Li River, Guangxi

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--Guangxi Zhuang

----Li River

--- Zuo River

--- Yao People

--- Zhuang People

--- Guilin

--- Watertravel Home Page

Montage of Li River scenes: a man paddles a raft of phoenix tail bamboo, a cruise boat heads downriver, a pagoda sits on a hillside.

There is a reason why the Li Jiang is the subject of so much classic Chinese painting: it’s beautiful. Of course, one result is that it is among the most heavily touristed places in China.We estimated that the equivalent of around a quarter of a million dollars a day was spent on the chain of boats taking people from the launch near Guilin to Yangshuo. That said, it is worthwhile. The beauty is not really diminished by the number who see it (but for a more secluded trip, one can make the effort to cruise the Zuo Jiang). The huge phoenix tail bamboo that grows along the banks of the Li is used to make the five-stalk rafts that cross it. Fishing in the river is often done from these rafts by using cormorants, or “fishing eagles” as they are called, fitted with a neck ring to prevent them from swallowing the fish.