The town of Xingping

Xing ping with the magnificent Karst hills all around the town is forever immortalized nationwide by being featured on the 20 Yuan note. It's 25kms from the famous scenic town of Yangshuo & has a history of 1,800yrs. The town itself is not big; an easy hour's stroll would take it all in, but here are also several interesting walking trails from the town.

The bend in the Li River at Xing Ping makes a perfect mooring area for boats & as the local tourist industry rapidly grows, so does the number of tour boats. The most popular way to see the beautiful scenic Li River is by raft. These rafts have small engines attached to them with seating for up to 6 people (depending on weight) & shade to give protection from the sun & rain. Bigger boats, with roof top viewing decks carry maybe 50 passengers. The big tour boats from Guilin to Yangshuo pass by, but when the river level gets very low, passengers have to alight in Xing Ping.

Traditionally rafts were made from bamboo, but are now made with PVC pipe making them a lot safer for tourists. Only rafts for personal use are still made with bamboo.

The area between Xing Ping & Yandi village is regarded as being the most beautiful part of the Li River. The trip from Xing Ping to Yandi & back takes a leisurely three hours. For hikers there's a walking track along the riverside which passes through small villages & crosses the river a few times. It takes 3-4 hrs from Yangdi to Xing Ping.

Many famous people have visited the area over the years, but none as famous as Bill Clinton with his daughter when he was president. He visited the nearby fishing village which still has authentic old style buildings plus photos of his visit. All 'famous' visitors are taken to the fishing village.

The old part of the town still retains authentic old buildings which are protected by the local Government. Any exterior renovations are done in the old style. The temple that is now a museum is in the middle of the old town. It claims 1,800yrs of history & is open each day to paying visitors.

All the paving through the old area is very new making it a pleasant stroll. However it's quickly blended into the landscape so visitors are barely aware that it's new.

Many local people make their living from tourism thus increasing thier annual income. From owning mobile fridges to sell cold drinks, souvenir shops & stalls, restaurants, accommodation, there are opportunities here for many people. The 100's of boats & the mini buses all need drivers; one local man, who owns a citrus farm, makes wooden sole slip-on shoes which his girlfriend sells in her souvenir shop. There is a particular knotty type of wood that grows in the hills which is made into novelty smoke holders. Always popular with smokers.

So far there are four foreign business owners in Xing Ping. The very comfortable YHA hostel is managed by a man from Belgium. They also own the first Western style restaurant to open in the town. The hostel is advertised in all the right places so it's well patronized. A wood fired pizza oven has been installed at the hostel alongside the popular pool table.

A man from South Korea, who has been in a resident for three years & intends to stay forever, has a small restaurant selling Korean food plus a gift & clothing shop opposite it. He speaks very good English & is very friendly.

A 65yr old Japanese man has lived in here for many years. He & his Chinese wife own a hotel/restaurant that looks out over the main docking area on the Li River.

I am the latest addition with Xing Ping Oil Painting Gallery & drink bar.

Along the riverside, many farmers have turned their homes into what's called Farmer's Restaurants. They have connections to the raft owners so they will recommend these restaurants to their passengers. Food is freshly prepared upon arrival so it's relaxing time as you wait for your meal. Good time to enjoy a cold drink & lay back to watch the river activity.

The area is very famous for the cormorant fishing birds. They can easily be viewed around the riverside & during the evening there's a show where visitors can watch these birds at work by lamp light. However they are only a tourist attraction now as there is not enough fish in the river to make them commercially viable.

The local scenery is also well used by others. Professional photographers regularly come with their models to take photographs. Bridal parties have their wedding photos taken. Art students from various Art Colleges around China come to practice their drawing skills. They stay for a few days & there can be up to 200 students at one time. They make quite an impact on the local industry.

Every three days it's market day which is well patronized by the local folk who have been going to it all their lives. Many walk in from their small villages outside town, maybe carrying goods to sell. They are very small people so seem dwarfed by their shoulder poles carrying goods. The sidewalk medics, dentists & sellers of traditional medicine also set up shop at the market making it an interesting visit.

Every morning from sunrise till 8 am locals gather on the side of the street at the opposite end of the town to the market. They sell small amounts of fresh vegetables, meat & fish from their home farms. They are welcomed by all those who live at the opposite end of town to the markets.

In the surrounding hills there are minority villages. Some of them are the Zhuang, Hui, Yao, & Dong. They are very self sufficient & rarely come down to the town to trade. They wear their traditional clothes so they are easily recognized. Their children go to their local primary school, sometimes walking for 1-2 hrs each way. For middle school they move down to the town & board at school. However there are quite a few children boarding at the primary school.

The town is well serviced by restaurants both Chinese & Western style. There are some big restaurants outside the old town area to cater to the many tour buses that come every day, many rice noodle shops to cater for breakfasts & BBQ stands in the evenings. In the old area there are several very good restaurants catering to western tastes.

I opened an Art Gallery in the old town opposite the temple selling oil paintings of the spectacular local scenery. My gallery is in a very old building so rustic would best describe its look. I am the 4^th foreigner to own a business in Xing Ping, but if the rapid development of the area continues I will not be the last for very long. It is my dream to develop an art & craft community so I was delighted when a Chinese man opened a gallery opposite me selling his own Traditional Chinese paintings. Already there are two of them in the village plus an elderly man who sells his small ink drawings on the street outside my place.

Welcome to Xing Ping.