A mild winter fairyland awaits visitors in Jilin

Out of date, nothing fun and freezing - these are common perceptions about northeast Chinese cities among those who live in the southern coastal areas.
Those were the ideas I had before visiting Changchun, a city renowned for its winter activities and snow art. I quickly realized how wrong those impressions were.
After arriving at the airport, the promise of a pleasant trip increased just a few minutes' drive away as the sight of a beautiful rainbow arc light set in a green field was as shining and colorful as the city itself.
The name Changchun explains it all. It means "Forever Spring" and the city is pleasantly known as "The Spring City Beyond the Great Wall." While it is freezing compared with Shanghai, it was not that unbearable considering it is the capital city of Jilin, one of three northeastern Chinese provinces known for freezing weather.
After all, the cold weather is nothing for ski lovers who cannot find a slope with real snow in Shanghai.
We arrived just in time for the largest skiing event of the year - the 2007 Vasaloppet China International Cross-Country Ski Race - that opened on January 1.
Vasaloppet, with a history of more than 80 years in Sweden, is the largest cross-country skiing competition in the world, attracting 45,000 participants annually.
Volvo, sponsor of the voyage of the Swedish tall ship Gotheborg to China, also financially supported Vasaloppet in Changchun, fusing elements of sport and entertainment with cultural activities extending from the ski race.
While watching this exciting race in the beautiful Moon Lake National Park, an elderly man dressed in old-fashioned ski gear, with equipment made of wood, caught my eye. He turned out to be the "King of Vasaloppet," a living mascot of the competition, reminding everyone of the legend and origin of the event.

snow palace in Xinjiang

Construction of an "Ice Palace" was recently completed near the Tianchi Lake, adding new appeal to the beautiful natural scenic spot located in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
The steel-structured house is encrusted with ice, and stretches across 1,000 square meters. Inside, a variety of ice sculptures are on display, each imbued with local flavor.
Visitors to the Tianchi Lake will soon be treated with local cuisine and entertaining performances in the palace.
Tianchi Lake, literally meaning "Lake of Heaven," is known for its gorgeous natural view. The temperature in winter there is usually around minus ten degrees Celsius.

Spring Festival holiday is a nice time to get away from the busy city. However, before setting out for the various fascinating destinations, foreign tourists may need first to get themselves informed of the various problems they may encouter in China. Here comes a list.

Injuries
Injuries are the leading cause of preventable death in travelers. An estimated five million people lost their lives from injuries in 2000, and over 90 percent of these were in developing countries.
Be aware that driving a car or riding a motorbike around China yourself may be more dangerous due to unfamiliarity with the roads, traffic regulations and conditions. Buses, taxis and particularly motorbike taxis are also far from flawlessly safe. If possible, travel during daylight, in good weather conditions and encourage your driver not to speed and cut people off.
Travelers' diarrhea
Every year, an estimated 10 million international tourists develop diarrhea, which makes it the most common illness among travelers. Ninety percent are resolved within one week, but it's never a pleasant experience and extra care should be taken when traveling in a foreign country.
Avoid eating food and drink bought from street vendors.
Avoid raw or undercooked meat and seafood and raw fruit unless you wash or peel it yourself.
Mild diarrhea can be left to run its course. Rehydration by drinking pure water is recommended. If the diarrhea is prolonged, then seek advice from a local doctor. If the condition persists despite treatment, then you should consider heading for a Western hospital, perhaps in Beijing, to be treated for a possible parasitic infection.
Malaria
Malaria, and a range of other diseases, is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, which usually bite at nighttime. If you're outside after dark, then consider wearing a long-sleeved shirt, long pants and a hat. Apply insect repellent to any exposed skin. You may want to bring a mosquito net and spray repellent to use inside.
Altitude sickness
If you visit the Himalayan Mountains or the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, try to ascend gradually to allow your body to adjust to the high altitude. You should also use sunblock as the risk of sunburn is greater at high elevations. What preventative measures can I take against sickness?
Wash your hands regularly
Only drink bottled or boiled water, or use your own purification methods .
Keep your feet clean and dry. Don't go barefoot.
Use latex condoms to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.What vaccines should I take to prepare for travel in China?
Unfortunately, there's no definitive answer. You should arrange an appointment with a doctor who can discuss your medical history and panned travel destinations for you.
Bear in mind that some vaccines should be taken four to six weeks before travel. You might want to consider protection against Hepatitis A and malaria for the south of China.

