The Nanling Mountains to the north contain limestone, and eons of erosion
by water and weather have slowly but surely dissolved and carved away the weaker parts.
The resulting karst formations feature huge
caves and outlandishly looking mountain peaks.
The 83 km long stretch of the Li River between Guilin and Yangshou is famous
for the scenery of misty mountains that line up along the river banks. All of this set in a lush tropical environment with
fishermen on bamboo rafts and waterbuffalo roaming in the water.
Taking a cruise on the Li River is a popular way to enjoy
this fantastic landscape.
People have lived in this fertile area since neolithic times, the archeological finds
in the Zengpiyan cave date back at least 12000 years. Some scolars postulate that this was the place where pigs were domesticated
but there is hardly any proof for that claim.
Some 1000 years ago local fishermen started using Cormorant fishing but today this
technique is no longer competitive and mainly used to please the tourists.
Guilin grew in importance after the First
Emperor had the Lingqu Canal build in 214 BC to subjugate the resistive Baiyue tribes in the south.
Presently tourism
is the main source of income here.