To get a birds-eye view of Yangshuo’s picturesque scenery, I hiked up a hill a few miles south of the county’s bustling center.
Moon Hill.
The hill is known for its natural arch, and the Chinese call it Yueliang shan (月亮山), which literally translates into moon mountain. Sections of the 1,250-foot hike to the arch are steep, but the trail is paved with concrete steps.
The trail leads to a viewing platform, where you can watch rock climbers maneuver up limestone cliffs. Yangshuo is regarded as a world-class climbing destination, and attracts people from all over the globe.
Most visitors stop at the viewing platform, but I had read that the best views were from the top of the hill. A dirt path that takes you there is closed to the public for safety reasons, but the owner of the hotel I stayed at said the trail was safe as long as it wasn’t raining, so I went up.
The arch on Moon Hill, as seen from the viewing platform.
A light fog that had blanketed the region in previous days had lifted. In every direction, rows of lush green karst peaks filled the horizon. I was alone and high enough that the cars motoring on the highway below were barely audible.
It was peaceful and, with a little imagination, easy to forget you were in world’s most populated country.
Slightly Reworded 
You send very interesting information. My husband added me to your blog list. My husband is David Jodway, he was friends with your dad.
Hi Ellen,
Thanks for the compliment. I connected with Dave on Facebook, and we’ve exchanged a few messages. I always enjoy the videos he posts of himself playing guitar. I bet he had a lot of fun with my dad.
Take care
Jimmy
Good point. There is actually a woman who recently wrote a book about the behavior of Chinese tourists. It generated a little controversy because it compared Chinese tourists to pigs. Here’s a link to a story about the book.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/356725/chinese-tourists-difficult-to-deal-with
China has some of the world’s most beautiful scenery. It’s such a shame that eventually these amazing places, worldwide, will have tourists flocking to them and as a result, irreparable damage.
You’re right. There are so many places that have already been damaged. I’m living in one of them right now, Beijing, where we’ve had a string really polluted days. Hopefully the younger generation will treat the environment better and turn things around.
Thanks for reading.
Jimmy
An example would be the defacing of an Egyptian historical monument by a Chinese tourist, that happened a year or two ago. This in no means, subjects Chinese people to being the only race that are bad tourists. However, as the media and society is focusing on China, it is undoubtedly that Chinese tourists whom are arguably uncivilised, will be in the spotlight. Had this happened 20 years ago, the attention would have been much less.