What should I have in my aid kit?
Basic first aid kits are available in many sporting good stores. More adventurous travelers can buy advanced medical kits and emergency equipment (one such store is adventuremedicalkits.com). When checking a kit or preparing your own, consider the following items:
Insect repellent containing DEET.
Sunscreen.
Oral rehydration solution packets.
Basic first aid items (bandages, gauze, antiseptic and scissors).
Antibacterial hand wipes.
What should I know about traveling with children?
Parents should educate themselves on specific issues that apply to their children.
Diarrhea and dehydration present a higher risk for children. Try to ensure they keep their hands clean and away from their mouths.
Also, carry oral rehydration solution packets in case of event of dehydration from diarrhea, vomiting or other circumstances.
Carry your medicine in childproof containers.
Do I need travel insurance?
If you don't have insurance,you should seriously consider getting some- particularly if you intend to do risky activities like horse riding or mountain climbing. There are a bewildering number of brokers and policies out there.
To get a recommendation, you could ask your health care provider. You could also seek advice from friends or post a question on an internet forum. If several people report having successfully made a claim from a company, that's worth taking into account. It's always sensible to read the fine print of your policy carefully and ask questions if you are unsure of anything. heck whether your policy covers:
Accidents and legal expenses resulting from them.
Dangerous sports.
Evacuation-an airlift or emergency air travel could leave you in debt for years.
High-cost room rates and doctor consultation-first-class hospitals in China charge first-class rate.
What organizations are there I should know about?
International SOS (internationalsos.com)
International SOS offers comprehensive 24-hour physician-backed medical and security assistance, for which members pay a fee. Membership provides access to safety travel advisories, pre-travel itinerary-based recommendations, and computerized medical records.
World Heath Organization (who.int)
The World Health Organization has 193 member states including China. Their website can give you up-to-date reports on disease outbreaks, specific conditions and other information.
What can my embassy help me?
Different embassies will have their own policies but it's likely they will be able to: Visit you in the hospital
Inform friends and relatives
Help you with translation of documents and doctor consultation
Don't assume they will:
Pay hospital bills or demand payment from your insurance company
Offer legal advice
Store your belongings
What are some popular hospitals in Beijing?
Beijing International SOS Tel: 010-6462 9112 International standard clinic; 24-hour call center; emergency evacuation service.Beijing United Family Hospital and clinicsTel: 010-6433 3960International standard hospital network; travel medicine; vaccinations and check-ups.
Is there a 24-hour medical emergency number in China?
British citizens can call their consular duty officer on 139 010 1496.
American citizens can call their embassy 24 hours a day on 6532 3831.
For other nationalities please enquire at your embassy.

