Guilin: Elephant Hill, Jing Jiang Official Residence and afternoon boat ride (Guangxi Province, China)

We decided to stay in the city for the day. After breakfast at MacDonalds, we walked to the Elephant Hill garden. I was not too keen to pay Y70 to enter the park as I could see the Elephant Hill from the main road (the park grew trees around the area so that the Elephant Hill was hidden except at some stray locations). The lady at the hotel tour desk suggested hiring a raft nearby to go near the Elephant Hill (for around Y20 to 30 per person) but I could not find one.

View of Elephant Nose Hill from the main road

The lady at the hotel tour desk suggested hiring a raft nearby to go near the Elephant Hill (for around Y20 to 30 per person) but I could not find one. Also, we found out that the boat ride during the day would pass by Elephant Hill, and we were keen to take the ride. (Note: you need to take the longer route boat ride in order to see the Elephant Hill. Check with the boat ride operator).

We had lunch at this restaurant (王城醋血鸭老店) which served duck in vinegar source. For 2 persons, this dish (about Y85) would be sufficient. I like the tenderness of the duck and right amount of vinegar. The restaurant is located along the river. Address: 滨江路商住楼3栋，Bin Jiang Road, Building 3. Tel: 2868333.

Jing Jiangn Official Residence (靖江王府) was 10 minutes' walk from the restaurant. Entrance fee at Y120 was steep. Try to search for some package or bundle deal offered on the web or by some travel agents.

The 600 year residence was built by Ming Dynasty Emperor Zhu Yuan Zhan for his brother's grandson. Well known personalities from this family included painter Shi Tao (石涛) and Hua Zhu Ge Ge (环珠格格), made into a popular TV show in the late 1990s.

Walk way of the Royals

It was a guided tour and the pace was a bit hurried. The guide pointed out 3 "strange" sights within the compound, the dragon head and tail in a tree, and a tree with "claws".

Dragon Head

Dragon Tail

Tree with "claws"

During one segment of the tour, we had to take a "mock" imperial examinations and two lucky scholars were born!

The official residence with Du Xiu Hill at its back. To the Chinese, it was considered good feng shui or luck. The climb was generally easy and took about 15 minutes to reach the top.

It was good view from the top. However, we had to make do with the constant blasting of announcement asking visitors to make donations or prayers to the temple. It seemed that religion had become commercialised in a socialist country.

At the bottom of the hill, there was a stele where the famous phrase on the beauty of Guilin was inscripted (桂林山水甲天下) [third row to the left]. On the right, the character of longevity was inscripted to commemorate the 60th birthday of Dowager Ci Xi.

Overall, it was an enjoyable visit. I liked it as I learnt more about the history of this building, in particular to Zhu Yuan Zhang. I was not sure if there were guided tours in English. The architecture of the building was not spectacular compared to other key cities. And of course, the ticket price was steep.

Cruise Boat

We managed to make it for the last boat ride at 4:40 pm with the help of a taxi driver. The Y80 ticket ride was similar to the night cruise, except that we got to see the views in broad day light and a chance to be close to Elephant Hill. Again, it was really noisy in the cabin.

Bridges along the cruise

You can walk on the roots of this tree

There were decorations underneath the bridges.

The last major highlight would be the Elephant Hill.

The end point of the boat ride would be a jetty with the horses' statutes. It was a 20 minutes walk back to the hotel.

Dinner at Wei Xiang Guan (味香馆) along Zheng Yang pedestrian street. This restaurant is another franchise in the city. We had noodle soup which tasted good, and a fish dish. We ate around 7:30 pm and some dishes were already sold out. This happened to a few restaurants here, where dishes sold out early.