In the morning I inquired with the hotel staff the possibility of maybe joining a half-day tour to see the Silver Caves. To my surprise, (and this really is very surprising to me), the hotel staff advised me not to join those tours. They said these tours are very rushed, and they really like to take tourists to shopping stops. They said, “miss, you would not like those.”

I debated my options, I would have liked to see more natural wonders in this part of Guilin, but I already knew that what I saw there would not be worth the enormous cost of hiring a private car. I was also hoping that I could be a bit more relaxed in this trip. Therefore I headed out to Xingping.

The hotel staff called a taxi, which took me to the main bus station in Yangshuo. There are buses that run the route to Xingping throughout the day. Along the way the bus picks up a lot of locals. They looked like peasants to me and they were speaking a sort of local dialect that I could not understand. There was no incident and I arrived in Xingping in 50 minutes or so.

I came to Xingping because of two particular interests. First of all, I was hoping that I could shoot some photographs of the fishing practice there. The fishermen of Xingping engaged in fishing by using the cormorant. Secondly, the karst peak clusters that are featured on the RMB 20 yuan note is along the river boat tour of Xingping.

A Brief Word on Xingping’s History

Xingping had a beginning as a fishing village more than 1,700 years ago during the Ming dynasty. Both the former President Sun Yatsen and U.S. President Clinton have visited Xingping, therefore it has earned a good name as “president fishing village.”

The old houses of Xinping line its main streets. They are very photogenic. These houses are built with blue bricks. A lot of them have two stories with extended eaves. Classic wooden doors stand at the entrance to these old houses, and the views are very nice in Xingping.

First Impressions of Xingping

Xingping was a whole lot more like Huangyao within the wide spectrum of ancient towns in China. It is also a bit smaller than Huangyao, and it took just a few main streets to appreciate all that it offers. This is what I liked. I made my way through the ancient town and found the hostel that I was staying in.

I like water sceneries very much and this humble hostel lies right next to the section of Li River that runs through the Xingping area. In my bedroom I did overlook the section of the river where wooden rafts are ridden across to the other shore. In contrast to the hotel in Yangshuo, this family-run hostel provides the very basics, but clean and it is close to the Xingping Ancient Town.

I took a quick walk in Xingping. Certainly there were a whole lot of beautification efforts to dress the ancient town in an appearance that appeals to tourists. The storefronts were bling bling and there were some instagrammable photo spots as well. The stores and restaurants in Xingping came with a greater variety than what I saw in Huangyao.

Xingping as a fishing community is well-known for its special former fishing techniques, and both foreign and local tourists come for the same reasons that I came. Its old town certainly reflects the effort to offer choices to the tourists. There were pizzerias, coffee shops, a western bakery, and restaurants serving different specialties of Guilin cuisine.

The Hammer and the Sickle in Xingping

What caught my eyes was a space that must have been a village commune office, located in the middle of the Xingping Ancient Town. The hammer and the sickle was out of place, certainly representing an era that was once intentionally wiped away – yes, even in China. This was intriguing to me, as in Huangyao there were also a few spots that celebrated Chairman Mao, another era that was “not so fashionable” for quite a few decades already. In China, one would not take these political attributions and references lightly, as they are not there merely for the sake of nostalgia. There is significance in their presence, and it is understood to be a celebration and affirmation of the figures being displayed in these prominent places in the community.

I had not bothered to find out why the USSR insignia was there. This space was the political office, it was meant to be the bastion of communism for this village. I imagined that it would be a bit awkward for a tourist to inquire about this, as politics must remain somewhat sensitive in this time of China.

My first meal in Xingping was Guilin mifen (rice noodles). This was not anywhere close to what I had in Huangyao, but it meets the common standard for this Guilin specialty.

The thing to do for the day was the boat ride (yes, again, and of the Li River too). The boat would take me to another part of the Li River with a different story to be proud of.

Sources

China Highlights, Xingping Fishing Village, Yangshuo.

