Drifting Through an Ancient Painting on the Li River
The landscape along the Li River is the China of ancient scroll paintings brought to life. It is a dreamscape of mystical, cone-shaped karst peaks that rise from emerald-green rice paddies and get lost in the clouds. And the absolute best way to float through this dream is not on a large cruise boat, but on a simple, motorized bamboo raft.
Your journey, often starting from the ancient town of Xingping, will be a slow, peaceful, and utterly cinematic one. You’ll sit back in a bamboo chair as your raft driver navigates the gentle, jade-colored river. Around every bend, a new, more spectacular vista unfolds. You’ll see water buffalo cooling off by the riverbanks, cormorant fishermen poling their own small rafts, and quiet villages nestled at the foot of the dramatic hills. This is the iconic scenery that is immortalized on the back of the Chinese 20 yuan banknote, and you are drifting right through it.
Insider Tip:
For an even more tranquil and arguably more beautiful experience, arrange a raft trip on the Yulong River, a smaller tributary near Yangshuo. The rafts here are non-motorized and are poled by hand. The scenery is more intimate, the pace is even slower, and the only sounds are the gentle splash of the pole and the chirping of birds.
