The Ling Canal is one of Guilin’s hidden gems. The most unfortunate
aspect about the Ling Canal is that it is situated about 70 klms
north of Guilin City in an area that does not attract many foreign
tourists because of its isolation from other tourist destinations.
The other tourist attraction in this area is Merryland Theme Park
and Golf Resort but by its nature it attracts a different kind of
tourist.
The Canal is a wonderful example of the engineering and
architectural skill that existed in Chinese society more that 2000
years ago. The Canal was built in the year 214BC by Qinshihuang,
first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty. The canal system connects two
rivers, Guilin’s Li River and the Xiang River but as these rivers
are tributaries of the Pearl and Yangtze Rivers the connection
linked two of the largest river systems in China thereby opening a
huge area to allow travel and commerce to flourish. It was also an
important political move as it unified north and south and allowed
the Emperor to consolidate his power.
The complexity of the project is more easily understood when we see
the difference in water levels between the two rivers which in some
planes is around 6 meters. The project required a complex system of
locks and dams to allow the two water systems to merge. At one
point the two rivers are only separated by about 20 meters. It is
fascinating to watch as the rivers flow in different directions.
It is possible to take a boat ride down the south canal to Xing'an
Town which is well worth the money. The wooden punt is poled along
the canal by two boatmen who are happy to point out the points of
interest and answer questions if you have someone along who speaks
Chinese. They are happy to stop at the most significant spots on
the canal for photos or to allow you to get a better look. The ride
finishes in the town. The canal continues through Xing'an. The walk
along the waterway is very interesting. It is lined with old
traditional style building where the residents go about their daily
life. I do believe that it would be very crowded with domestic
tourists at holiday time, but our visit was free of any congestion
and we were the only western tourist in the place. We not hassled
by anybody wanting to sell souvenirs or continually assaulted by
“hello, lookie” venders.
A Chinese guide or Chinese speaker is almost a necessity to get the
most out of the experience. The ticket office at the entrance
advertises a boat ride but this is just across a small lagoon and
is not worth the RMB 20 per person for a 50 meter ride. The boat
ride down the canal is purchased from the boat operators at the
start of the south canal. You can’t miss it. The park that
surrounds the start of the canal also contains a small museum
displaying he wreckage of one of the legendary “flying tigers”
squadron that operated in the area during W W 2. We found it
interesting but not riveting.
Take the express bus from Guilin to Xing’an at the Guilin Bus
Station and then the bus from Xing’an county reach you there.How to Get to there?
