Xingping Fishing Village (2009, Apr 20)

桂林山水甲天下 - "The landscape of Guilin is the finest under heaven."
- popular Chinese saying

Departing from The Assembly Dragon Cave by noon, we stopped by a restaurant near Moon Hill where I had the chance to taste the famous Yangshuo signature dish, The Beer-braised Fish 啤酒魚. The main course came with a plate of vegetables which I slurped all by myself since my Moslem friends were not able to share the meal with me. While I had a feast of my own, my friends were busy getting dressed in Chinese red costumes, and had a snapshots or two with the Moon Hill as the backdrop. Not bad for souvenirs, girls :)

The next stop of the day was Xingping Fishing Village 興坪漁村. Cruising along the Li River, we enjoyed the picturesque and poetic scenery of the fishing village. Fishermen floating by on bamboo raft driving the cormorants to help them catch fishes, buffalos grazing along the river bank... surely not the kind of view I found very often, so I just sat down... enjoying the soft breeze caressed my face.
Fishing Village is one of many scenic spots in Xingping Old Town 興坪古鎮, 4 kilometers from the centre of town (There are many stunning views: Nine-horse Mural Cliff 九馬畫山, Yellow-cloth Reflection 黄布倒影, Monk and Nun's Tryst, Ancient Stockaded Village's New Looks, Secluded Qianyuan, Ancient Wusheng Site, Fishing Village 漁村, Lotus-flower Cave 蓮花岩, Flying-dragon Nunnery and others). Lying on the east bank of the Li River upstream from Yangshuo, Xingping Fishing Village has a history dating back more than 500 years. The Chinese call it a 'village' because of the fact that nowadays it is inhabited by villagers. Actually, it is an age-old castle complex survived from over 500 years ago. Although some courtyard buildings have weathered through ages, the simple but elegant flying-eaves, roofs with colorful paintings, lattice windows and unique timber structures present the folk residence from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911). The villagers have the same surname of Zhao, so it is rumored that they are descendants of the imperial family in the Song Dynasty. (http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/guangxi/guilin/li_river.htm)

How I wish I could spend more time exploring Xingping Old Town... cycling along Xingping Old Street 興坪古街 which might make me feel like I had stepped back about 100 years in time. Xingping used to be the largest town along Li River and is 63 km from Guilin and 25 km (15.5 miles) from Yangshuo, on the east bank of the river. Xingping Town is the oldest town in Yangshuo, a lovely village which has the potential to be the next backpacker haven as Yangshuo keeps growing. It was set up in 265, Three Kingdoms (220-280 A.D.), and used to be Xingping County. It was the center of Yangshuo County until Yangshuo Town was setup in 590.

Now I regretted my decision to stay overnight at Yangshuo instead of Xingping, but I had no choice but to step into our bus and heading for Yangshuo since we had booked tickets to Impression Liu Sanjie Light Show.

Moon Hill

 Moon Hill 陽朔月亮山, located eight kilometers (five miles) south of the town of Yangshuo, is the most well-known attraction in Yangshuo. It is a popular to rent a bike in town and then ride out for a pleasant morning hike up the hill. A strange geological formation at the top is a massive arch with a hole in its peak through which the sky can be seen like a full moon, hence the name.

http://www.chinatourguide.com/guilin/moon_hill.html

Road to Fishing Village

The Serene Wharf

The View

Fisherman and The Cormorants

Fisherman uses the cormorants to catch the fish and return them to the boat. The fisherman drives the birds into the water where they dive below the surface in search of fish. When the birds catch a fish they return to the boat and the fisherman removes the fish from their throat and places it in the basket.

Bamboo Raft Floating By

Fisherman and The Cormorants

Their fishing techniques are unlike anything you've ever seen. They use bamboo rafts instead of wooden boats and they use cormorants to catch the fish. They do this by tying a noose around a bird's long neck to prevent it from swallowing its catch.

Cormorant 魚鷹

 Cormorants are good sized birds who enjoy diving underwater in search of fish.

Cormorant

 

Travelmates

The View

The Small Island

Stop-over

 

The boat anchored a while at a small island to let us gazing at the scenery and took pictures. We could find souvenirs at cheap price from local vendors.

Local Vendors

The Picturesque Scenery

 

The View

Water Buffalos Graze Along the Fields

 

This Old Place

This Old Place International Youth Hostel
No.5, Rongtan Rd., Xingping, Yangshuo, Guilin, Guangxi.
Postcode: 541906
Tel: 86-773-8702887
Fax: 86-773-8702887
Email: topxingping@gmail.com
http://www.topxingping.com

陽朔興坪老地方國際青年旅舍
銷售熱線: 86-773-8702887
地址: 廣西桂林陽朔縣興坪鎮榕潭街5号
郵編: 541906
www.topxingping.com

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