At home with the pandas

Within weeks, two young panda cubs will make their public debut at Hong Kong's Ocean Park resort, a gift from the mainland to celebrate the city's return to the motherland. Crowds of admirers will greet them and they themselves can be forgiven if they look a little startled by all the attention they receive.
Le Le and Ying Ying have come a fairly long way from their native Sichuan, especially so after several months in quarantine.
But they will have at least been a little prepared for their reception as the province's capital, Chengdu, has been gearing up its tourism market for people who want to see the cute, apparently cuddly creatures close-up.
Giant pandas have indeed made headlines recently, not least because of their high-profile endangered species status. But with a tourist in Germany deciding, drunkenly he would like to cuddle one at a zoo and finding they can also bite and claw, and sadly more recently, the death of Xiang Xiang, the first captive-bred animal to be released into the wild, their plight has received even more attention.
Such attention is now putting Chengdu firmly on people's "must-visit" cities in China ¡ª unlike five years ago on my first visit to the country when the pre-dammed Three Gorges was the "highlight."
And the city and its star attractions do not let you down-if local tourism services have yet to completely fit the bill.
Regular flights leave Shenzhen for the city two hours away, (preferable to the more awesome 30 hours by train from Guangzhou).
Modern star-rated hotels abound but for character we stayed with one of Chengdu's leading travel agents, Dreams Travel, and its own Wenjun Mansion on the kitsch "restored" Qintai Road, a mock ancient street full of tourist-traps of jewelry shops and hotpot restaurants.
The hotel itself though offers everything from 60-yuan dorm beds to Chinese or Western-style suites which can easily accommodate a family of four for around 480 yuan a night. Buffet breakfast is available in the attractive courtyard for 15 yuan per head. Rooms have wi-fi and computers are also available in reception.
Its prices certainly belie the comfort and convenience ¡ª Chengdu's central Tianfu square, overlooked by a huge white marble statue of Chairman Mao and the city¡¯s science and technology college, is a 20-minute walk or short bus ride away.
Wenjun Mansion itself was on this visit, Dreams Travel's best offering as, despite advance booking by e-mail, requests had somehow got lost in the ether.
Our plan was to go to the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve high in the mountains but despite hiring a car and driver from Dreams Travel, with little warning ¡ª after a three-hour drive ¡ª the one single-track road there was shut for 12 hours at a time each way, which Dreams should certainly have been aware of, and we had to return frustrated.
Instead we made do with enjoying a couple of hours exploring the expanse of the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base eight kilometers outside the city which in itself provides more than an opportunity of seeing dozens of giant pandas at their best in a semi-natural wild environment.
This was my second visit within a year and a lot of development has been taking place to upgrade facilities including its museum (with an unnerving picture of Britain¡¯s outgoing Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott holding a baby panda on his visit; photographs of artificial breeding techniques and even ¡°panda porn¡± to encourage the males to mate. I hope these are all unrelated. )
Better to wander round the large enclaves (you are separated by a fence and moat ) where the bear-cats themselves play and eat ¡ª get there early before the food and humidity gets to them ¡ª in trees, on swings, in pools or just sit chomping their way through piles of their favorite adopted diet, bamboo. If you do see them sleep, you'll be amazed at the positions in which they can do so ¡ª even upside down in trees ¡ª limbs akimbo.
Here the pandas do perform for the visitors and despite their ungainly size, when awake they bound about with hardly a care in the world helped probably that even during the May Day golden week holiday the crowds were not overwhelming.
Adults and older cubs can be seen outside but within the "kindergarten" even smaller bundles of black and white fur are being weaned ¡ª and not to my taste, offered as photo opportunities for visitors wanting to hold them. Another tourist made headlines again earlier this year when she had the top of her finger bitten off in one such incident and as we watched a Japanese tourist could either have lost her hat or an ear if a keeper hadn't stepped in.
Regardless of the risk to humans though, it is hardly preparation for the wild which the project claims to be promoting. Such issues aside, the center is undoubtedly doing all it can to save the species, in the best surroundings it can offer and yes it does need tourists to boost its income.
For now it seems there is space and time for you to watch and photograph them for hours at your leisure but as with any tourist destination ¡ª it will get busier. Not least because Chengdu has this year launched a new tourist bus ¡ª 902 ¡ª to the base from the city center which saves the cost and expands the limited time of an organized tour ¡ª normally offered at a premium by all hotels and travel agents.
We can only hope that Chengdu achieves a balance between its continuing breeding program to protect the species ¡ª without adding too much pressure on their environment from over exposure to a demanding public. As in the tourism industry worldwide, whether it is the promotion of landscapes, historic buildings or wildlife ¡ª that is the difficulty.

