Okay, so I am breaking my own rules here by recommending two sights, but for me these two things go hand in hand.

On our first day in Yangshuo we went on a wonderful journey to what we had been told was one of the quietest and most peaceful stretches of the Yulong.  It didn’t disappoint.  At one point we were completely alone, just enjoying the sound of the insects buzzing around us.  We saw all of the classic sights and sounds of Yangshuo, the water buffalo, the men fishing by the side of the river, the boatmen singing, it was perfect.

But I had the eerie sensation that it was too perfect and everyone was too happy.  Part of me felt that there was a certain manufactured element to this perfection.

That evening we went to see the Impressions show near Yangshuo Town.  It was huge, busy and I learnt what the Chinese attitude to theatre is - just keep talking (preferably on a mobile phone) and taking photos all the way through.  But nothing could spoil this incredible show.  Even though we had absolutely no idea what they were singing, I had read the story in our hotel guide information earlier and, like opera, “the music is very powerful”.  And somewhere in the show I suddenly got it.  That the people here love Yangshuo, they love their culture, their singing, their simple way of life, and they are just so happy to be able to share it with the tourists and to keep living the life that they love.

So that’s my excuse for recommending two sights in Yangshuo.

Bamboo Raft Ride:  To reach the quiet stretch of river from Yulong Village we cycled up to Yulong Village (with a map but without a guide!) and then jumped on a bamboo raft to come back down the river (with our bikes on the back). 

To see the bamboo ride please watch the videos - it’s almost impossibly lush and other worldly in places.

But I don’t want to forget to tell you about everything else that was wonderful and exciting about this day out.  The best bit for me was coasting along on my mountain bike, with butterflies flitting around me - and it wasn’t even butterfly season!

Then there was just having to stop every so often to look up and wonder at the incredible karst mountains.  Oddly enough this is the same geological phenomena that has created the archipelago of islands in Croatia, so there was something familiar to me about the scenery (although much more of this was above water!)

There was having to cross the tiny Yulong River at Yima - a journey we went one way in style and the other way on the most broken down raft without seats (learnt to squat before you go to China!) because none of the posh rafts could be bothered to cross the river to get us!

There was getting lost in the little villages on the east side of the river, getting a bit scared and being lead to our destination by a friendly lady in white - who we later realised had been following us in order to take us the right way and buy our tickets for us - and I’m so glad she did.

And relaxing in Yulong Village - using the basic but very clean 1 yuan village toilets, buying a bottle of green tea from our lady in white, listening to the music bouncing around the trees beside the river, watching locals washing their clothes.

One of the best journeys of my life.

Impressions: Directed by the incredible Zhang Yimou (“House Of Flying Daggers”), this show is actually set on a natural stage, with karst mountains lit up on the Li River. 

It features hundreds of locals; bamboo rafts, dancers, cormorant fishermen, even children from the minority tribes in the area, and the props, costumes and effects are beyond what you would expect even in a top London show.  Our hotel booked our tickets for us, then there was some shouting and running around at the ticket office (thankfully our cab driver sorted everything) and we were so glad that they had recommended the mid-range seats - the basic ones have a good view, but no backs to the chairs - tough for a long show.  The music is wonderful, it had me in tears, but I highly recommend that you read the story beforehand so that you can understand what is going on!  But even if you don’t understand...

It’s red silk ribbons turned into a sunset river by bamboo boatmen.

It’s a moon goddess dancing naked (so I’m told!) on an upturned moon in the water.

It’s rows of children from the minority tribes jangling with the sound of their jewelled costumes and singing in their own sweet language.

It’s heartbreaking, redeeming, powerful, gently and utterly mystifying in places.

It’s a technical and organisational miracle, inspired by the cast and crew’s passion for the Yangshuo way of life.