The land that time recalls

Daxu bazaar prospered for 1,000 years as part of the Lijiang River waterway, but today all that remains are memories and some wood buildings, bridges and wharves. Located on the north bank of Lijiang River in Lingchuan county, Guilin, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, local businessmen there have capitalized on Daxu's colorful past, which has become a popular tourist attraction in recent years. The bazaar is a 2.5-km-long and 4-meter-wide street built in the early Song Dynasty (960-1279). The government established a taxation bureau in Daxu in the late Song, and up until the 1940s most of its 15,000 residents were businessmen.

They sold ginkgo, sesame, chestnut, tung oil, pearl barley, garlic bolts, bamboo shoots, dried fish from Hunan, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces, and transported kerosene, matches, cloth and other products to inner China.

There were 13 stone wharfs, among which five still function today and are connected with the main street by five narrow streets.

The wooden houses of Daxu are unique. For example, the 70-something Zhou Changfu's house used to be a storehouse and was built on stone bases with fir wood and tiles, "without a single nail".

The first room, of about 15 square meters, opens onto the street and on the side of the storefront are three removable planks.

"My grandfather removed the planks at 6 am and closed them at about 8 pm," Zhou says. "There were all kinds of goods related to the kitchen sold in the first room, such as rice, brown sugar, salt, liquors, tobacco, ginkgo, peppers, star anise, soy sauce, vinegar I can recall the mixed smells of the room even now."

A basement stored fruits, vegetables, liquors, vinegar and soy sauce, while a staircase leading to a large attic stored many other goods. On the corridor wall is Zhou's collection of beam scales, bamboo baskets, abacuses and an official's cap from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

A bedroom has one window and a door that opens into the corridor, while a large central room contains ancestral tablets and photos on a table. The restroom and kitchen are by the river and the corridor leads to a back door from which the goods were carried into the house from the nearby wharf.

"Although the house is old, it is very comfortable to live in," he says. "The drainage system built in the Song Dynasty still functions well and there are six stone gates and a stone, single-span arch in the street, separating the bazaar into sections and reducing the risk of fire spreading throughout the bazaar."

Most houses on the south of the street were wineries, sugar refineries, straw hat and mat workshops, drugstores, flour mills, blacksmiths, carpenter workshops, cloth dyeing factories and butcher shops. On the north side were rich families' residences, restaurants, clinics, guild halls, ancestral temples and brothels.

"My grandfather always said honesty was the most important quality for a successful business. Businessmen in the bazaar had ethics. That's why many families could prosper for hundreds of years," Zhou says.

This largesse largely came to an end after the road connecting Daxu and Guilin was built in the late 1940s.
Huang Zhaocai, an 82-year-old straw mat weaver in Daxu, says: "I started weaving straw mats at the age of 14 and my fellow villagers did the same. But the good old days are long gone now. I have no idea who can make such mats after I pass away."

Zeng Qiaowang, a 70-year-old who has written a book on Daxu culture, says: "Daxu has its own customs, culture and history. After the elderly die we will lose our culture and history forever."

Zeng says he is trying his best to collect all relevant information from the old people in Daxu to pass down the local culture.

"At least young people should know about their ancestors. But they don't seem to care about it."

Today there are stalls selling fake antiques and old objects, while a large shopping mall is also being constructed.

Gazing on the bustling street and the run-down wharves, Zhou Changfu sighs in despair: "My sons and grandsons, like many of their peers, live in Guilin city. I am afraid the ancient bazaar will finally disappear in terms of culture, even if the old buildings and street are preserved."

Source: By Li Yang (China Daily)

Reed Flute Cave in Guilin

The cave is named after the verdant reeds that grow outside it and local people also make flutes from these plants. This spectacular cave is located 5 km northwest of downtown Guilin, and it is a must see for any visitor. Over millions of years, dripping water has eroded the cave to create a special world of various stalactites, stone pillars and rock formations. The caves are adorned by colored lighting creating a magical atmosphere along this 240-meter-long cave. Walking through the stone pillars, tourists will feel they have been transported back in time. (Photo source: China.org.cn/by Sun Hui)

Rhythms of an ancient life

Source: By Huo Yan and Huang Zhaohua (China Daily)

Huangyao town offers all the charms of Guilin but none of its tourist kitsch and clamor. Huo Yan and Huang Zhaohua report.