Unsung Heroes

Best Place to OverindulgeBeijing has succumbed to Sunday Brunch Buffet Mania. First, there was the one that started it all; the boozy Garden Court champagne brunch that defined "lazy Sunday," and then came Cafe Cha, seducing us with its hidden garden. These days, the trendiest spots are in the Financial Street area, such as Monsoon where you can relax with live jazz and classical music, or the authentic dim sum buffet at Si Chou Lu. But we can't forget newcomer Senses, only several months on the scene and already the talk of the town. So go ahead and break your diet - in the most luxurious and decadent of ways.
Best to Pique Your Palate's Pioneer SpiritMost of us would rather stick to our comfort zone than gamble on an unknown. In the Chinese culinary world, Tibetan food is the great unknown and like most mysterious things is approached with much apprehension. But don't knock it till you've tried it, and try it at Manilongda Thangka Bar. Refreshingly mellow atmosphere and stunning Tibetan thangka paintings will awake the intrepid explorer in you. The kitchen turns out authentic Tibetan dishes such as tsib ma, crispy fried mutton ribs, and a tsa ra, a simple, spicy tomato and yak stew. Sit down with the hospitable Tibetan owners and have them be your cultural conduit. Best Lunch Set Menu How low can you go? As low as 38 kuai for a gourmet set lunch menu, like the one on offer at Time Cafe? And when we say gourmet, we're serious: delicate, flaky garfish on a generous bed of baby greens, or chunks of roasted chicken tossed with juicy pears and rocket. And that's just the appetizers. Head chef and co-owner Raymond Ye left Aria to bring us five-star food at one-star prices. The menu changes regularly, but some popular dishes have become staples. Be sure to try the crispy-skinned duck, or, for 10 kuai more, you can get the expertly seared sirloin steak.
Best VeganWhy are the cheese-forsakers of Beijing flocking to Hutong Pizza? The secret is not in the sauce, but inside a bun: to the great delight of the city's most under-served culinary minority, the restaurant's huge and hearty veggie burger happens to be vegan. Propped up with a serving of thick fries, the burger explodes from its carbo confines in a messy, delicious manner that requires multiple napkins. This behemoth is no Boca-burger - it's an old school, rice-based, gloriously sloppy concoction that harkens back to the days when vegans had to count on ingenuity and a good spice cabinet for a satisfying meal.
Best Interpretation of PeppersWhen shuizhuyu just doesn't do it for you anymore, try Carthage for an alternative take on spice. This homey spot serves up generous plates of North African-style couscous with savory homemade merguez sausage filled with lamb and plenty of aromatic spices. But your attention will be on the harissa, the paste of chilies, garlic, and cumin all mixed by some voodoo priest chanting a spell - because only magic could produce this addictive scarlet paste. It induces a burning in the mouth that sits in that line-thin gap between pleasure and pain. Order double and smear on everything.
Best BurgerThere is light at the end of the tunnel for lovers of meat between bread. Madame Wang's "Chinese Hamburger"will help satiate those burger-cravings long enough to tide you over till your next trip back to the Occident. We're talking about roujiamo, those round white buns filled with chunks of five-spiced pork; thick enough to require gaping of the mouth, cheap enough to be ordered by the dozen. Drop by Madame Wang's Shaanxi eatery Xian Bai Wei and see if you can coax out of her the secret to her pork sauce. Hey, you never know.
Best Kindler of RomanceLuce Cafe manages to strike all the right notes for a long night of serenading. The interior is understated yet atmospheric with flattering, dim lights and a quietness that encourages the whispering of sweet nothings. Their competent kitchen turns out thoughtfully prepared, updated Italian classics and luscious desserts such as a chocolate tart so rich and smooth, it says, "I think you are wonderful and deserve only the best." Their discreet service leaves the two of you alone to feed each other spoonfuls of the stuff and lean over the appropriately sized tables for kisses.

Best Reason to go to ShunyiEscape the urban jungle by heading over to Luo Ma Hu and the string of restaurants on its shores. Elaine's Vegetarian Restaurant will up your good karma with their creative mock-meat dishes and stir-fries of fresh vegetables that are sure to please all "vores." Her beautiful garden of bright flowers and sun umbrellas add the finishing touches to this oasis of calm. Malacca Legend next door serves up spicy Malaysian classics, while new restaurants open up in the area practically every other minute. So keep your eyes peeled on the banks of this expansive lake; you'll look forward to visiting it each weekend.
Best RamenTo find the city's best bowl of ramen, just follow the trail of duty-free cigarette smoke and empty Asahi bottles left behind by homesick Japanese businessmen, and it will inevitably lead to Lai Lai Ken. Dinner hour at this little joint is all hustle and bustle with salarymen relaxing over bowls of piping hot ramen in thick miso soup. Scrumptious "Japanese-style" Chinese food is also served, such as pot stickers and stir-fried veggies with deep-fried noodles sprinkled on top. Portions are generous and flavors are homemade, with MSG banned from the kitchen. So loosen your tie, roll up those shirt sleeves and dig in.
Best Foreign Students' HangoutKids these days.. they're hard to please. But The Kro's Nest seems to have figured out a way to their hearts - and stomachs. Jam-packed with rowdy students devouring gigantic, table-sized pizzas overflowing with toppings and stringy cheese, this pizzeria manages to accomplish the formidable task of satisfying adolescent appetites and keeping those fickle palates coming back for more. Perhaps, being a young 'un himself, the 23-year-old owner understands the potential for epiphanies when The Analects are debated over pepperoni and Yanjing. If you're really nice, you may be able to convince him to demonstrate his ample pizza dough-throwing skills.
Best NewcomerOpen less than a year, Alexander Creek Park has already established itself firmly amongst the Taiwan community in Beijing as a place to go to when sick with longing for their ama's (grandma's) cooking. The kitchen produces down-to-earth Taiwanese home cooking with an accent on health. Their classics include sanbeiji (crock-pot chicken) and Taiwan sausage just like the kind you can find in Taipei's famous night markets, plus mountains of shaved ice with generous sweet toppings.

