Guilin & Li River: Why This Is China's Most Beautiful Scenery

Destination Guides • 8 min read

The Landscape on China's Banknote

Take out a 20 RMB note in China and you'll see it: impossibly steep karst mountains rising from a mirror-flat river, their reflections perfect in the still water. That's the Li River near Guilin — and it's not an exaggeration. The reality is, if anything, more stunning than the image on the currency.

Guilin and the Li River have been celebrated in Chinese poetry and painting for over a thousand years. The karst landscape — those dramatic limestone towers draped in green vegetation — was formed over 300 million years and is unlike anywhere else on earth.

The Li River Cruise

The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is the centerpiece of any Guilin visit. The journey takes approximately 4-5 hours and covers 83 kilometers of some of the most photographed scenery in Asia.

Along the way, you'll pass through formations with evocative names — Nine Horse Fresco Hill, Yellow Cloth Shoal (the scene on the 20 RMB note), and Crown Cave. Water buffalo graze on the banks. Fishermen on bamboo rafts work the river as they have for centuries. It's genuinely one of those travel experiences that lives up to every photograph you've seen.

Your guide provides commentary throughout, pointing out formations and explaining the legends attached to each. The cruise includes lunch on board.

Yangshuo: Where the Cruise Ends

The Li River cruise terminates at Yangshuo, a small town surrounded by the same extraordinary karst landscape. Yangshuo has developed into a popular traveler hub with a pedestrian West Street filled with shops, restaurants, and cafes.

For those with time, Yangshuo offers cycling through the countryside surrounded by karst peaks, bamboo rafting on the Yulong River (a quieter, more intimate version of the Li River experience), and the Impression Liu Sanjie night show — a massive outdoor performance directed by Zhang Yimou (who directed the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony) performed on the Li River itself with the karst mountains as a backdrop.

Reed Flute Cave

Inside one of Guilin's karst mountains lies Reed Flute Cave — a 240-metre-long cave system illuminated with colored lighting that reveals stalactites, stalagmites, and rock formations dating back 180 million years. The cave has been a tourist attraction since the Tang Dynasty (over 1,200 years ago), and inscriptions from ancient visitors are still visible on the walls.

Elephant Trunk Hill

Guilin's most iconic city landmark — a natural rock formation that looks exactly like an elephant dipping its trunk into the Li River to drink. It's the symbol of Guilin and visible from multiple points along the riverbank.

Best Time to Visit Guilin

April to October offers the best conditions. The landscape is greenest during the warmer months, and the Li River water levels are optimal for cruising. July and August are hot and humid but the scenery is at its most lush. September and October provide comfortable temperatures and clear skies for photography.

Photography Tips

The Li River is one of the most photographed locations in the world. For the best shots, position yourself on the upper deck of the cruise boat for elevated views. Early morning mist creates the most atmospheric images. The Yellow Cloth Shoal viewpoint is the 20 RMB note scene — have your camera ready. Yangshuo's countryside at sunset, with the karst silhouettes against golden sky, is extraordinary.

How to Visit Guilin with ExploreChina

Guilin and the Li River feature on our Imperial China & the Timeless Yangtze tour (16 days from $2,9,599pp). This tour combines Beijing, Xi'an, a 4-night Yangtze cruise, Guilin, and Shanghai — the most comprehensive China experience we offer.

Experience Guilin on tour → Imperial China & the Timeless Yangtze