You win some, you lose some... in Yangshuo, China

Like many other people my age, I had a misspent childhood that consisted of playing video games for far too long. I would spend hours and hours of my life finding ways to outsmart a computer - ironically trying not to lose any lives - to complete each level. So, it’s no wonder that my mind now relies far too heavily on Street Fighter II when imagining what a country might look like before travelling there. Before going to China, with no other point of reference, I envisaged the hometown of Chun Li: bicycles streaming down narrow alleys, swerving to avoid wrinkled locals squatting on the streets under hanging meat, caged chickens beside them flapping furiously, spots of colour on a dusty beige background. When we arrived in the countryside of Yangshuo, that’s exactly what we saw. Only this time, the person on the bicycle was me...

Yangshuo is a town in the south of China bordered by the River Li and surrounded by gigantic, Karst mountains - jagged peaks of limestone shaped like the teeth of a dragon. We soaked in the fantastical presence of this geological wonder by cycling to the Fuli bridge, taking a bamboo raft along the Yulong river, and even getting on a boat to Guilin - the stunning scenery our faithful companion throughout the trip.

Always eager to reward ourselves for any physical effort, we went to see the famous Liu Sanjie light show - an outdoor performance set along the river with a dramatic mountain range serving as a backdrop. We hurried to our seats just before the show was due to begin, but as we sat down, yes, in that precise moment, we felt those all too familiar splatters of water. Within seconds the sky burst into rain, each drop sprinting towards us as if trying to beat the next one in a close, uncomfortable race.

As the storm continued, the audience (all three thousand of us), swirled back to the entrance for shelter. We waited around for over an hour, cursing our luck, before finally being told to return to our seats despite the rain still pouring, flashes of lightning still illuminating the mountains and thunder still growling in the background. The show began as hundreds of performers filled the space before us with colour, mesmerising us until the weather no longer played protagonist. And then the non-sensical occurred. People in the audience started to get up and leave, twenty minutes before the show was due to finish, obstructing our view as they tried to catch final glimpses of the performance. This is, apparently, normal behaviour in a country where many think that queues can kill! The irritating kerfuffle continued until the end, which was confirmed by the set being dismantled in front of us (if you’ve ever had your plate taken away while you’re still finishing your meal you’ll know how this felt). We grabbed a bite to eat and went home soggy and a little deflated. The next day we were blessed with wonderful weather! We went on a short hike up Moon Hill - the naturally arched mountain that looks over the town, and even escaped the heat for a while by exploring the Silver Caves, where we were taken aback by the unexpected neon lights that I’m sure don’t exist in a cave anywhere else in the world. Now, I’ll let the photos do the talking, but I think it’s worth mentioning that the satisfying day we had reminded me that the game is never really over.

Moon Hill

The beautifully illuminagted Silver Cave, Yanghsuo - complete with reflection:

Guess what I found out in Yanshuo? 1. The Liu Sanjie light show is directed by Zhang Yimou, the Chief Director of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in 1998. Although I’m sure they didn't show anyone dismantling the set on television! 2. The show’s stage consists of 2km of river and sits at the foot of the Jade Dragon snow mountain range, making this the world’s largest natural theatre. 3. There is a Chinese proverb stating that "whoever visits the Silver Caves will not be short of money". I’ll let you know if it’s true at the end of the trip…