Restaurant of the YearIt may raise a few eyebrows that we vote for the Japanese "dining-bar" Manzo as our Restaurant of the Year. It's a sake bar first, and a restaurant second. But that doesn't mean the food here is an afterthought. On the contrary, their no-nonsense Japanese home cooking adheres to high standards that easily put most other restaurants in Beijing to shame. Handmade tofu is concocted with all-natural nigari (concentrated sea-water) and no additives. Their deep-fried fish cakes are ground by a huge mortar and pestle, and their comforting Japanese rice porridge satisfies the soul. Owned and managed by a licensed sake taster, there are some serious distillates in their cabinets, with thoughtful tasting sets for beginners. Unpretentious service, especially by the slightly bashful owner, adds the finishing touches to this gem of an eatery.

A touch of Shanghai charm

Xinjishi exudes the sticky sweetness of a Shanghai summer. We started with lotus root slices (RMB 16), which arrived promptly, stuffed with sticky rice and covered with an osmanthus-scented glaze. We then smacked our lips at the "grandmother pork" in soy sauce (RMB 48).
With its perfect balance of flavors and textures, and sweet melt-in-your-mouth pork fat, eating fatty meat has never been so pleasurable. Our meal was completed with spoonfuls of steamed egg white with crabmeat (RMB 158) that slid down our gullets like custard.
Some may find the cuisine too sweet for their liking, but they will be delighted by the tasteful modern Chinese decor (no pink tablecloths here) and the doting attentiveness of the wait staff. As the second Xinjishi restaurant in Beijing and the newest addition to this international chain, the Gongti Beilu location adds a touch of Shanghai charm to the dusty wheat-bowl of Beijing. Daily 11am-2pm, 5-9.30pm. Address:4 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District Tel: 010-6586 8747

Dishes full of classic literary

The restaurant's name is taken from a poem written by Chinese poet Du Fu (AD712-770), meaning "the house old and new friends visit." Located inside Zhongshan Park, the restaurant was first built in 1915. The cuisine is based on the ancient Chinese literary classic A Dream of Red Mansions, which listed many dishes served to a late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Chinese aristocratic family.
Since 1981, the restaurant has served 22 dishes, six soups, five porridges and four dim sums as described in the famous book. These light dishes are beautifully presented and are made from only the freshest ingredients.
Some examples are fragrant eggplant with assorted nuts,fried crown daisy with chicken slices,fried pigeon egg with white fungus and braised king prawn with peach-shaped steamed bread for birthday.
As for dim sum, there are yam cakes with mashed Chinese jujube stuffing and small steamed dumplings with crab meat stuffing.
Each major dish comes with a story taken from the classic book. The waitresses dress in traditional Chinese cheong-sam and the decor is old but clean. The scenery is the best part, with a fountain, rockwork and a cloister leading to the 2nd floor. There is a set menu that costs 168 yuan for two to three people on the ground floor. The second floor's private rooms offer only set meals starting at 1,000 yuan for 10 people. Parking is difficult at the west gate but those who book a private room can park inside the west gate.
Opening time: 10:30am-7:30pm. Address:Inside west gate, Zhongshan Park, Nan Chang Jie, West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng District. Tel: 010-6605-6676.

