The landscape and river that surrounds Guilin and flows through Guilin and down through the villages of Yangti, Xing Ping and Yangshou is perhaps the most famous of China depicted through photographs, paintings, silk scrolls and even on Chinese currency.
[...] "They were the oddest hills in the world, and the most Chinese, because these are the hills that are depicted in every Chinese scroll. It is almost a sacred landscape - it is certainly an emblematic one[...]" ---- Paul Theroux, Riding the Iron Rooster, 1988
The magical and majestic pinnacles that have inspired artists and philosophers for centuries create a fairly tale atmosphere once you leave the city for the serenity of rafting down the Li Jiang on bamboo rafts while farmers plow fields with the help of water buffalo.
These amazing spires are composed of limestone and are called "Karst" which refers to the how the pinnacles are formed. As with any awe inspiring geological scenery these Karst spires were formed by thousands of years of rain and erosion. The limestone on the surface is broken down by rainwater acidified by carbon dioxide in the air and plant debris in the soil. Over time narrow channels are formed in the limestone which accelerates the erosion. Time causes deep gorges to be formed in the limestone's joints and fractures and divides the limestone mass into isolated blocks. In many areas these blocks are rounded into closely spaced conical hills in other places into vertical towers.
Missing the express air-conditioned bus in Guilin our Chinese friends found us a bus that would pass through Yangshou, our chosen base camp for exploring the Karst, culture and food of Southwestern China. This bus would cost us about the same as the express bus because it was a long distance sleeper bus header even further south closer to the Viet Nam border. We passed our luggage through a window on the side of the bus and boarded the weathered and worn bus. Inside there were two aisles flanked by three rows of bunks. With 8 rows of bunks stacked two high, there was no way to actually sit on the bunk. That is unless you were extremely short or a child. The only option for the hour and half journey south was to get horizontal.
On the bus we met a young Chinese woman and her fiance who spent the day in Guilin photographing and location scouting for their pending wedding. She was an english teacher yet her husband to be spoke no english save the ubiquitous "hello". And he was happy to share his english proficiency with us when we asked. The bus rolled through town as the driver endeavored to fill a few remaining bunks. That's when Mathias boarded. A young Frenchman who owned a café in Yangshou and had just opened another in Dali City in Yunan province.
Mathias would show us later just how late we could stay up in Yangshou and introduce us to his fellow french friend who recently opened a brewery in Yangshou. Finally, he assured us, you cold get real beer in China. With a bottle of Insignia still packed in my luggage we spoke of French wine and his appetite for wine made in China.
Photos: (1) Oolong River fork of the Li Jiang; (3) Mathias Yangshou french entrepreneur philosophizing and reflecting on life in China.
If you haven't read the post of the journey and ride that finally found me hanging in Guilin you should take a quick moment and read it here.
Guilin is a pleasant small Chinese city of about 500,000 people. Famous within China for its amazing scenery. Artists, writers and those who've inscribed everything from cave walls to etchings have touted Guilin as the most beautiful place in the world. Sitting on the western bank of the Li Jiang river Guilin is surrounded by unique limestone karst peaks.
Waking up after our crazy journey to this bustling town -- yet peaceful compared to Guangzhou or HK -- we sauntered along the river looking for a good cup of coffee. We immediately became victim (very willingly you should know) to a graduate student from Bejing who wanted to practice her English while convincing us to participate in a marketing research survey.
Shortly after this we met Ling and Xi. A recent graduate and her roommate, Ling immediately expressed excitement and desire to hang with Americans to practice her English and "hang out". She lamented that she liked Americans more than many of the foreign visitors who come to Guilin because most Americans she said, will talk to her. Others wave their arms at her or tell her to go away. It's not like she's selling anything. Just a friendly Chinese girl looking to express herself in a new language while hoping to learn about faraway lands. Can't blame her.
Bryan and I went for breakfast and within minutes of leaving the eatery we were graced by the beautiful duo of Ling and Xi. This friendship and companionship helped us immensely as we wandered the streets of Guilin. Always eager to dive into the real culture I asked Ling to take me to the market. Eager to see snakes, turtles and an assortment of colorful and exotic edible plants they guided us through the streets to the local market.
I could feel a bit of apprehension as we walked through the alley covered with market umbrellas, fabric strung between roof tops, puddles of muddy water dotted the concrete and dirt. Mud.
"This is not very nice," Ling warned. "Very dirty market this."
"Dirty?" I asked thinking that I'm in China and I'm not looking for a Safeway or Ralph's supermarket. "It's ok. I'm very understandable."
"Dirty," Ling warned.
Deep down it really wasn't dirty to her. But she was worried that I'd perceive this market as dingy, dirty and unsanitary. Which maybe it was. But this is the way of life her. Hell. I've got my Hepatitis A & B and a host of other shots injected into my system. Bring it on, Ling. I'm ready.
Gotta hand it to Ling. She's knows the cardinal rule of all rules: manage expectations. This market wasn't that dirty. Sure raw meat sits own in plane view. Merchants waiting for customers fall asleep on stacks of fruit and vegetables. Yeah. There were the turtles for sale. Even a dog. But you can be assured that Bryan (at 6'3" and me blonde and extremely white) and I gathered quite the crowd at the market.
