Guilin

The Elephant Rock is Guilin's mascot (2004).

Limestone peaks are Guilin's symbols.

Picturesque landscapes such as these inspire numerous Chinese paintings.

Night fishing with cormorants is a well known way of living in Guilin. However the birds are also useful for fishing money from picture-hungry tourists.

Many women still wash their clothes in the river in rural places.

For many boys in the villages, lives are already defined at very young age.

As China continues to modernize, plowing with oxen will soon become something of the past.

Guilin is designated by the central government to be one of China's main tourist attractions. These pagodas are newly constructed to enhance visibility.

You can buy anything from expensive Italian handbags to horse meat noodle in downtown Guilin.

Misty hills compose a signature look of this land.

Amazing caves are hidden inside these hills.

The caves are amazing indeed. But I would say that the artificial lightings are too loud.

Lotus roots are harvested from the river bank and then transported to the street markets on tricycles.

Small villages such as this may one day become golf courses, shopping malls or fancy apartment buildings.