Nightlife

Yangshuo is always praised as the 'Paradise of Petty Bourgeois' in China. This is mainly due to its colorful nightlife both in West Street and in other parts of the county.

West Street (Xi Jie), also known as 'Foreigners Street', attracts tourists from all over the world. There are many bars and cafes along the street, such as the Romantic Bar, the Si If Bar, the TinTin Bar, the Blue Bird Bar and the Global Café. At night, the street comes alive with tourists, students and locals drinking, chatting, singing and dancing in the bars and cafes. The lights and bustle, mixed with the sounds and sights of different languages and cultures, make for a unique and interesting experience.

Wandering along the street are peddlers with various folk musical instruments on their backs. They play these to attract buyers. The beautiful and exotic sounds mingle with each other, adding more interest and color to the street. The famous Beer Festival is held at the beginning or end of a year. It is a festival of music, dances, games and beer drinking competitions. There are also performances of international folk and traditional Chinese dances (for example, Dragon Dance and Lion Dance). It is really a night of revelry.

At night, different food stalls sell local snacks such as Tangyuan (dumplings made of glutinous rice flour), pot-roasted chicken, various porridges and barbecues to the hungry crowds.

For peace and quiet, take a short walk from West Street to the Li River. Sitting on the riverbank, looking at the golden fishing lights on hundreds of floating bamboo rafts and the rolling spindrifts in the river, it is easy to become engrossed in the simple beauty. To further experience the tranquil scenery and feel the unique romance of the Li River under the moon, rent a boat and row on the river. Since 1999, the Li River Fishing Lights Festival has been held annually in November in the Gregorian calendar. This three-day festival celebrates the breathtaking beauty of the fishing lights with entertainments and folk performances.

In Yangshuo, Moon Hill is the place to go for the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival (one of the Chinese National Festivals) on August 15th in the Chinese lunar calendar. At night when the moon appears in the sky, many young boys and girls from nearby villages come here to sing dulcet folk songs to express their love. These special songs are musical dialogues sung in the antiphonal style. This custom of the Zhuang ethnic minority group always attracts thousands of tourists.

A ten to fifteen minutes walk from West Street is Shutong Hill. This is the place to watch the world famous opera Impression on Sanjie Liu. Using natural hills and rivers as its stage, the opera tells the love story of Sanjie Liu (a fairy singer in the legend of Zhuang ethnic group). The magnificent scenes and dreamy atmosphere are quite impressive. The opera usually starts at 8:00pm every night and lasts for about 90 minutes. The ticket is CNY188 for Ordinary, CNY320 for VIP and CNY 680 for President.