East or west,Guilin landscape is best
Just as the popular Chinese saying goes “East or west,Guilin landscape is best.” When we came to pad by in the little wooden boat o appreciate the beautiful scenery of Guilin and water was slopping around in the bottom of the boat. Although, I have seen the sea surging high and sweeping forward and have appreciated the hyaline Xihu Lake, I haven’t seen such kind of water. It was so calm that you could not be aware of the move of the boat. It was so limpid that you could see the sand and pebbles at the bottom of the river. It was so green that as if it was a flawless jade. The paddles caused ripples then spread away, making you really feel the sailing ahead of the boat and removing backwards of the shore.
Chinese Mountains and Water Painting
Having climbed the grand Mount Taishan;
Chinese Mountains and Water Painting
Having visited the Fragrant Hill filled with fiery red leaves;
Chinese Mountains and Water Painting
but having not seen such kind of mountains in Guilin so unique and exotic. High-rising mountains soar from the land separately, or old-people-like, or huge-bull-elephant-like, or camel-like, so marvelous and exotic as they were. How peculiar and beautiful the mountains are like green-jade screen, like the new emerging bamboo shoots brightly. They were reflected in the water. How steep and dangerous they were! Filled with a large amount of jagged rocks in grotesque shapes as if carelessly and accidentally would drop down to the ground. Such groups of mountains surround such kind of water, and such water reflects such mountains, as well as clouds and mist in the sky, and prosperous trees and vivid flowers in the forests, and bamboo raft and rowboat on the river, as if walking in the hand-scroll of painting. Just as the verse goes “the rowboat sails on bluish waves and people walking in the picture.”
Chinese Mountains and Water Painting
