Ludi Cave, I thought of
the wonderful few days that we had spent in Guilin amid its forests of
stone. It was an incredible interlude during our trip to China. After our
explorations, it became apparent to me that the travellers who had labelled
Guilin, the ‘Pearl of Southern China’ had a point.
IF YOU GO
Facts:
Foreigners travelling to China must apply to a local
Chinese embassy or consulate for tourist visas.
The currency of China, the RMB or Yuan, is currently
valued at about 7.00 to the U.S. dollar; and 6.90 to the Canadian dollar.
Conversion of foreign currency can be done in banks or hotels. China is one
of the few countries in the world where hotels give the same rates as the
banks. The exchange rate for travellers cheques is more favorable than that
for cash. Also, most credit cards are accepted.
A few of the sites not mentioned but worth seeing in
and around Guilin: Duxiufeng (Solitary Beauty Hill), called the pillar of
the southern sky, it offers a panoramic view of the city; Xiangbi (Elephant
Trunk), a fantastically shaped hill in the image of an elephant, located in
town; Nanxishan (South Creek Hill), with its two towering peaks, it is a
beautiful sight when a mist covers its peaks; Xishan (West Hill) Park,
famous for its 200 Buddha statues dating back to the Tang Dynasty; Qifeng
(Peculiar Peaks) a town, famous for its fantastic peaks and green cliffs;
Qixing (Seven Star) Park, its seven peaks resembling the pattern of the Big
Dipper; and Chuanshan (Pierced Hill), noted a hole in the shape of a full
moon pierced through the hill and a pagoda, built on a neighbouring hill
that dates back to the Ming Dynasty.
Only some tap water in China is potable. However,
bottled mineral water is on sale everywhere.
A 90 Yuan airport departure tax is collected from
passengers departing from any international airport in China - domestic
flights 50 Yuans.
For Further Information, Contact:
China National Tourism Administration - e-mail:
webmaster@cnta.gov.cn or see
web site:
http://www.cnta.com/lyen/index.asp | 