Organizer Sun Huijie plans trails on the city outskirts in locations that remain largely unknown to most visitors, and many locals.

Sun schedules outings every Sunday, regardless of the weather, and often on Saturdays as well. The club also hosts occasional overnight hikes, which may involve camping near a remote section of the Great Wall.


New walkers, both foreign and Chinese, are welcome to join the group, which meets at 8am at Starbucks Lido, and is then bussed to a starting point for the hike. The day hikes take between one and five hours, and are graded by difficulty.

With walking regarded as one of the easiest and most effective ways to get fit, the hikes are not just good for your health but also provide a unique slice of Chinese history. Behind each trail is a quirky tale.

This Sunday, the intrepid bunch ventures out for a 10km hike through Mentougou District.

Hikers will set off on the "woodpecker trail" and make their way to the ruins of a temple to explore the Jingang Shita miniature pagoda.

Sun said this hike was one of the few that venture to the western hills north of the Miaofeng Mountain range. The steep trail leading to the temple is classed as one of Beijing's oldest, dating from more than one thousand years ago.

"The miniature pagoda sits on top of a rock, it is part of the Putuoyuan temple complex, one of the famous eight gardens of the Jin Dynasty," Sun said.

"The empress' favorite chef - who was also a eunuch - had visited the temple and loved it so much he carved a stele in its honor, and it is still there now. After he died, his apprentice built the pagoda for him."

A cave with three arches remains where the temple stood, while inside is a chamber where a Buddha once sat.

"The first time we hiked this trail we heard the woodpecker, but not the second time. You may not hear the woodpecker, but the ancient trail and the temples and ruins are still there," Sun said.

For fitness enthusiasts who subscribe to Sunday as a day of rest, there is another hike this Saturday in Changping District.

This outing sees the walkers try their luck at some gold digging on the "mines and pines" trail.

The walk weaves its way around Yinshan Mountain, taking in the ten mines from which the nearby Iron Mountains and Silver Pagodas (Tiebi Yinshan Talin) took their names. Rare red marble mined from this region sells for 3,000 yuan, and is taken to Shandong Province where it is carved into ornaments for export. This resource-rich area also supplies steel ore and iron lead ore.

Should Saturday be overcast, Sun said hikers were in for an unexpected photo opportunity: "the dancing pine trees".

"The pines in this area are not big, but they are like ballet dancers posing for us. Looking up from in the shade of the pines you can see the rising mountain peaks - on a misty day this makes a perfect picture."


Beijing Hikers was founded by Sun's sister, Huilin Pinnegar, and her German husband, Gary. Sun took over the reigns when the pair moved to Australia in 2003.

Contact Sun on 139-1002-5516 for more information, or visit www.beijinghikers.com.


Hiking tips

Know yourself:

*Make sure you are fit enough to walk long distance. Go through a physical checkup if needed.

*Participate in an easy walk for starters. Walk with somebody with similar pace.
*Usually people need 10 minutes' rest after 50 minutes walking. But it depends on your condition.

Get the right gadgets:

*An alpenstock helps you get balance at uneven places, and relieve your knees and bone joints from impact and avoid damage.

*An old, comfort pair of sport shoes. The sole should not be too thin. Never wear new leather shoes on a hiking.

*Fast-drying underwear and clothes, best made of cotton, and of light color in summer. Wear long-sleeves in summer, otherwise you need to apply sun protection cream.

*A cap or hat, and sunglasses.

*Medicines such as those for cold, for sunstroke, and for wound.

*Hiking consumes a lot of energy. Frequent replenishing of small amount of food and water is necessary. One needs to carry at least three liters of water on a day's hike. Put a little salt in your water in summer.

Everything happening to China today is happening in Yangshuo, and it seems far removed from the provincial and rural life of a generation ago. This small, sprawling community is experiencing an influx of new residents as well as tourists, drawn by job growth, the brisk trade in home building, and the growing number of hotels, trade stores and boutique shops. It could be any rapidly developing Chinese city, in miniature, but Yangshuo is different - it has retained its sedentary appeal. And where overcrowding in other cities can be frustrating, here it's only a slight inconvenience as you head out of town on your bicycle.

