Guilin, Guangxi | 桂林广西
Day 19 | 第十九天
Throughout southern China, it was easy to see how people shaped, and have been shaped by, the landscape—whether it is through architecture, crop cultivation, or infrastructure. In Guilin, the relationship between people and the natural environment also played a key role in one of the city’s origin stories.
Elephant Trunk Hill | 象鼻山
On our final day in China, we spent the morning exploring Elephant Trunk Hill 象鼻山, known as the symbol of Guilin. This natural karst rock formation got its name for its resemblance to an elephant drinking water with its trunk in the Li River.
Elephant Trunk Hill has been a destination since the Tang Dynasty (618 CE–907 CE). The arch under the “elephant’s trunk” is called the Water Moon Cave, where poem inscriptions dating to the Tang dynasty can be found.
Legend of Elephant Trunk Hill
Fairies came down from the heavens to visit earth. The youngest fairy noticed that people living along the Li River were often impacted by flooding, and were living close to starvation. She decided to help by sending the Emperor of Heaven’s celestial elephant. The elephant supported the humans with their labor but eventually became sick. The Emperor became so angry at seeing his elephant helping humans that he deserted the elephant on earth. Grateful for its help, humans cared for the sick elephant. The elephant got better and wished to stay with the humans, continuing to help plow their fields. Infuriated, the Emperor of Heaven threw his sword into the elephant drinking at the river's edge, immediately turning the elephant into stone.
It is said that the elephant continues to guard the city today. ■