"Guilin"

No trip to China is complete without spending at least a little time enjoying a river cruise. One of the most popular options - and one that's perhaps best left to a professional tour company to organize on your behalf - is a cruise along the majestic Li River, which connects the two important cities of Guilin and Yangshuo.

This 83-kilometer journey whisks you past spectacular scenery, as well as small Chinese villages, which offer a glimpse into the country's rich culture and traditions. It's a one-way, five-hour journey that begins upriver at Guilin, which boasts an airport and railway connections to destinations including Hong Kong, and ends in Yangshuo. Be sure to plan on spending time afterwards exploring the many historic sites in the latter.

Many tourists in fact spend at least a few days exploring Yangshuo and the surrounding area. It's certainly time well spent, and offers a variety of unique adventures and experiences not available elsewhere. Of these, perhaps the most popular is taking one of the fun, two-person, people-powered bamboo rafts along the quiet Yulong River.

Other must-dos in Yangshuo include making the trek up Moon Hill for its superb view, or renting a bike to explore the paths and trails along the Yulong. Be sure to take in the spectacular Liu San Jie Impression Light Show. Designed by the same team that provided the choreography for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it's a fitting finale to your Yangshuo adventure. 

Food in Guilin

1. Casserole meal

Casserole meal (Shaguofan in Chinese) is a very common meal for an ordinary person in Guilin. There are several eating styles of casserole meals. One is that the rice is well cooked in the casserole and people can order the cooked vegetables and meat. There is another option that people go to the restaurants and order the uncooked meat, then the restaurants start to cook the polished rice and the meat people ordered. This Casserole meal takes a longer time.

2. Guilin Rice Noodle

Rice Noodles are the most popular local snack of Guilin. It is smooth and delicate. The most important ingredient of Guilin Rice Noodle is the marinade. Legend has it that when Qin troops suffering from diarrhea when entering this region, a cook created the Guilin Rice Noodles for the army because they had trouble eating the local food.

3. Lipo Taro Pork

Lipu Taro Pork is a famous specialty food in Guilin, which is made up of Lipu taro, pork. This dish is made by bean curd, and various other ingredients. The pork and taro cubes are fried separately and then steamed together, so each piece is golden on the outside and soft and flavorful from the inside. This delicious dish can be found at most hot pot restaurants in Guilin and Yangshuo.