Shangrila

Yet another Shangrila, you say. Yes - it is abuse of the name given that James Hilton wrote about an idyllic valley up in the Himalaya, and this isn't even close to snow-capped peaks. Whatever! This Shangrila does take in the natural beauty of surrrounding area with its small river and large karst peaks in the background.

When you visit the Yangshuo Shangrila, your entrance fee includes a short boat trip. This boat trip is actually nice. The scenery is very nice and you go through a small cave. Then the fun begins ...

For the next stage, you get to see the tacky 'local minority' in their animal skins with animal skulls hung on totem poles. It is completely fake and the glamour, if ever there was any, disappeared long ago. The staff looked bored and even a little embarassed by the routine. Look closely and you'll see little modern details that just shouldn't be there. We saw at least one wristwatch, and cycling shorts!

After the boat trip, you can walk around the traditional buildings and see some local people making handicrafts which are, of course, for sale. It's at this point that you will probably realsie the whole point of the site. It is one large shop - aimed at the souvenir hungry domestic market.

If you have time to spare in either direction bewteen Yangshuo and Guilin then do stop. It is pleasant enough, and fun if you go with the right attitude. Just don't expect authentic anything.

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Weaving
Ian Ford
The handicrafts area is a bit more interesting

How to get here

Private vehicle

Most people come here as part of day tour and have their own vehicle

Public Bus

Shangrila is on the main road linking Guilin and Yangshuo. You could take one of the local buses on this route and asked to get dropped off here. Expect to pay around 5 Yuan for the bus