Yangshuo’s Identity Crisis

By: Jamie Martines

November 15, 2011

The following is a reflection on my recent trip to the city of Guilin in southern China. It focuses on the cultural climate of Yangshuo, a small but popular tourist town about an hour outside of Guilin. This piece includes interviews with some of my classmates and their perspectives on their experiences in Yangshuo.

Once the sun goes down in Yangshuo, a sharp chill creeps into the humid, late autumn air. In a matter of minutes, West Street transforms into a circus. On your left, flashing strobe lights and the booming base of the latest house music flood out of a bar. Gaudy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and a glimmering silver stripper pole beckon patrons inside.

On your right, hawkers promise a price “cheaper for you” on anything your heart desires or your stomach craves: silk scarves, stinky tofu, rice hats, and anything that can be grilled on a stick. Look up and you will see well-dressed European tourists dining on balconies that overlook the street as they enjoy a cheeseburger and a dark German beer. Look down, and be sure to watch your step, because a cripple is shaking a cup and begging at your feet.

“This is an assault on the senses,” comments one passer-by.

“China is an assault on the senses in general,” Matt Florian replied to no one in particular. Florian is an American undergraduate spending his junior year studying abroad in Beijing. He traveled to the city of Guilin and its neighboring tourist towns, Longsheng and Yangshuo, with about 80 other non-Chinese students in his study abroad program.

According to Lonely Planet’s Guide to China, the city of Guilin and the surrounding region is one of China’s most popular tourist destinations. Towering limestone karst formations quietly stand at attention along the banks of the Li River, and flooded rice paddies reflect the late autumn sun like mirrors as they wait patiently for villagers to collect the harvest.

The unusual scenery appears otherworldly, as if it was fabricated for the latest sci-fi adventure film; but as one might not guess, it has been there for thousands of years. It is one of China’s most prized national treasures and is proudly displayed on the back of the 20-yuan note. The dazzling landscape is what initially attracted tourists, and local residents have certainly capitalized on the opportunity to take advantage of this organic tourist magnet.

Florian, who was expecting a “rough, rural experience” from his trip, was surprised to find out that “it was a lot more like Disneyland, where everything is geared towards tourism. It was really weird to go into a restaurant to try to speak Chinese and have the waitress respond in English.”

But Western food and English-speaking fuwuyuan are not the only shockingly touristy aspects of this naturally spectacular region. Looking for some live entertainment? Yangshuo has that too. Carolyn Carcel, Florian’s classmate and fellow American studying in Beijing for the semester, decided to attend Impression Liusanjie, a flashy hour-long production based on a 1961 movie about the legendary ethnic folk singer Liu Sanjie.

The elaborate theatrical performance uses the Li River as its stage, which is framed by eerily illuminated karst formations and rows of blinding spotlights. The cast of hundreds sings and dances to pre-recorded tracks projected over loudspeakers while balancing on fishing boats and platforms that float across the aquatic stage as they perform. The shrill voices of young women echo in the cavernous outdoor space, causing the Chinese audience members to shout at each other in order to maintain their conversations over the performance.

Carcel described the show as being “unlike anything I ever thought I would see anywhere, let alone China.” Despite the fact that the dialogue was entirely Chinese, making the plot difficult to understand, she maintained that it was worth the 200-yuan admission.

As the burgeoning tourist industry and economic growth in the region continue to attract more tourists, it appears that the locals are willing to go along for the ride. Venture down a country road about 20 minutes out of Yangshuo and you will find brand new homes and roads, many of which are still under construction. Roofless brick houses line the freshly paved roads. Women toil away in gardens harvesting fresh vegetables as legions of men work diligently to complete a neighbor’s home. In the last few years, new communities have been sprouting up as more people look for opportunities in the area to profit from tourism.

“I asked a lady selling T-shirts if she liked her job, and she said that she didn’t. When I asked her why, she said that she didn’t like all the tourists. I told her I was sorry because I was one of them. At least I bought a T-shirt,” said Chris Sainz, yet another American college student visiting Guilin, who laughed reluctantly as he recalled his encounter with the local merchant. Florian shared Sainz’s uneasy sentiments about the environment in Yangshuo.

“In other places I have traveled in China, people were interacting with their natural habitat, with each other, and with the Chinese government. They were interacting with China. The people here are interacting with the tourist industry, everything that would make tourists happy,” he explained.

While none of the students were disappointed by their trip, it is clear that each of them was surprised, and perhaps a bit overwhelmed, by what they experienced. The shamelessly superficial streets of Yangshuo are enough to make anyone second guess their whereabouts and assume that they have been teleported to an American theme park; one look at the regal limestone formations and inspiringly engineered rice terraces, however, is enough to make even the most jaded of travelers wax poetic.

Yangshuo is stuck in the purgatory of economic development, searching for a way to balance the traditional lifestyle of the past with the cosmopolitan demands of the present. As Yangshuo struggles to come to terms with this identity crisis, one can only imagine how the town will continue to develop and change. While the future of Yangshuo may be uncertain, visitors can be sure that they will not be bored. Keep your eyes open and your camera out: whether the sites are part of the ancient scenery or a more recent addition, there is always something astonishing to see.

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