Travel in China
The 20-yuan banknote view of the Li River.
Xingping is a 1,300-year-old river town on a horseshoe bend of the Li River, a 40-minute shuttle ride from Yangshuo. The karst panorama just offshore is the scene printed on the back of China's 20-yuan banknote, which has turned this once-sleepy port into a pilgrimage for photographers.
The river stretch here is the Li at its best: bamboo rafts drift past the Nine Horses Fresco Hill and the mirror-calm Yellow Cloth Reflection between roughly 09:00 and 16:30, costing about 120 RMB per person. For the definitive shot, photographers climb Xianggong Hill before dawn - entry about 60 RMB - to watch the peaks surface through a sea of clouds.
The town itself is free to wander at any hour: a stone-flagged old street, the restored Guandi Temple and the craggy outline of Chaoban Hill above the rooftops. High-speed trains on the Guiyang-Guangzhou line stop at Yangshuo Station, a short drive away, and shuttle buses link Xingping with Yangshuo's bus station in about 40 minutes for around 12 RMB.
Highlights
The 20-Yuan Viewpoint
Hold a 20-yuan note up to the river bend - the Yellow Cloth Reflection is the exact scene on its reverse.
Li River Bamboo Rafts
Drift the classic river section past Nine Horses Fresco Hill, roughly 09:00-16:30, about 120 RMB per person.
Xianggong Hill Sunrise
A pre-dawn climb above a sea of clouds; entry about 60 RMB.
A 1,300-Year-Old Town
Stone lanes, grey-tiled roofs and river steps that were old long before the tourists arrived.
Nine Horses Fresco Hill
A cliff face locals say hides nine horses - count how many your raft can spot.
Guandi Temple & Chaoban Hill
A restored temple to the God of War, beneath the rocky summit that anchors the town's skyline.
Photo Gallery
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