Huangyau Old Village, Hezhou

A lot of tourist sites were made famous by deliberate promotional efforts of the government or the tourism authority. Some were however made famous by unintentional event or crisis. For example, many visitors now flocked to Fukushima, Japan to see the after effects of the March 2011 tsunami. On the way to catch the plane from Guilin to Guangzhou, we visited a place made famous by a Chinese TV drama series called "Plain Love"- 茶是故乡浓 or translated as "Tea in the Hometown is the Best". This is the Huangyao Old Village in Hezhou.

Huangyao Village could be traced back to nearly 1,000 years ago. It was first built in the Song Dynasty, refurbished in Wanli Period of Ming Dynasty, and boomed during Qianlong Period of Qing Dynasty. Owing to the fact that most people here were surnamed Huang and Yao, thus it was called Huangyao.

Huangyao lies at the lower reaches of Li River (Lijiang). It has long been called the “poetic land”. It abounds in limestone hills, streams, pavilions, ancestral temples and ancient trees.

All streets are inlaid with black stone slates. Most houses are 2-storey structures finished with tile roof. The building workmanship is exquisite and superb.

There are altogether more than 600 families in the village, spread over in eight streets. Most of their houses retain a Ming and Qing Dynasty style. The geographic location of Huangyao village is very special. Mountains surround the village on four sides, making the place easy to defend and difficult to invade. Transportation here is very inconvenient. As a result, the village remains half-isolated. That's why a lot of old houses and antiques are well preserved.

Our lady tour members went crazy when confronted with rows and rows of urns containing all kinds of pickles! As far as taofufah and guilinggao (turtle jelly), I feel our Malaysia's versions are still better.

Most houses here are now supplied with piped water. Many residents however still prefer to use the well water. Water in the trough nearest to the incoming source is for drinking, next is for washing of vege, rice and food stuff. Water closest to the outlet is for washing of clothes. Surprisingly, the water was warm, around 20 degrees C when the air temperature was 13 degrees C!

Picturesque scenery.

World Largest Natural Theater

I recalled watching "Les Miserables" musical way back in 1996 in Singapore and I was enthralled by the stage make over, lights and sound effects.

But the Chinese took one giant step forward to build the world largest open theater in Yangshuo (陽朔), Guilin. This massive theater was created for the performance of "Impression Sanjie Liu". This theater utilizes the water of the Li River as its stage, with twelve mist-shrouded hills and the sky as its backdrop. Mist, rain, moonlight, the hills and their reflections in the river all become the ever-changing natural backdrop. Its auditorium is housed on the natural islands of the river while the audience are seated in rows and rows of chairs on terraces, surrounded by plants and natural vegetation. The valleys, the hills, the cool breeze and the streams are all elements contributing to the three-dimensional sound and light effects. At different seasons, different weather offers different scenery and effects complimenting the four seasons in China.

In terms of the theater capacity, it can accommodate 3,700 spectators per show and there are two shows every night. That's 7,400 crowd during peak season!

The man behind this mega show is Zhang Yimou, the choreographer responsible for the 2008 China Olympic opening ceremony.

According to the tour guide, when the show first started, the dancing girl danced naked on the "moon". Sale of binoculars to audience was record high for local shops! But later on, many locals felt uncomfortable as it was deemed inappropriate to Chinese culture, The main reason however was the "accidents" that the dance had caused to many of the support staff of the show particularly the boatmen. Due to the distraction and the eagerness to see "you know what", boatmen forgot to row according to their prescribed routes and timing. Some were so obsessed they they lost balance and fell into the river! One almost got himself drown!

As a result of this spectacular show, Yangshuo becomes world-renowned. So, this is a must-see item if you ever come to Yangshuo.

Translations that Tickle

For sure, I was entertained by the numerous ingenious translations found throughout the tour - in hotels, parks, public toilets, tourist spots etc.

Thus, a simple sign that reads in Chinese: "Beware: Slippery Floor!" takes on all kinds of interpretation. Since one could slip and fall on slippery floor - might as well "careful slip", right? Otherwise one should "carefully slide" and "be careful of landslide", should you slip.

The Chinese don't just remind you, but they do it warmly

Scenic Guilin

Like most tourists who chose to visit Guilin, we were attracted to the well publicized beautiful scenery of this place.

Throughout the trip, our local tour guide never ceased to quote this iconic phrase "桂林山水甲天下" which was first coined by an official (王正功) who served in the prison department in Guilin in year 1201 during the Song Dynasty. Apparently, he was an honest no-nonsense official and as a result of his style of administration, he offended the rich and the powerful. He was sent to serve in far-flung districts. When he was transferred to Guilin at the age of 68, his spirit was greatly uplifted by the beauty of Guilin. It was said that he wrote this poem during a party with secondary students which contains this phrase.

百嶂千峰古桂州，向来人物固难俦。

峨冠共应贤能诏，策足谁非道艺流。

经济才猷期远器，纵横礼乐对前旒。

三君八俊具乡秀，稳步天津最上头。

桂林山水甲天下，玉碧罗青意可参。

士气未饶军气振, 文场端似战场酣。

九关虎豹看勍敌，万里鵾鹏伫剧谈。

老眼摩挲顿增爽，诸君端是斗之南。

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Guilin means forest of osmanthus. The name Guilin came about when an old old time war lord first came to this place and noticed the abundance of osmanthus flower in this part of China.

  

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In Guilin, anywhere you go, any direction you turn, the sights of mountains and rivers are plentiful.

  

Li River (Lijiang)

As an engineer, I was greatly amazed to see buildings built high up at the peaks of mountains. Mind you, builders in those days did not have the luxury of machinery and equipment that we have nowadays.

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There are four lakes in the city of Guilin. They are fed by Li River. The 4 laikes are Mulong (Wooden Dragon) Lake, Gui (Sweet Scented Osmanthus) Lake, Rong (Banyan) Lake and Shan (Fir) lake. All the lakes are inter-connected.

  

日月双塔 Sun & Moon Twin Pagodas in one of the four lakes in Guilin

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