Huangyao, a 1,000-year-old town nestled in the mountains of southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, is attracting increasing attention from travelers. They come to enjoy its well-preserved local culture, natural beauty and tranquil rustic life. But day-trippers to Huangyao may be disappointed. It does not take long to cover the 1.1 sq km town. And at first sight, it is very much like other parts of the region such as Yangshuo, in Guilin, already a must-see destination for international tourists.

Only if visitors stay for a night or two will they discover the charm of this ancient town. It looks even better on rainy days when the surrounding mountains are shrouded in mists.

Luckily enough, we arrived on a rainy day, and stayed for several days.

This landlocked place borders the most remote parts of Guangdong and Hunan provinces, and used to be a business hub in ancient times.

Located some 200 km from Guilin, Huangyao is in Zhaoping county, Hezhou.

The most impressive features of the town's rain-soaked landscape are the banyan trees. They are everywhere, their umbrella-like branches reaching into the numerous streets and narrow lanes.

The other attraction is the almost intact Ming and Qing-style architecture giving the town a poetic feel with its small bridges, canals and wooden houses.

A typical mountainous area of karst formations, Huangyao boasts more than 300 ancient complexes.

Unlike the water towns of East China, Huangyao is surrounded by hills, protecting it from a tourist onslaught.

Even today, people are up with the sun and retire at sundown, much like their ancestors did. There are no pubs and KTV bars blasting loud music.

At night, visitors will only hear the sound of rain and wind, and the occasional bark of a dog.

A walk in the morning is an intensely pleasant experience as you weave your way through age-old houses, temples, shops, theaters and archways. Moon-shaped bridges straddle crystal clear rivers, and the old streets are paved with beautiful blue flagstones, typically associated with 14th century European castles.

All along these flagstone paths we saw the locals, especially women in twos and threes, washing clothes by 3-meter deep wells fed by mountain springs, whose waters ran into nearby rivers.

Reflecting the wisdom of yore, the drinking water is kept separate from that meant for washing vegetables, which, in turn, is separate from the water for cleaning farm tools.

"Although every household has access to tap water, we prefer fresh spring water," says Pan Yuying, who has lived in Huangyao for 50 years.

Mountain spring water has all the minerals the body needs, she says.

She would know - she is 97.

Huangyao used to be a business hub in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. A number of shops from those times stand to this day.

Mo Xianjia, 53, runs a wine shop selling home-made products such as sweet wine and sealwort wine. Sealwort is a perennial herb with medicinal value.

A complex process is involved in the making of this wine, Mo says, adding that every family in this ancient town has its own secret recipe.

Twenty years ago, the price of sealwort was just 2 yuan per kg. Now, it fetches 100 yuan a kg.

For lunch one day, we tried another Huangyao specialty - fermented black beans.

Along with sealwort wine, Huangyao fermented black bean has been sold in places as far away as the

Southeast Asian countries for 60 years. We were told that some of the trademarks for these products are centuries old.

In a 10-square-meter workshop, we saw a huge 1-meter-high cask. A row of dustpans was piled high on its wooden frame.

"We still follow the traditional method that involves steaming the beans in the cask for hours and then soaking it for 20 minutes in spring water," the workshop owner says.

The beans are then laid out on the dustpans to be cooled before being returned to the workshop for fermentation.

Controlling the humidity and temperature in the workshop is not easy and is central to the whole process.

Today, the town's annual bean production stands at around 200,000 kg.
Huangyao has abundant tourist resources but like the local wine and tea, it takes time to appreciate the beauty of this ancient town.

