Boutique hotels
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Homa Chateau
- Style
- Artistry in residence
- Setting
- Karst cliff-side sculpture park
Yangshuo Overview
China
- Countryside
- Picture-perfect karst crags
- Country life
- Mountainside meditation
A quaint and ancient town surrounded by an art-inspiring backdrop of jagged crags and winding waterways, Yangshuo is as appealing for its scenery as it is for its laid-back, tea-sipping atmosphere.
Visitors to Yangshuo often find it hard to tear their eyes from the astonishing drama of the surrounding landscape – the zig-zagging karst escarpment, the mist-hugged mountaintops, the legendary meanders of the Li River. It’s no wonder the Guangxi region has inspired an entire genre of Chinese painting. Beyond the beauty of the backdrop, however, there’s an ancient city of teashops and street markets that has changed little since it was first founded. The astonishing scenery and the riverside setting make the town a key stop-off on the traveller’s trail, and the region is often flocked with rock-climbers keen to get to grips with the towering cliffs. There can be fewer better ways to relax after a hard day’s haggling than hiring a bike from one of the street-side stalls and heading out of town for a sunset cycle among the groves of swaying bamboo and lush rice paddies.
Typically Yangshuo
Inspiring artists, photographers, tourists and locals alike, Yangshuo and the surrounding Guangxi province are dotted with a staggering 20 000 limestone karst peaks. Take a cruise down the legendary Li River and see the sublime scenery that has engendered an entire category of Chinese paintings focusing on the harmony between craggy mountain cliffs and gentle running water.
Local knowledge
- Taxis
- Cabs are thin on the ground in this town, and most often take the form of three-passenger motor-tricycles, which you can – if you’re lucky – flag down in the street. They’re available to hire for around CNY20 for a single trip, or CNY80 for the whole day.
- Tipping culture
- Tipping in Yangshuo, like most cities in China, is not expected, though very much appreciated, at hotels. Most restaurants do not include service charges and don’t require at tip.
- Siesta and fiesta
- Chinese meals are generally served earlier than in the West, with breakfast being over by nine, lunch served between 11am and 2pm, and dinner between 5pm and 9pm. Banks and other government services close at around 3pm during the week.
- Packing tips
- Bring your brollies; Yangshuo is prone to quick and frequent showers during most months. If you intend to climb or hike any mountains), and this is the part of China to do exactly that), bring warm clothing – the higher you go, the colder it gets.
- Cuisine
- Don’t expect anything too haute: Yangshou dishes are known for rustic flavours, with zesty herbs and tangy, spicy touches that stem from the notion that sour tastes are good for the appetite in warm months and spiciness warms the body when it gets wintry. Beer fish is a local speciality – freshly caught fish (sometimes duck) from the Li River are with stir-fried colourful vegetables, tomato and capsicum and simmered in a beer gravy, resulting in a piquant and malty fish stew, served with a steaming rice bowl. The river also
offers up freshwater snails to the county’s kitchens; these are minced with mint and pork and cooked in the shell. If you’re not squeamish when it comes to cuisine, have a wander through the Yangshuo Night Market and pick up a portion of snake meat, another local delicacy.
- Currency
- The Renminbi (literally ‘people’s currency) is most commonly known as the Yuan (CNY).
- Time zone
- GMT +8.
- Dialling codes
- Country code for China: +86; area code for Yangshuo: 773.
- Do go/don't go
- The spring months between March and May are both the most pleasant and the busiest times to visit. Winter, between December and February, when the chill sets in. Summer months can also be on stifling side, thanks to the combined heat and humidity.
Don't go home without...
…visiting Chinese medicine practitioner Dr Lily on Guihua Road for a full body massage (+86 773 8814625).
