Photo:www.ggits.com

Since the Japanese boss of the ‘Mount Laosai’ Youth Hostel repaired the path that leads up Mount Laosai, getting up the mountain in time to see the sunset is now the best place for enjoying the scenery of Xingping. Half way up you can see the old folk taking a quick rest on one of the many Sino-Japanese Friendship pavilions placed along the route. Laosai mountain, also known locally as the Camel Crossing the River is located between Xixia, Laiyang and Haiyang and the main peak in the Laiyang ridge at 374.6 meters above sea level. Climbers who start off late afternoon are treated to a gorgeous view as the sun sets over the River Li which snakes its way through the Guilin hills.

The ‘This Old Place’ is the name of both a café and Youth Hostel. Run by a rock climbing enthusiast from Beijing, they moved from their original location in Yangshuo and have now found a location in a preserved traditional Xingping house. Apart from selling fresh coffee, This Old Place also has a resident local chef who prepares local Guilin rural delicacies such as taro with braised spareribs. Just a short distance away they opened up the Youth Hostel of the same name (add: 5 Rongtan Street Xingping Township). For RMB 20 a room with a river view can be yours. The pizza on the ground floor is also worth a try.

One of the main reasons to visit Xingping is to take a bamboo raft downstream during a full moon. For around RMB 15 the small electric powered bamboo vessels will take you on a magical return journey from the town Old Street to Mount Jiumahua. The boat heads upstream at first to Jiumahua and it is there that if the moon is full in the sky you are treated to some of the most romantic views that the Guilin area and the Li River have to offer. The boat then gentle floats back downstream allowing you to full take in the stunning scenery. No wonder many people choose this moment to propose to their loved one.

Photo: www.ggits.com

As there are so many great scenic routes surrounding Xingping, the boss of This Old Place, Liu Tao suggested we took two classic routes during our stay in the town. The first route took about one and a half hours and included some of the local fishing villages. Covering about 3 km of the Li River, the walk included one of the biggest U bends the river makes, together with some magnificent mountains. The second walk was a little longer, needing over 2 hours and taking in 6 km of local wild countryside. The highlight of the walk had to be the exciting 20 meter high water fall.

One thing visitors to Xingping will notice is several places selling sweets. These are pine kernel sweets and are a delicacy local to the Xingping area. Even for visitors from Guilin, the first thing they buy when on a visit to Xingping is the sweets which are made fresh by the local old ladies every morning. The small sweets made of rice and pine kernels are wrapped in paper and have been enjoyed here in Xingping for years.

Travel Info

Getting there: There are buses every hour departing from Yangshuo (阳朔). Buses leave when full and make the journey one way for RMB 5.5 or return for RMB 15.

Note: At the time of writing there were no buses to Xingping from Guilin, travelers should go via Yangshuo.

Note: All times and prices quoted in this article were accurate at the time of writing, but may have changed since the original posting date.

Related Links
Guilin | Nanning | Chengdu | Chongqing
3 Things I Misunderstood About Chinese People Before I Came to China

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.