Day 14 - 27 Apr 2014

An early start to the day after a late night the previous day.
Today begins with a boat tour along the Li River from Guilin to Yangshou.
Some scenes on the way to the boat.

The cruise boats.

The beginning of the cruise.

The Li River (Lijiang River) originates from the MaoEr Mountain in Xing'an County which is located 88 km to the northeast of Guilin City. The Li River flows downstream through Guilin, Yangshuo, Pingle, inflows to West River in Wuzhou, total 437 km in length. The Li River cruise downstream to Yangshuo is the highlight of any trip to Guilin. The full length between this section is 83 kilometers. Along the river bank, gorgeous Karst peaks give you surprises at each bend of the limpid river. Water buffalo patrol the fields, peasants reap rice paddies, school kids and fisherman float by on bamboo rafts.

The accommodation on the boat was tables and chairs, unusual to say the least, They did however serve food to those who wished to partake. Having viewed other boats rinsing plates an cooking with river water I decided that food was probably not a smart option. 

I spent nearly the whole trip on the top deck which was just open space.

Scenes from the cruise.

 

Before leaving the ship Michael and I tried some snake wine. Michael thought it tasted like Vodka I thought it tasted like Slivovitch.

We had a couple of hours to spare when we got back to the hotel. As we both needed to get some money we thought that we would take a walk through the town and pick up some cash whilst out. Good theory, except we ran into some very heavy rain. By the time we got our cash the rain had dropped down to a drizzle so we decided to continue our walk before returning to the hotel. The rain had cleared by the time we finished the walk.

The buildings leading into the area where the light show is performed

The start of the Yangshuo water and light show.


The audience sits on specially designed terraces. The sound equipment is kept hidden from view as the theatre is designed to blend, merge and work with the natural environment. The fantastic lighting effects highlight the beauty of the setting.
The show was directed by Zhang Yimou who also directed the famous 2002 movie 'Hero' and choreographed the 2008 ceremonies for the Olympic games. It has received many awards which I consider it thoroughly deserved and I would recommend it to all..
The show also includes modern and classical music composed by famous musicians in China. There are also over 600 performers who are all local people.
The show gives us impressions of the life of those people living around the river. In essence it is a love story. It also gives us an insight into the dress and music of the ethnic minorities of the area.