Cruising the River Li
30.11.2025
24 °C
As we are nearing the end of our visit to China we thought it was time to take a trip on the river that has made this area famous.
The fabulous karst mountain scenery along the Li River in Yangshuo is known by every Chinese person because this scene appears on the 20 yuan bank note…. 
Although, as we have discovered, most people here don’t use cash anymore, a fellow passenger had thoughtfully brought along a 20 yuan note that everyone wanted to photograph… 
The river is shallow at this time of the year as it lazily winds its way through valleys carved deeply through the ancient limestone to create scenes of incredible beauty…
But we are not alone. Dozens of luxury cruise boats ferry hundreds of people a day from the bustling city of Guilin to the popular tourist destination of Yangshuo four hours downstream…
While swarms of electrically powered bamboo rafts forge a path ahead or follow us like ducklings trailing their mother...
Despite the warm sunshine and very low prices, this is the quietest season. In the summer and during Chinese holidays, hundreds of cruise boats take thousands of people on this trip every day…
Water buffalo and goats graze the banks while ducks, geese and egrets fish in the shallows. In some areas the mountainsides are swathed in plastic as the kumquat farmers keep their crops free of rain and fruit flies while they ripen for the Christmas market …
Whichever way we turn, our eyes rest on nothing but a tapestry of mountains, each one unfolding into the next in quiet, breathtaking beauty…
After ten days of stunning vistas, exhilarating experiences, blue skies, warm sunshine, soft beds, and, above all, the embrace of some of the kindest and loveliest people we have ever known, our time with our Chinese family is drawing to a close for the time being.
Now we must say goodbye to Curry and Rose as we dine on Aberdeen angus steaks and drink fine wines under the stars on our last evening…
And in the morning we will say 谢谢你 (xièxie nǐ) and 见 (zàijiàn) to Suzy, Amy, Richard, Hanna, and the rest of our wonderful family and friends at our ‘home in the Tea Cozy and hope that one day they will visit us…
Farewell Xiatangzhai. We have friends awaiting us in Tokyo, but we promise that we will return to our Chinese home soon.
Thank you for this wonderful part of your trip. You both are blessed and so are we to be included on this journey.
by Sue Fitzwilson