I grew up watching Chinese Kungfu films and martial arts documentaries. As a young boy, sometimes I would wonder why I was not as quick and as tough as the Chinese kids who were on the films. Later I would know that martial arts are one of the pastimes among the Chinese countryside folks. This is just one aspect of the vibrant rural Chinese that you will encounter on a tour in the Yangshuo county, an idyllic 'touristy' town in northeast of Guangxi, China.

I grew up watching Chinese Kungfu films and martial arts documentaries. As a young boy, sometimes I would wonder why I was not as quick and as tough as the Chinese kids who were on the films. Later I would know that martial arts are one of the pastimes among the Chinese countryside folks. This is just one aspect of the vibrant rural Chinese that you will encounter on a tour in the Yangshuo county, an idyllic 'touristy' town in northeast of Guangxi, China.

In 1980's, the town was popular with backpackers but as the years passed, more and more tourists discovered the magic of Yangshuo County and Yangshuo Town. Today, the town is a resort destination. Below are some of the things that attract tourists in this rural setting.

1. Rock climbing

Yangshuo has more than 200 rock climbing routes. Most of these destinations are accessible by road using bicycles, buses and taxis. Rock climbing here is divided into 3 categories namely single-pitch bolted sport climbing route, multi-pitch bolted sport climbing route and Traditional Rock climbing. Popular crags for rock climbing include Moon Hill, Low Mountain, Twin Gates, Baby Frog, The Egg, Bamboo Grove and Wine Bottle Cliff.

2. Exploration and sight seeing

All the crags listed above are exploration sights. In addition, the banks of Li River, Yulong River and Moon River are a popular destination with tourists.

3. Partnerships

The Yangshuo county has partnered with other Rock climbing towns in the world. A classic example of these partnerships is Morehead in Kentucky and Rapid City in South Dakota which are both in the US. Tourists who come here can easily get visas to go to the US for a similar experience and vice versa.

Yangshuo is an idyllic little neighborhood that showcases the best of China. True, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing may represent the modern China, but I would rather have the traditional China any day. The countryside looks so peaceful…it is untainted by raw ambition and quest for greatness. Here, life is so simple. People go about their rice planting business and in the evening gather at a small bar where they will chat to the wee hours of the night. How I wish that is how things were in the rest of the world…that’s why they coined in the phrase ‘If wishes were horses…’