Guilin Scenery, Finest under Heaven

The 437-kilometer-long Lijiang River, a branch of the Pearl River, runs from the Mao'er Mountains north of Guilin through Yangshuo and Pinle to Wuzhou, where it joins the Xijiang River. From Guilin to Yangshuo, the river meanders through 83 kilometers of beautiful countryside, with bamboo forests, dense reed-beds and spectacular rock formations. [Photo/china.org.cn]

China's top 7 Danxia landforms

Mount Danxia (Guangdong)

Mount Danxia is a noted scenic area near Shaoguan in the northern part of Guangdong province. The Danxia mountain is formed from a reddish sandstone that has eroded over time forming a range of mountains surrounded by curvaceous cliffs and unusual rock formations (Danxia Landform). It is described by the local signage as a "world famous UNESCO geopark of China." There are a number of temples located on the mountain range and visitor can enjoy many scenic walks in the area. There is also a river that winds through the mountain area and boat trips along the river are offered to visitors.

Danxia Mountain also has a few unique stones such as the Yang Yuan Stone, Yin Yuan Stone, Breasts stone, Sleeping Beauty and other attractions which make Danxia Mountain a "natural sex culture museum." Particularly noted are two formations: a stone pillar called the Yangyuan ("male/father stone") that bears a remarkable resemblance to a phallus and the Yinyuan hole, which somewhat resembles the female labia.

In the 2010 UNESCO list of world heritage sites, Mount Danxia was listed as a natural World Heritage Site as part of China's Danxia landform

Best travel time: All year around

Wuyi Mountains (Fujian)

The Wuyi Mountains are a mountain range located in the prefecture of Nanping, in northern Fujian province near the border of Jiangxi province. The mountains were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for cultural, scenic, and biodiversity values in 1999.

The Wuyi Mountains are located between Wuyishan City, Nanping prefecture in Fujian province and Wuyishan,in the city of Shangrao in Jiangxi province. The world heritage site has a total area of 99.975 hectares that is divided into four core parts: the Nine-Bend Stream Ecological Protection Area (36,400 ha) in the center, flanked by the Wuyishan National Nature Reserve (56,527 ha) to the west and the Wuyishan National Scenic Area (7,000 ha) to the east. The fourth part, the Protection Area for the Remains of Ancient Han Dynasty (48 ha) is located in a separate area about 15km to the south-east of the other lcoations. The core parts are surrounded by an additional buffer zone of 27,888 ha.

Best travel time: summer, although it's very hot then but everything is exuberant.

The golden lake (Fujian)

The golden lake is located in Taining County in the northwest of Fujian province. A man-made lake sits at the upper reach and is about 60 kilometers long, and has a capacity of 8.7 hundred million cubic meters. The Golden Lake is surrounded by mountains and verdant forest. Stone bamboo shoots stand tall with springs flowing through them. There are more than 1,000 historic sites, such as the Baishuiji waterfall, Canglu Temple, the lover's peak, great Chibi, above the water, the five-kilometer-long calm lake, to name a few. These features make up the unique scenic spot. The Golden Lake is also regarded as "Lake of Gold" by tourists at home and abroad.

Best travel time: all year around

Mount Longhu (Jiangxi)

Mount Longhu is located in Jiangxi province. It is famous for being one of the birthplaces of Taoism, as many Taoist temples were originally built upon the mountainside. It is particularly important to the Zhengyi Dao as the Shangqing Temple and the Mansion of the Taoist Master are located here. It is known as one of the Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism.

Two of the temples are of Immortal City and Zheng Yi, all founded by Zhang Daoling, the Han Dynasty founder of the religion. There are more Taoist temples in nearby Shangqing. One of the temples in Shangqing is mentioned in the beginning of the famous Chinese novel "Outlaws of the Marsh." Mount Longhu also carries great cultural significance as it is a historical burial site of the Guyue people, who placed their dead in hanging coffins on the mountain cliffs.

In August 2010 UNESCO inscribed Mount Longhu on the World Heritage List as part of the six sites that make up the China Danxia landforms.

