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'Heaven on Earth': Limestone Paradise
In Guangxi there is an area often referred to as 'Heaven on
Earth'; it is the limestone district stretching along the valley of the Li River
from the popular tourist city of Guilin to the scenic wonderland of tiny, laid-back, Yangshuo.
Produced 300 million years ago when an ancient sea covered this area, the
limestone is formed from the compressed fossilised remains of sea creatures. The
movements of the continents caused the earth to rise up and the sea disappeared.
Since then warm, wet climatic conditions have allowed the rock to be steadily
eaten away by chemical weathering and physically worn away by running water. The
result is the landscape we have today in this part of Guangxi, a place where art
and geology have come together. An area, which has drawn artists and travellers
to its attractions in now ever increasing, numbers.
 Great River Journey
Reaching Yangshuo from Guilin is one of the great river journeys of the
World. Several hours of meandering through a natural wonderland of limestone
pinnacles reaching skywards make the Li River unique. Clouds seemed to hang
listlessly around their summits while vegetation appears from any level surface
on what are otherwise vertical slopes. Sometimes the boat rushes through narrow
canyons or else floats gently on broad stretches of water.
A feature of the journey is watching out for the 'cormorant fishermen'. Rafts
are made of five large bamboo poles lashed together and slightly upturned at
either end. Two men steer the craft with long poles. A circular basket holds the
catch. The 'fisherman' is actually a bird: a black cormorant with a ring around
its neck to prevent it swallowing the fish. The cormorants dive, catch a fish in
their beaks and bring it back to the boat. This sight is most scenic at night
when lanterns, used to attract the fish, are suspended from the
rafts.
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