Lijiang River flows amid 'fairytale' landscape

Wang Zhenggong, a governor of Guangxi in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) would not have expected his farewell toast to Guilin's imperial test-takers to become a household saying in Chinese for the next 1,000 years.

"Guilin's scenery is the best in the world," Wang said simply.

The Lijiang River and the unique karst mountain ranges extending along the river from Guilin to Yangshuo county are at the core of the renowned scenery.