We enjoyed an amazing lunch with these girls and while I was curious about snake, I really wasn't ready to take part in that much of culture. Yet. Later we asked our new found friends to take us to find some tea. And we hopped a cab and cruised through Guilin to a cramped street that was clearly a destination to only locals in the know. And that's where we met the magician. At least that's what it looked like.
A tiny storefront with only chinese characters stenciled to the glass we found him. The magician. The walls lined with exotic teas. Exotic to me. And tiny almost miniature tea pots and little glasses. All signed by some Chinese craftsman. Behind a wall of glass jars holding tea leaves he sat. Hovering over a marble or stone platter fitted with drainage. A small rubber hose connected to a tiny nipple on the stone platter was the conduit for spent hot water and tea to drain cleanly and out of sight -- to the floor.
He speaks no English. But he has the accoutrements. We find some tea and he boils water. pours it into a large pot. Filters it with tea, then into a small pot. Then lots of waving motion as he performs Jackson Pollackesque moves with the water and tea over the cups. Letting them runneth over.
Handing us the delicate cups he smiles and reveals his dental challenge. Long stringy hair falls over an aging but innocent looking face. It's receding. He looks like a wizard. But he's the magician. The magic of tea. Tea in China. In Guilin.
Bryan and I walked out of there amped on great tea and a few bags under our arms. Didn't get any photos of the magician. But some amazing video. I hope I can find time to edit and post this a bit later. Stay tuned.
Photos: (1) The Southwestern City of Guilin with the Li Jiang River and scenic limestone karst peaks gracing the landscape. (2) Ling and Xi our translators, tour guides and good friends while in Guilin area. (3) Meat. Meat. And meat at the market in Guilin. (4) Care for some fish? (5) Spices and dry goods at Guilin market. (6) Snake is on the menu. If you dare.
China. You gotta love this place. The people so industrious yet get out into the countryside and you can see the classic images that have graced the pages of National Geographic and the airwaves of the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel. Hanging in southwest China we are living the subtropical climate. With it comes the humidity, the tropical plants, flora and fauna. But one thing is for sure. This is not a climate conducive to growing grapes and therefore making wine.
Not that I haven't searched for wine. Great or otherwise. As a traveler, explorer and wanderer I typically search out local or indigenous experiences. Whether this is food, culture or whatever you might call "living life". So finding a good bottle of wine has been a challenge. Not to mention a decent glass or "stem" as I am fond of referring to those glass or crystal vessels designed to host the juice of the fermented grape. Found wine. Haven't found a stem.
And wouldn't you know it. The two easiest to find bottles of wine are from producers aptly named "Dynasty" and "Great Wall".The wines come in the standard sizes, shapes and flavors. The cabernet from Great Wall seems to be the best I've tasted to date. Vintage? 1999. But it's important to note that the grapes from these wines are about as indigenous as the Madagasscar Palms gracing the grand entrance to Fashion Island in Newport Beach are to California.
Depending on the year, the weather and the political climate in Bejing, the grapes for Dynasty, Great Wall or any other Chinese wine come from France, South America or Australia. As far as I can tell, it's never consistent. It's just wine. Throw a label on it and sell it.
So it stands to reason that when I ran across this article today it dawned on me that the Chinese DO have an appetite for wine. And that's why imports of wine into China increased at a healthy rate of more than 50% last year from the previous year.
[...] according to figures released by the Beijing customs authorities, with a value amounting to almost o26 million, an increase which is being attributed to lower import tariffs and increasingly westernized consumer tastes ...]
It's interesting to note that the majority of the wines imported by China are from Chile. According to AP-Foodtechnology.com France, Australia, the US, Argentina, Italy and Spain follow in that order.
While I didn't actually see too many Chinese locals imbibing in the greatest and perhaps oldest fermented beverage on the planet, according to the previously mentioned website, "wine is gaining popularity among China[base ']s increasingly affluent consumers, particularly red wine, although many people drink it on-the-rocks or served with mixers such as cola." No there you go. I know two people in the USA that prefer not to drink it straight up enjoying it on the rocks. My dad and my good friend Paul Hunter. But somehow both of these folks would probably never step into China. Shame. Seems they might have something in common after all.
Hanging in Guilin. More on this legendary town later.
Photo: (1) Does this one need any explanation. Which Dynasty? Tong? Which Great Wall? The only one. The wine? Juice is likely Chilean or Australian. But when in Rome....
The landscape and river that surrounds Guilin and flows through Guilin and down through the villages of Yangti, Xing Ping and Yangshou is perhaps the most famous of China depicted through photographs, paintings, silk scrolls and even on Chinese currency. 
If you haven't read the post of the journey and ride that finally found me hanging in Guilin you should take a quick moment and read it 
And wouldn't you know it. The two easiest to find bottles of wine are from producers aptly named "Dynasty" and "Great Wall".The wines come in the standard sizes, shapes and flavors. The cabernet from Great Wall seems to be the best I've tasted to date. Vintage? 1999. But it's important to note that the grapes from these wines are about as indigenous as the Madagasscar Palms gracing the grand entrance to Fashion Island in Newport Beach are to California. 