Chian Discovery, Xingping Ancient Town—President Fishing Village.

My first impression of Yangshuo was that it was a vast expanse of a no-man’s land.

From the Edge of Yangshuo County to Yangshuo City Proper

Bright and early at 8:20 am I was at the Qianxing Square of Huangyao Ancient Town and ready to flag down the only bus of the day that would take me to Yangshuo. And surely it did come on time. There was no incident, I got on the bus and about 1.5 hours later, I arrived at Yangshuo.

Photo: Huangyao’s Qianxing Square in the morning.

Now here comes the problem. No one had ever told me that the bus would drop me off at the edge of Yangshuo County, not Yangshuo city itself. When I was dropped off, I found myself in the middle of nowhere, right at the edge of the county. I checked my map app and learned that to walk to Yangshuo city, where I would be staying and touring, it would take 2.5 hours.

Photo: Being dropped off in a no-man’s land at the edge of Yangshuo county. 

Walking was simply not an option then. I did not have a China mobile number so I was unable to use any app to call a car. A lady stationed right by the toll booths told me that if I just walked about ten minutes, I would arrive at a main road. That is where I could flag down a city-bound bus to get to Yangshuo.

As instructed, I went toward the main road and did see some buses passing by. They said they were heading to Yangshuo city proper. But there was no bus stop as far as I could see. I just kind of stood there on the road, hoping for the next bus. Perhaps I was indeed looking lost. Soon enough, a car stopped by, the lady driver told me to get in the car, “where are you heading?”

I didn’t think twice and went into the car. I told her I was going to Yangshuo old town. She charged me 10 yuan for the ride.

I still had to walk a good 15 minutes before arriving at my hostel. In this walk I was seeing what I imagined Yangshuo to be—vibrant, populated with shops—but maybe just a tad more commercialized than I expected.

Wangjianglou Riverview Hotel

I was staying at Wangjianglou (Riverview Hotel). I was very excited as I went into the hotel. There was a restaurant downstairs and it was very crowded. I also passed by a really nice café.

The room also turned out to be incredibly comfortable with a wonderful view. From the room I was actually just looking over at the Xu Beihong Former Residence, of which I would spend about 15 minutes touring.

Lunch at Jimo Zhutong Fan (Bamboo Rice)

I did not know what to do for lunch so I just walked around the neighborhood a little. I found Jimo Zhutong Fan (Lonely Bamboo Rice). The bamboo rice is served piping hot on a bamboo tube. It is also a specialty of Guilin. The rice is supposed to cook inside the bamboo, as such carrying with it the fragrance of bamboo. I ordered a spicy beef rice and it turned out to be very good. Despite the beef looking a bit dry, it is crispy and tasty. The rice also came with a crunch because it was cooked in the bamboo on open fire.

The Xu Beihong Former Residence

Xu Beihong is a famous artist in China. This old structure was built during the late Qing dynasty and early Republican period. In 1936, this residence was bought for the specific purpose of giving home to Xu Beihong, who just took up an appointment here in Guangxi. He would live in Yangshuo between 1936 and 1942.

During this time, he had made some iconic paintings, as the beautiful scenery here had inspired him so. Such titles included Spring Rain in Lijiang River, The Crowing Cock in the Storm, and Tweeting Birds in the Morning, Headwind, Qing’s Ferry  etc.

It was a bit disappointing that the exhibits had not even included a replica of his works. Famous as he was, I had not known much about him and his art. Suffice to say, he was well known for his ink and landscape paintings. He was also very well known for painting Chinese landscapes in oil paintings, showing his skills in western painting techniques.

The touring is relatively simple there. There were some minimal exhibits explaining Xu Beihong’s life. There was also a half-body bust in his image in the backyard.

I wandered in the neighborhood, and found myself at the riverside. As of that point in the afternoon, there was no plan as to what I would do in Yangshuo. I learned that the only boat tour on Lijiang for the day would depart at 3pm (there were two sessions in a day), and missing that, I would have to wait till the next morning session at 11am. I signed up for the 1.5 hour boat tour right away.

