Travel in China
The 1,400-year-old lane in Yangshuo's karst idyll.
West Street (Xijie) is Yangshuo's 1,400-year-old main street: a lane of worn flagstones about 600 metres long, running beneath the town's karst peaks and lined with qilou arcade buildings whose carved facades blend Chinese and Western touches.
Backpackers began settling here in the 1980s, and the street earned its 'Foreigner Street' nickname as cafes, bars and bakeries moved in beside the calligraphy studios and silversmiths. That mix is still the point: a proper espresso, a hand-painted scroll and a rooftop beer all sit within a few hundred metres.
The street is free and open around the clock, with most shops keeping hours of about 10:00 to 24:00, and the magic hour is after dark, when red lanterns light the flagstones. It also makes the perfect base for the area's big outings - bamboo rafts on the Yulong River, cycling the Ten-Mile Gallery and the Impression Liu Sanjie night show - with beer fish, Yangshuo's signature dish, served on every corner.
Highlights
1,400 Years Underfoot
One of China's oldest working streets - about 600 metres of flagstone polished by centuries of footsteps.
'Foreigner Street' Heritage
The 1980s backpacker scene that put Yangshuo on the world map lives on in its cafes and bars.
East-Meets-West Qilou Facades
Arcaded shopfronts mixing southern-Chinese carving with colonial-era flourishes.
Lantern Nights
After dark the lane glows red, with street musicians, late-opening cafes and bar life.
Beer Fish
Yangshuo's signature dish - fish braised in local beer, sizzling on every corner of the street.
Gateway to the Karsts
Steps away from Yulong River bamboo rafts, Ten-Mile Gallery cycling and the Impression Liu Sanjie show.
Photo Gallery
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