China’s Yangshuo to build Yulong National Geological Park for more visitors

Most Chinese have heard of the Li River, one of the top tourist sites in the country. A row of karst hills along its banks has been immortalized on one side of the 20 renminbi note. Lesser known is the Yulong, which runs to the west and south of the town of Yangshuo. It is a narrower, more bucolic waterway flanked by the same kinds of mountains.

漓江是中国最热门的旅游景点之一，大部分中国人都听说过。20元面值的人民币的背面，印的就是漓江两岸的一排喀斯特山峰。流向阳朔镇西南部的遇龙河则没那么有名。这条河更窄、更具田园气息，不过两岸的山峰和漓江的同属一类。

Each river has its character, which is reflected in the towns associated with them. Like the Yulong River, Yangshuo has a reputation as a laid-back rural haven. For years, it catered to backpackers with its hostels and banana pancake cafes.

两条江河各具特色，而这些特色也反映在它们流经的城镇上。和遇龙河一样，阳朔享有乡间的悠闲胜地的声誉。多年来，这里的旅馆和供应香蕉薄饼的餐吧迎来了无数背包客。

The Li is more closely tied to the bustling city of Guilin, a magnet for package tourists and the place that the Chinese government has long promoted to the world as one of the most beautiful places in the country. From Guilin, large and loud motorized tour boats ply the Li.

漓江更多地让人想到熙熙攘攘的桂林。那里对跟团的游客颇具吸引力。长期以来，中国政府一直向全世界宣传桂林，称其是中国最美的地方之一。在桂林，不断有喧闹的大型机动游船在漓江上行驶。

Now, the government of Yangshuo County is looking to push the Yulong River and Yangshuo, the county seat, into the spotlight. Officials here crave the prominence that Guilin and the Li River have had for decades.

如今，阳朔县政府正打算推动遇龙河及县政府所在地阳朔镇成为焦点。这里的官员渴望获得桂林市区和漓江几十年来享有的声望。

They have asked the central government to designate the area around the Yulong River as the Yulong National Geological Park in order, the proposal says, "to better protect these geological relics gifted by nature."

他们请求中央政府把遇龙河周边地区定为遇龙国家地质公园。申报材料称，这么做是为了"更好地对这些大自然馈赠的地质遗迹进行保护"。

No corner of China outside of the Yangshuo area better embodies the imagined landscape of the country — karst hills, bamboo groves, rice paddies and villages, all occasionally wreathed in mist. Children bike to school along narrow dirt lanes. Farmers lead water buffalo through the wet fields. It is a traditional Chinese painting come to life.

在中国，没有哪个地方比阳朔更适合当作中国美景的象征——喀斯特峰林、竹林、稻田和村庄，偶尔还会笼罩着一层薄雾。孩童沿着窄窄的土路骑车上学。农民牵着水牛在水田里劳作。这是一幅活的传统国画。

County officials unveiled their plan in May and have not released details, so local residents and workers are unsure what changes would take place should the national-park designation be approved by Beijing. But some speak of the proposal with pride.

阳朔县的官员在今年5月公布了他们的计划，但尚未透露细节。因此，当地的居民和工作人员不确定，如果国家公园的申报获批，会发生什么变化。但一些人在说到这次申报时颇为骄傲。

"Most people who visit Guilin come to Yangshuo only if they have time," said Li Zilong, general manager of Yangshuo Resort, on a bank of the Yulong. "If Yangshuo has a national park, maybe people will recognize that Yangshuo is as beautiful as Guilin and will know that people should spend more time here. A national park shows that experts recognize the value of Yangshuo."

"去桂林旅游的大部分人，有时间才会来阳朔，"建在遇龙河岸边的阳朔河畔度假酒店总经理李自龙说。"如果阳朔有了国家公园，可能人们就会认识到阳朔和桂林一样美，知道应该在这里多待一段时间。国家公园表明专家认可阳朔的价值。"

County officials "want to build better roads so that more visitors will come," he said. "We are all for that because once a tourism zone is built up, more visitors will come, and those visitors will attract more visitors. The government will also do some marketing."

县里的官员"想把路修得更好，这样就会有更多游客来，"他说。"我们都很支持，因为一旦建起旅游区，就会有更多游客来。政府也会做一些营销。"

The profiles of Yangshuo and the Yulong River have been on the rise in recent years. In the 1990s, Yangshuo became a major hangout spot on the backpacker trail through China. Those travelers, most of them foreigners, lingered at restaurants and teahouses on a quiet street in the middle of town, while Chinese and outsiders on package tours preferred to stay in plush hotels in Guilin.

近年来，阳朔和遇龙河的影响一直在提升。90年代，阳朔成为背包客的中国旅行路线上的重要一站，而那些旅行者大多是外国人。当时，小镇中心有一条安静的街道，他们在那里的餐馆和茶馆里流连忘返。相对而言，中国人和跟团旅游的外国人，则更喜欢住在桂林的豪华酒店里。

In the 2000s, as the domestic tourism industry in China boomed, so did Yangshuo’s. Midrange hotels and even a few luxury ones sprouted throughout the town, as well as in nearby villages and on the banks of the Yulong.

到了2000年代，随着中国国内旅游业的繁荣，阳朔的旅游业也蓬勃发展。在整个阳朔镇，以及附近的村子和遇龙河两岸，纷纷出现了中档旅馆，甚至还有几家豪华酒店。

The area has also attracted young Chinese wanting to decamp from cities to lead a simpler life.

该地区也吸引了中国的一些年轻人。他们想逃离城市，过更简单的生活。

"There was a lot of pressure at work," said Li Chunhua, 32, who opened Little House Cafe near the east bank of the Yulong a year ago after leaving his job at an export company in Shanghai. "A lot of people from Beijing and Shanghai have moved here to get away from the cities and from all the stress."

"工作压力很大，"32岁的李春华说。一年前，他从上海的一家出口公司辞职，在遇龙河东岸附近开了一家咖啡馆。"很多人从北京和上海来到这里，想摆脱城市和所有的压力。"

Outside his cafe, rice fields glistening with water stretched from a roadway to a bank of the Yulong. Farmers with bamboo hats stood bent over in the paddies.

在他的咖啡馆外，稻田从路边一直蔓延至遇龙河岸边。水田里波光粼粼。在田间，戴着竹帽的农民弯腰劳作。

Other parts of the Yangshuo area have become more crowded as tourism has risen. At night in Yangshuo, thousands of visitors flock to a riverbank to watch a sound-and-light show created with the help of Zhang Yimou, China’s most famous film director, and featuring legions of dancers in ethnic costumes.

随着旅游业的发展，阳朔地区的其他地方也变得更加拥挤。在阳朔，晚上会有成千上万名游客涌向河边，观看声光表演。演出是在中国最著名的导演张艺谋的帮助下创作出来的，过程中会出现很多身穿民族服饰的舞蹈演员。

The granting of national park status to the Yulong River and its surrounding villages "will give Yangshuo and Guilin more equal status on the average tourist’s itinerary," Mr. Yang said. He noted that nearly 14 million visitors came to Yangshuo last year, and their average length of stay was just over two days. If the Yulong received national park status, that figure could increase to three days, Mr. Yang said.

授予遇龙河及其周边村庄以国家公园的地位，"将使游客在阳朔停留的平均时间和桂林的更接近，"杨永德说。他还指出，去年阳朔接待了近1400万游客，他们停留的平均天数只有2天多。如果遇龙河成为国家公园，这个数字可能会增加到3天。