Li River Karst
A 164-kilometre karst river in Guangxi, famed for bamboo-raft cruises between Mopanshan pier and Yangshuo.
Written and signed by Ivy ChenWhat it actually is
The Li River (Lijiang) runs 164 kilometres through Guangxi's karst (limestone landscape eroded by water) country. The cruise between Mopanshan pier near Guilin and Yangshuo forms the core of the scenic area, which also includes the bamboo-raft Yangdi-to-Xingping stretch and Xingping wharf, where the CNY 20 banknote view of Huangbu Reflection sits.
Editor's take
Worth the trip for any first-time visitor to southern China; the cruise alone justifies the Guilin-Yangshuo detour. Skip the raft if you have small children or mobility concerns and take the four-star cruise from Zhujiang Wharf instead. Avoid national holidays unless you book raft tickets a week in advance.
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Yangdi-to-Xingping electric bamboo raft
Four-person rafts skim 14 km between Yangdi and Chaobanshan Wharfs in 80-100 minutes, CNY 255 per person. Riders sit inches above the water, eye-level with cormorants and riverbank vegetable plots.
Rainy-day ink-wash cruise
Showers turn the karst peaks into layered ink-wash silhouettes on a still green river. The rainy season (April-June) makes the colours most saturated; cabins stay dry.
Huangbu Reflection (CNY 20 banknote)
A yellow riverbed slab in Xingping reach mirrors the karst peak printed on the back of China's CNY 20 banknote. The view is best at 7-9 AM when mist lifts and water is glassy.
Yangdi-to-Xingping electric bamboo raft
Four-person rafts skim 14 km between Yangdi and Chaoban Hill Wharfs in 80-100 minutes, CNY 255 per person. Riders sit inches above the water, eye-level with cormorants and riverbank vegetable plots.