Fuli
Last Updated
12th Mar, 2009
Fuli is a town with two faces. On one side is the new town which is next to the main road that leads to Guangdong province and on the other side is the old town which is on the bank of the Li River.
The old town still has all of its old houses which you can peak into and see the simple lives that the local people live. As you wander around the town you will see all the traditional new years decorations which remain in place for the entire year. A walk around this old town is a very memorable experience. Some locals have tried to introduce an entrance fee for the privilege but this is not official nor worth it. If they are not encouraged then they will hopefully give up.
Fuli also has markets on any day of the month that ends in 2,5 or 8. Warning: Fuli market atracts a number of pick-pockets. Just take your essentials there with you.
Getting to Fuli is very easy. Local minivans operate as buses and leave from the bus station in Yangshuo every 15-30 minutes.
The best way to get to Fuli however is by either bicycle or boat.
There is a little used village road that goes along the Li river bank and through very scenic areas and small villages. Eventually the road leads to the Li river which you need to cross on a local ferry. These go across and back every few minutes and drop you off right next to the 3 Sisters Cafe. They charge foreigners 2 yuan.
The 3 Sisters Cafe allows you to leave your bikes free of charge while you wander around the old town or visit the market. This restaurant also produces good food and has great views.
There is an official boat trip from Yangshuo to Fuli and you could take this and get off at Fuli. There is no discount for the one-way trip. It is probably more convenient to arrange your own small boat or motorized bamboo raft.
Fuli is great for purchasing scroll paintings and Chinese fans. The fans are made here and you can see the various stages of production and buy at considerably better artes than in West Street.
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Li River Cruises
There are many different types of cruises that you can do on the Li River, and I have done most of them
Guilin only cruises
These have to be the worst of the lot. Guilin city itself has very few Karst peaks of any real height. You get to cruise within the city and observe 3 or 4 peaks. The rest of the time, you get to glimpse hotels, traffic and shops, ouch!!!
Guilin to Yangshuo cruises
These are by far the most popular cruises in terms of numbers. Every major tour company and some smaller ones will put their groups on these boats. The boats are big enough to hold anything from 60 to 120 people. They usually have a viewing deck at the top which is shared by everyone on the cruise. I have had to use my elbows to get to the railings so that I could see the view.
Departure time for these cruises is between 9am and 11am. There are no flights that arrive early enough to meet a cruise on the same day. You can easily arrange a cruise the night before from any hotel in Guiin
These cruises leave from a wharf on the outskirts of Guilin and the transfer from Guilin is included in the ticket price.
Lunch is also something to talk about on these boats. It is included in the cost of the ticket. You get a set meal to share with the people at your table. The meal is very Chinese with rice, stir fried vegetables and some meat dishes. Included drinks are a small bottle of water per person and some bottles of beer. The staff on the boat also try to up sell expensive dishes and drinks such as fried shrimps and `snake wine`. You also get to have this lunch during some of the best scenery on the Li River
Many of the people who do these cruises get dropped off in Yangshuo and have a short time to explore West Street for shopping and then return back to Guilin the same day
Yangdi to Xingping cruises
The Yangdi to Xingping section of the Li River is by far the most spectacular part of the Li River. It is possible to arrange a cruise for just this section of the Li River. However, you need to know that the only boats that can take tourists on the Li River are the big boats from Guilin as they are the only officially licensed boats.
The boats that do the Yangdi to Xingping section are the small `farmer's boats`. These boats can hold about 12 people on them and have an open area at the front of the boat where you can sit down and put your feet in the river
Now, as these boats are not licensed, they can only operate when the Li River is not being monitored by the local authorities which is early in the morning or late in the afternoon which is the best time anyway for these cruises as the river has none of the large boats and is very peaceful. This has always been my favourite cruise on the Li River
Cruises from Xingping
There are many `farmer's boats` in Xingping as the monitoring of licensed boats is a bit more lax in Xingping. You can turn up at just about any time of the day to Xingping and have one of these boats take you on the Li River.
The cruise can take you up river towards Yangdi, but not all the way to Yangdi as there are regular inspections near Yangdi. How close does the boat get to Yangdi? Sometimes almost all the way and sometimes about half way. You can never tell as you would know what Yangdi looks like
The cruises out of Xingping can also go towards Yangshuo with a stop at the `fishing village`. This cruise is not as scenic with very few tall peaks along this section of the river. I find this cruise a bit on the boring side
Yangshuo to Fuli and Liugong cruise
This cruise is downstream of Yangshuo and misses all the big boats coming from Guilin. I like this cruise too as it is very relaxing due to the low traffic on the Li River. The cruise is also done on the `farmer's boats`. Both the old towns of Fuli and Liugong are worth a visit on their own