Li River

For other uses, seeLi River (disambiguation).

Li River Li Giang
Location
Country	China
Subdivision	Guangxi
Physical characteristics
Source	Mao'ershan
• location	Xing'an County,Guangxi,China
• coordinates	25.88°N 110.47°E/25.88; 110.47
Mouth	Gui River
• location	Pingle County,Guangxi,China
• coordinates	24.64°N 110.61°E/24.64; 110.61
Length	164 km (102 mi)
Discharge
• location	Guilin
• average	215 m3/s (7,600 cu ft/s)

Li River
"Li River" inSimplified Chinesecharacters
Traditional Chinese	Li Giang
Simplified Chinese	Li Giang
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lí Jiāng IPA [lǐ tɕjáŋ]

TheLi RiverorLi Jiang(Chinese:Li Giang;pinyin:Lí Jiāng) is the name for the upper reaches of theGui Riverin northeasternGuangxi,China.It is part of theXi gian g Riversystem in thePearl Riverbasin, flowing 164 kilometres (102 mi) fromXing'an CountytoPingle County.

Background

The Li River originates in theMao'er MountainsinXing'an Countyand flows in the general southern direction throughGuilin,YangshuoandPingle.In Pingle, the Li merges with theLipuandGongcheng,becoming the Gui, and in turn falls into theXi gian g,the westerntributaryof thePearl River.

Tourist rafting boats cruise fromYangshuo County,on the Li River

The upper course of the Li River is connected by an ancientLingqu canalwith theXiang River,which flows north into theYangtze;this in the past made the Li and Gui Rivers part of a highly important waterway connecting the Yangtze valley with the Pearl delta.

The 439-kilometre (273 mi) course of the Li and Gui Rivers is flanked by green hills.Cormorant fishingis often associated with the Li gian g.

Cruises on the Li are famous, attracting millions of visitors per year.

Geology

Upper reaches of the Li River

The Li and its tributaries drain the area from Guilin to Yangshuo, descending from 141-metre (463 ft) at Guilin to 103-metre (338 ft) at Yangshuo.Mean flowpast Guilin is 215 cubic meters per second, andalluviumsediments consisting of well-sorted gravels covered by silty sand, forming floodplains and terraces along its route. Yet, it is the 2,600-metre (8,500 ft) ofDevonianandCarboniferouslimestones and karst terrain within the Guilin basin, that gives the area a dramatic landscape. Two distinctive types of karst are found, Fengcong, and Fenglin, which have evolved for the past 10-20 million years, within theCenozoic.

Fog on the Li River

Fengcong karst dominates the course of the Li River and is defined as a group of limestone hills with a common limestone base, with deep depressions (ordolines) between the peaks, and sometimes described as peak cluster depression karst. Hundreds of caves are present in this terrain, with 23 having passages longer than -1 km alongside the Li River gorge. The longest is the Guanyan Cave System which extends from Caoping to Nanxu.

Fenglin dominates the area around Yangshuo and south of Guilin and is defined as isolated limestone hills separated by a flat limestone surface generally covered by loose sediments, and sometimes described as a peak forest plain. The best-known fenglin is thetower karstaround Yangshuo. These towers consist of strong and massive limestone forming near vertical sides with base diameters less than 1.5 times their height. The heights of the towers range from 30 to 80 m in the central basin but can be as high as 300 m near the Fengcong. Fenglin evolves from Fengcong by slow and continuoustectonic uplift,associated with theHimalayan orogenic zone,and even slower erosion of the towers.

Famous show caves in theGuilin areainclude theQi xing Dongand theLuti Dong.

Notable features

Fishing boat on the Li River

1. Reed Flute Cave:alimestonecavewith a large number ofstalactites,stalagmites,stalacto-stalagmites, rocky curtains, and cave corals.
2. Seven-Star Park: the largest park in Guilin.
3. Mountain of Splendid Hues: a mountain consisting of many layers of variously colored rocks.
4. Elephant-Trunk Hill:a hill that looks like a giant elephant drinking water with its trunk. It is a symbol of the city of Guilin.
5. Lingqu Canal:dug in 214 BC, is one of ancient China's three big water conservation projects and the oldest existing canal in the world.
6. Other attractions include Duxiu Peak, Nanxi Park, the Taohua River, the Giant Banyan, and the Huashan-Li gian g National Folklore Park.

The imagery of the Li River is featured in the fifth series of the 20yuannote.

Gallery

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  This is the view from the banks of the Li River, as pictured on the 20 Yuan note. Just on the outskirts ofXingping Town.
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  Locals playing in theGuilinsection of the Li River in Guanxi Province, China.
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  The town of Yangshuo

Guilin

See also

• Geography of China
• List of rivers in China

References

• Geographic data related toLi RiveratOpenStreetMap