13/07/2026
The Lijiang River in front of us is an important tributary of the Xijiang River system in the Pearl River Basin and the soul of Guilin's mountains and waters. The Lijiang River Scenic Area starts from Mao'er Mountain in Xing'an in the north and ends at Bilian Peak in Yangshuo in the south, with a total length of 164 kilometers. The core tourist section is about 83 kilometers from Mopan Mountain Wharf in Guilin to Longtou Mountain Wharf in Yangshuo, which is also our tourist route today.
The history of the Lijiang River can be traced back to ancient times. After hundreds of millions of years of water erosion, the karst landform has formed the unique landscape of "clear mountains, beautiful waters, exotic caves and beautiful stones" today. As early as the Southern and Northern Dynasties, literati and scholars praised the Lijiang River. The poem "the river like a green silk ribbon, the mountains like jade hairpins" written by Han Yu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, has become an eternal masterpiece. Since modern times, famous artists such as Xu Beihong and Qi Baishi have come here to sketch many times, integrating the beautiful scenery of the Lijiang River into their paintings and making it famous all over the world. In 1998, the Lijiang River Scenic Area was listed as a national key scenic spot; in 2007, it became a national 5A-level tourist attraction; in 2014, the "South China Karst" with the Lijiang River as the core was included in the World Natural Heritage List.
Next, we will focus on several representative landscapes. The first one is "Huangbu Reflection", located near Xingping Town in the lower reaches of the Lijiang River. The river here is wide and calm, and the yellow cloth stone under the water is clearly visible. The mountain peaks on both sides are reflected in the water, forming the wonderful scene of "the boat sails on the top of green mountains". It is also the shooting location of the pattern on the back of the 20-yuan RMB. You can take out your mobile phones or cameras to record this classic picture.
Not far ahead is "Nine Horses Painting Hill". This mountain is about 400 meters high. On the stone wall, due to the rock texture and vegetation distribution, nine horses' patterns are naturally formed, with different shapes and vivid images. There is a local saying: "Horse-watching guy, horse-watching guy, how many pairs of divine horses do you see? Seeing seven makes you the second place in the imperial examination, seeing nine makes you the top scholar." You might as well identify carefully and see how many horses you can find. It is said that Premier Zhou Enlai and Marshal Chen Yi saw nine and seven horses respectively when they visited here, which shows the wonder of this landscape.
In terms of scientific value, the karst landform in the Lijiang River basin is a natural laboratory for studying the erosion and evolution of carbonate rocks. Its complete development process and rich geomorphic types provide valuable samples for the research of geology, geography and other disciplines. In terms of cultural and artistic value, the Lijiang River is not only the source of inspiration for literati and scholars, but also breeds a unique "landscape culture". Guilin landscape painting is an important school of Chinese landscape painting. There are countless poems, paintings, film and television works themed on the Lijiang River, which have become treasures in the cultural treasure house of the Chinese nation.
Our tour today will go downstream along Mopan Mountain Wharf, passing through scenic spots such as Wangfu Stone, Caoping, Yangdi and Xingping in turn, and finally arrive at Longtou Mountain Wharf in Yangshuo. Along the way, you can enjoy the exotic peaks and stones on both sides and feel the artistic conception of "the boat sails on the blue waves, and people travel in the painting". It should be reminded that the ecological environment of the Lijiang River is fragile. For many years, the local government has been committed to ecological protection, prohibiting deforestation and sewage discharge. It is also hoped that all tourists will take good care of the environment, not litter, and jointly protect this natural beauty.
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