China Learn

Lijiang River

The Lijiang or the Li River originates from the Mao’er mountains in the Xing’an county of China. It flows through Guilin, Yanshuo and Pingle, and then finally joins the Xi Jiang, which is a tributary of the Pearl river in Wuzhou. As the riverside scenery all through its 437 km course is enchantingly beautiful and also full of wonders, the river cruises along Li is quite popular with the tourists. Government run tourist agencies operate regular Li River Cruises (from Guilin to Yangshuo). The trips usually start from a wharf due south of the Liberation bridge in downtown Guilin. Alternatively, tourists are transported to the wharf by an hour-long bus journey through the city. Nt too long ago, the Lijiang river was unknown to people from outside China and the region, and so tourism was restricted. But now things are changing. More international tourists are coming to know of the amazing scenic beauties of the region, and thus, the Lijiang river cruises are becoming more popular.

As you sail lazily through the river, a smallish hillock raises its head from the western bank of Li. A careful observation reveals the resemblance of an elephant sucking water through its trunk, standing erect on the water’s edge. The attending guide tells you that it is the famous Elephant Hill of Li that appears in most Chinese travel literature. Also impressive is the moon-like cave and its reflection on the Li, on a moon-lit night.

As the cruise skim the calm waters of Li, another hilltop comes into view with a hexagonal pagoda perched on it. It is known as the Longivity Buddha Pagoda where Buddha’s statue in stone is carefully preserved for display. Fiery red maples add distinctive color to the hill during autumn.

As you proceed further from Yangdi to Xingping, hills clad in deep green vegetation and smallish bamboo groves catch your eyes on either side of Lijiang. These are indeed a soothing experience to the city-exhausted eyes. Peak after peak meets the eye at every bend of the river, providing the visitor with a strangely satisfied yet amazing feeling of joy.

Now also is the time to observe a fantastic sport practiced by the local fishermen. Instead of fishing with the use of a net, they employ well trained cormorants (diving sea birds with jet-black plumage) to dive deep into the waters of Li and pick up fish for them. As the bird comes up with the fish held firmly in its beak and lands on to the fishing boat, it is removed from its throat and placed in the fishing basket. “But doesn’t the bird swallow the fish in the process” you ask in disbelief. “No, Sir,” responds the guide in good humor, “a fine thread is passed round the bird’s neck to ensure that such an eventulity may not arise.”

Leaving the cormorants and their strange ways of catching fish for others, you may now look forward to some of the cruise’s finer parts as the Li takes a sharp turn at Xingping. Here beautiful landscape fills the eye as far you can see on both banks of the river. In fact, the scenery that you witness here has been depicted in many Chinese paintings and works of art.