West Street is the oldest street in Yangshuo with a history of more than 1,400 years. Situated at the center of Yangshuo County, West Street has become, since the 1980's, a window of eastern and western culture and the biggest 'foreign language center' in China. West Street is the most prosperous district in Yangshuo, and, each year, approximately 100,000 foreigners come here on their travels or to attend advanced studies. Visitors are attracted to West Street by its unique mix of cultures. West Street is 517 meters (1,696 feet) long and 8 meters (26 feet) wide, meandering in an 'S' along its length. Being completely paved with marble it is a typical example of a southern China street. It is greatly admired by foreigners for its simple style and courtyard-like setting. There is a saying about West Street that 'half is village while the other half is stores'. Because, at times, foreigners outnumber Chinese, West Street is also called 'foreigners' street'. Don't be surprised if you hear English words spoken by elderly Chinese women, for West Street is called 'the global village'. Besides the local accent of Yangshuo, English has become the language for daily use. West Street is modern and fashionable, nearly every store has bilingual shop signs, and more than 20 stores have been opened by foreigners who have settled here. Chinese visiting West Street may think they are in a foreign country, while foreigners come here to search for the ancient civilization of China. However, whether you are Chinese or a foreigner, West Street is a terrific place to take a rest, both physical and psychological. West Street will drive all of your pressures and burdens away, and give you a calmer view of life. It shows different faces at different times: calm and peaceful in the morning, while trendy and modern in the evening. Traveling to West Street is an experience to be with the landscape, with the people, with the soul, and with yourself. Visiting West Street, you will be surrounded by an array of traditional folk and amazing international elements. Various shops, craftworks shops, painting and calligraphy stores, backpack shops, cafes, and Chinese Kung Fu academies jostle for attention. You may see a multitude of items, from embroidered silk cloth, wax-painted weaving, to tiny shoes worn by women before the liberation of the People's Republic of China in 1949. In addition, elsewhere on the street you may find bars and cafes, some run by foreigners, decorated with bamboo rafts, fish baskets, wax-painted tablecloths, and so on. West Street does not only satisfy you visually. You will be tempted by foods from all over the world: ciba (a kind of Chinese rice cake) and rice noodle of Yangshuo, authentic Italian coffee, banana cake, Western style food, etc. So now, choose a cafe, ask for a cup of coffee and let the pretty scenery and dulcet music take you to a fantastic world. Highly Recommended: Typical local dish: Beer Fish-fresh fish caught from the clear water of Li River, with a delicate sauce, the fish tastes great with beer. It's a wonderful dish to stimulate your appetite. Recommended seller: 'The Tao's Authentic Beer Fish' and 'the Older Sister of Peng's Beer Fish'. Characteristic cafes: MeiYou Cafe: 'Meiyou' means, 'we don't have'. The reason for this shop sign reflects the promise of the host: 'Meiyou warm beer, meiyou lousy food, meiyou rip-offs, meiyou bad service'. Anne's Art Cafe: famous for its first-class food qualification, and competitive price. Each dish here can be called an art. Paris Cafe: Providing a high-class service, exquisite environment, and convenient transportations. Special tourist vehicle: Bicycle. As a saying goes: 'no bike, no Yangshuo'. Rent a bike to appreciate the elegant scenery as well as feel the air of village.

With its location five kilometers northwest of the downtown of Guilin, the Reed Flute Cave is a brilliant cave marked on almost all travel itineraries. The cave got its name from the verdant reeds growing outside it, with which people make flutes. Inside this water-eroded cave is a spectacular world of various stalactites, stone pillars and rock formations created by carbonate deposition. Illuminated by colored lighting, the fantastic spectacle is found in many variations along this 240-meter-long cave. Walking through the serried stone pillars, tourists feast their eyes on changing spots, feeling they are in a paradise where the Gods live. Tourists enter the cave and then take a U-shaped sight-seeing route to see different spots, whereupon they exit it from another cave quite near the entrance one. One trip lasts about one hour. It is a Chinese habit to give each formation a legendary or poetic name such as Crystal Palace, Dragon Pagoda, Virgin Forest, Flower and Fruit Mountain and other interesting names. For some of these names, you need to use your imagination, but the story behind each is quite fun. It's a pleasure to listen to romantic or fairy tales whilst appreciating the fantastic stone formations. Both the stories and the lighting add mystery to the scene. Although there are different kinds of lighting inside, you are not supposed to take photos unless you are a professional photographer, because the light inside is not sufficient for exposure. At some spots, such as the Crystal Palace or Flower and Fruit Mountain, special photography is offered at 20 yuan for one picture. (They use special equipment to provide enough illumination.) Some 70 inscriptions on the cave wall are said to be travelogues and poems derived from the Tang Dynasty, which made the cave a popular tourist site at that time. A park is built for the cave with zigzag path, elegant pavilions, ponds, bridges, plants and other garden structures. Travel Care: Get some reed flutes for friends and remember to bargain with the vendor for a better price.

You get to Moon Hill (Yueliang Shan) from Fenglou village, Gaotian township, near Guilin. It is a huge slice of rock with a round hole in its center, and you mount 800 steps on a marble paved mountain path to reach it. At various angles it resembles from the new moon to a full moon. The rock measures 380 m (height) by 410 m (length) by 220 m (width). Legend has it that there is a Guanghan Palace on the moon inhabited by the beauty Chang'e, the Jade Rabbit, and Wu Gang the woodcutter. People in olden days thought they saw these immortals when they came upon spots on the moon's surface. Visitors to Moon Hill call to each other's attention that there are nature formed rock images of Chang'e, the Jade Rabbit and Wu Gang the woodcutter. With 14 rock-climbing routes on the northwest side, Moon Hill offers sufficient challenge to both amateur and professional climbers. The region around Moon Hill is included in an official plan for tourism development.

Situated in Longsheng, a multi-ethnic autonomous county in Guangxi Autonomous Region, Longsheng Hot Springs National Forest Park is 132 kilometers (about 82 miles) northwest of Guilin. Covering an area of 260 hectares (about 642 acres), the park boasts a dense primeval forest, various rare animals and plants, as well as its famous hot springs. The weather here is very pleasant with an average year round temperature of 17C (about 63F) providing a nice escape from the summer heat. There are many mountains in the park including Five Swords, Monkey and Chessboard mountains, etc. On these mountains, several varieties of green trees form a large forest that is home to some unique mammals including black bears, macaques, civets, and giant salamanders. Additionally, there are over 1,500 kinds of rare plants, such as ginkgos, yews, and Chinese tulip trees. The best known attraction in the park is the sixteen hot springs. These springs can spout over 1,200 meters from underground with water temperatures ranging from 45C(113F) to 58C(136F). Experts have determined that the waters contain various elements including zinc, manganese, lithium, strontium and iron that are beneficial to health. Bathing in the springs is not only healthful, but can reputedly alleviate diseases such as cardiopathy and rheumatism as well as certain skin conditions. Unlike other hot springs, the water here is so pure and limpid that it can be drunk directly from the source. It is no wonder that Longsheng is the most famous hot springs in south China. As Longsheng has a diverse population, there are many opportunities to observe different Chinese minority groups. The Zhuang, Miao, Dong and Yao sminorities are well represented in the county. Visitors are invariably impressed by the colorful life of these groups with their distinctive music, dances, and architectures. The park has extensive facilities for travelers. There are resort houses, bath centers, hotels, restaurants, malls, banks and entertainment venues. Visitors have the best of both worlds here-the park's natural beauty combined with a plethora of modern conveniences.