This port town, on the west bank of the Li River, was once a sleepy, easy-going place occupied by traders, farmers, and fishermen who docked their bamboo rafts and fishing boats along the wide river that snakes through town. First discovered as a tourist destination by Western travelers in the 1980s, the town has grown steadily. It has been transformed into a tourist haven, with new apartment blocks, an underground shopping center, hotels and guesthouses, small and inexpensive eateries with Western-style menus, local snack food outlets, and streets lined with souvenir shops.
Arriving by night in a sleeper bus from the relatively flat eastern provinces, unusual shapes outside the window rise ominously against the skyline - dense shadows where the senses tell you no shadows ought to be. At first light the view from the hotel window is slightly surreal: a bustling town dwarfed by the nearby hills. But the initially disoriented visitor easily gains his bearings in the town.
Yangshuo is small by Chinese standards, with a resident population of just 150,000. But the town has always drawn visitors, thanks to the odd rock formations of the surrounding countryside. These limestone pinnacles were created over 300 million years ago, when the whole region emerged from the seabed, exposing the rock to intense erosion from wind and rain.
During a holiday week, the crowds along West Street - the main pedestrian thoroughfare curving through the center of town - can get quite dense. Tour groups mill behind waving flags while backpack-laden university students search for rooms, undeterred by the many guesthouses with "no vacancy" signs. Once outside the town though, past the concrete shells of new apartment blocks and away from the gridlock of tour buses, the charm of the place becomes apparent.

Following the Yulong River, a tributary of the Li River, it is possible to see the unusual limestone pinnacles that pepper the alluvial plain. The valley is a patchwork of paddy fields and plots of carefully tended cabbages, yellow rape flowers, and groves of fruit trees. Crouched low upon the earth are small hamlets, mud and brick farmsteads with a small wilderness of flowers, spring vegetables, orange trees, and herbs giving privacy to the residents.

Winding and rutted dirt tracks lead down to the riverside where stretches of tall bamboo line the river, the lazy current taking tourists downstream on bamboo rafts. Water buffalo graze idly in the fields, closely watched by a young boy or an elderly man, the occasional flick of a stick or a well-aimed stone keeping the animals away from the neighboring pastures of lush grass.
Just outside Yima, a small town close to the Yulong River, Yi Fan works on a fish farm. He rents rods to visitors who want to spend a few hours sitting by one of the pools staring at the reflections of Five Finger Hill and the gently bobbing red float, in the hope of landing a fresh meal. Once hooked and netted, Yi Fan¡¯s friend, Cheng Mei, prepares the catch on an open stove and it is served with vegetables from the plot across the road.
Down by the river, Deng Li and Zhang Feng are lowering bamboo rafts into the water from the back of a sputtering open-engine pick-up. A group of Chinese tourists clamor on the sandy banks, the children squirting each other with water pistols, and jumping around excitedly in anticipation of the boat ride. As they set off, the chug-chug sound of the truck's engine fades as it heads back downstream to collect more rafts, and bring them to this makeshift wharf.
Five kilometers away, the town of Baisha is undergoing a boom of sorts, with its newly paved road and modern tarmac bridge providing greater accessibility. However, the old stone bridge around which the town grew up is proving to be a great tourist draw. The 59-meter-long Dragon Bridge, built in 1412, spans the Yulong River and still sees a steady stream of pedestrian traffic of sorts; from water buffalo to young men frantically trying to get their motorbikes up the stone steps and over the hump. The sound of fire crackers echoes beneath, startling an old woman who breaks into a toothy grin as a group of small boys run up the street. The wide bend in the river at this point provides a natural berthing spot for boats, and boatmen sit on the banks, chatting and waiting for the next tour group to arrive.
Heading back along the main highway at dusk, there is the heady scent of rape flowers in the air and the thick, pungent odor of earth being worked over. The high pinnacles are once again becoming shadows; permanent shapes in the darkness that now seem reassuring rather than alien. Entering the outskirts of town, the signs of a society on the move slowly reappear - half-built homes, piles of masonry, the steady drone of activity - and although the fairy-light illuminations of the town center are a shock to the senses, they too prove to be somewhat reassuring. Life along the valley floor and in this rapidly growing town co-exist harmoniously- for the moment.