At the Qianxing Square drop-off point I first came across the Ancient Stage. Built in the third year of the Jiaqing reign in Ming dynasty (1524), the Ancient Stage was the only building in Huangyao that served the purpose of cultural performances. When it was running, the dramatic works of Guangxi Opera and Huadiao featured prominently in its programs.

In terms of architecture, the Ancient Stage is a “single-eave, eight-pillar pavilion-type stage with gable-and hip-roof.” The stage consists of a the front stage and a rear wing room.

Some Preliminaries of the Huangyao Ancient Town

There is an entrance fee to enter the Huangyao Ancient Town. At the Tourist Information Center in Qianxing Guangchang (the Qianxing Square), I paid for my entrance fee. It was RMB 88 yuan.

There are guards at every gate of the ancient town checking your tickets. This is how it works: at the first entry you will present your purchased tickets. The guard will then scan your face. Once your face has been scanned, all entries into the ancient town will be verified with your face image. You simply place your face before the scanner and you will be admitted.

When I was on the coach to Huangyao, the lady that oversaw the bus told us that if you could wait till 5:30pm before going into Huangyao, then there is no need to pay the entrance fee because all the guards will be off duty then. I do not recommend this, as it takes a few hours to tour the ancient town and you do want to be able to take some pictures during the daylight hours. The commercial areas of the town are lit during the night hours, they are a different kind of beauty. But you would want to snap some good shots of the scenic spots, which are best presented with natural lighting. Even during the early dusk, when I started touring the ancient town, the scenic spots were wonderful.

The Dayuan Culture Theme Hotel

Once arriving in Huangyao, I hurried up and checked in to my hostel for the night. I was staying at the Dayuan Culture Theme Hotel (Mojia Dayuan, meaning the mansion of the Mo’s). It lies on the southern edge of the ancient town. At this location, the three sub-streams of the Yao river converge.

The Dayuan Culture Theme Hotel is an antique building itself. Originally the building belonged to the Mo clan. In the old times, the villagers referred to it as Xianshan Study. During the times of New China, the government had used the building as a warehouse storage for food.

Photo: The Xianshan Ancestral Hall within the Dayuan Culture Theme Hotel. The Mo’s Mansion had once been known as Xianshan Study.

The house was built in the traditional style of siheyuan, which was a very popular building format, particularly in Beijing, for the thousands of years. Buildings are built on all four sides of a courtyard. This format was usually built to give home to large multigenerational households.

The building’s foundation was made of bluestones (limestones) and it took five years just to lay the foundation. In 2008, the government handed this building back to the Mo’s. In 2015, after careful restoration efforts, which included the fitting of materials that mimic an “aged look,” the hotel opened its doors to visitors.

I had a free upgrade to a larger room with a balcony, from which I saw a peak cluster afar. I was exceedingly thankful for that.

Dusk was befalling soon and so I hurried out to the ancient town. I would only have time that evening and very early the next morning in Huangyao, because the only bus to Yangshuo would depart at 8:40 am the next day.

Monuments Nearby the Dayuan Culture Theme Hotel (Mojia Dayuan)

On my way to the Dayuan Culture Theme Hotel, there were some other very beautiful historical monuments, namely the Sima Mansion and the Shouwang Tower.

The Sima Mansion is a very special building in Huangyao as well, it being a residence for a government official. It belonged to Mo Airan, who was a Qing dynasty official and known as Sima Mo. The building had the layout of three bays and three courtards. Its raised platform bore the good will for a government official, meaning “with each step the official rank rises up.”

Lying next to the Yao River is the Shouwang Tower. It is the gatehouse to enter and exit Huangyao on the east. “The gatehouse adopts the square plane structure, with complete facilities, such as watching windows, loopholes and fences.” There used to be guards stationing here as a security measure.

Sources

Descriptions on site at the Huangyao Ancient Town.