Best travel time: all year around

Langshan Mountain (Hunan)

Langshan Mountain is one of China's National Geological Parks famous for its unique Danxia landform and literally means "Crimson Glow." It is a rare topographic feature in world geography. 

Huge rocks of dark red color with grotesque shapes give tourists a marvelous sight. It is located in Xinning County, about 500 km away from Changsha, capital of Hunan province. In the south, Langshan Mountain is connected with Guilin, and in the north it echoes Zhangjiajie. Covering an area of 108 square kilometers, Langshan Mountain is filled with a rich natural scenery and abundant tourism resources. There are more than 500 scenic spots in Langshan Mountain. Among which the most famous are Tianyi Lane, Chili Peak, Zixia Cave, Fuyi River, Innate Bridge, Octagonal Castle, Emperor Xun Forest Park and the Xicun Ancient Dwelling.

In 2008, Langshan Mountain was nominated as a World Nature Heritage. In august, 2009, some experts from the World Nature Heritage visited the site for inspection, and the mountain is expected to become a World Nature Heritage site next July. If this happens, it will be the second World Nature Heritage in Hunan after Wulingyuan in Zhangjiajie. The name of Langshan comes from an ancient legend. It is said that when Shun, a legendary monarch in ancient China, passed by the mountain, he felt the mountains and rivers here were so wonderful, so he entitled the mountain with a Chinese character - Lang, meaning "good mountains."

Langshan Danxia landform and the evolution of its climate and features are representatives of Earth's historical evolution in Southeast Asia since the Cretaceous, and also represents the crust evolution process and the ancient environmental change of southeast China over 100 million years. It is considered to be an excellent example of the main stage of geo-evolution history.

Best travel time: all year around

Zhangye (Gansu)

Zhangye Danxia is located in the middle of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province's Zhangye city. 

Zhangye Danxia landforms cover one hundred square mountain hills, with unique shapes and colors.

Zhangye Danxia landforms offer a wide and magnificent scene, peculiar shapes, bright colors, and is the most typical arid region in China and the largest area of Danxia landscape. It has a very high scientific and tourism value. Zhangye Danxia landform mainly covers the territory of Linze, Sunan 

County with an area of 300 square kilometers. Hierarchical areas are scattered and feature steep rock walls and rich, color classes and colorful screen tower gorges and lakes,

Best travel time: June-September

Chuishui (Guizhou)

The Chishui Danxia inherited from the synergy of the strong and intermittent Cenozoic uplifts of the Himalayan Orogeny and the heat-moisture matched Asian Monsoon, and it has not been damaged from the scouting process of the last glaciations.

Chishui Danxia demonstrates the richness of the Danxia landform diversity. Positive and negative Danxia landforms are not only of high value in explaining Danxia landform evolution, but also show high aesthetic significance.

The Chishui Danxia is big and has tall forests where ancient vegetation and modern vegetation stemming from many species co-exist, revealing an important and on-going process of biology and ecology. Chishui Danxia has a high-level of biodiversity and provides refuge and habitats for many rare and endangered species.

Best travel time: all year around

Source: China Daily

Destinations for a Spring Outing During Qingming Festival

Yangshuo County is a county under the jurisdiction of Guilin City, in Guangxi. Surrounded by karst peaks and bordered on one side by the Li River it is easily accessible by bus or by boat from nearby Guilin

The Qingming Festival, or Clear and Bright Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival falls on April 5 this year. It is a day to remember and honor one's ancestors at grave sites.


Yangshuo County is a county under the jurisdiction of Guilin City, in Guangxi. Surrounded by karst peaks and bordered on one side by the Li River it is easily accessible by bus or by boat from nearby Guilin

Yangshuo County is a county under the jurisdiction of Guilin City, in Guangxi. Surrounded by karst peaks and bordered on one side by the Li River it is easily accessible by bus or by boat from nearby Guilin

The Three Natural Bridges are a series of natural limestone bridges located in Wulong County, Chongqing Municipality

The Three Natural Bridges are a series of natural limestone bridges located in Wulong County, Chongqing Municipality

Source: People's Daily