Yulong River

The Yulong River, also called Dragon River, and this River Valley is said to rival Li River Scenic Area in beauty and prestige. flows through Lingui County in Yangshuo. The river is about 43 kilometers (26 miles) long, with a drainage area of approximately 158 square kilometers (39,043 acres). The part of the river that stretches from Yulong Bridge in Baisha Town, to Gongnong Bridge near the Big Banyan Tree, is known as the Yulong River Scenic Area, and includes some spectacular scenic views along each river bank. The Yulong River Scenic Area has many tourist attractions interspersed with cultural and historical ones. The languid river is surrounded by a primitive, but pure, natural landscape, combined with green bamboo forests and rolling hills. Visitors to the area will delight in the picturesque scenes of simple rural life: bamboo waterwheels irrigating the paddy fields; village girls hand washing clothes outside of their cottages with smoke curling upward from the chimneys; old men fishing in the river; flocks of ducks swimming in the pond.

There is a bike path that leads from Fuli Bridge in Baisha, which is north-west of Yangshuo town that leads all the way along Dragon River to the south-west entrance back into Yangshuo. This trip will take at least half a day and is filled with some of the most beautiful scenery you will see in Yangshuo. Bamboo raft drifting is also a lovely way to explore this scenic spot and much more relaxing than a bike ride.

Historical attractions include the three most famed ancient bridges in Yangshuo: Yulong Bridge; Fuli Bridge; Xiangui Bridge (the oldest single arch bridge in Guangxi). The Han Dynasty Tombs (206 - 220 BC), Guiyi County Site, Jianshan Temple (the biggest one in Guangxi) and Pan Manor are also worth visiting. For an appreciation of simplicity and elegance, tourists should pay a visit to the local dwelling houses built in Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) style located in Jiuxian County.