The region around Guilin in Guanxi Province, China was the first area to open to tourism after the revolution. Once one has hiked along the furtile Longji rice terraces or strolled along the Yulong river at the foot of the Conical Karst Ruyi Mountains, one can understand why. As someone who has travelled there from Shanghai via sleeper train, it felt as though we were crossing borders into another country, the land was so different, the rural local culture and people so very