YANGSHUO, China - Eyeing the sweaty crowd shifting along West Street, sellers
of fake clothing and jewelry tout their wares, as the noise of pumping techno,
amusement arcades and tour-guide megaphones reaches a deafening crescendo.
Baseball-capped tour groups surge down side streets through a miasma of exhaust
fumes and decomposing sewage, searching for hotels and cheap eateries. This is
Yangshuo, once described in the Lonely Planet guidebook as a
"backpacker's laid-back Mecca".
Beside the Li River south of Guilin in Guangxi province, Yangshuo and its
environs have long been renowned for their unique picture-
postcard scenery, with
spectacular limestone peaks towering above
pristine waterways. Now, however, the town is
rapidly falling victim to its own fame, as
unchecked tourist hordes threaten to destroy the
idyllic landscape they came to enjoy. Overnight
stays
in the town have multiplied from 30,000 in 1986 to
nearly 600,000 last year, and the pressure is mounting.
Just 15 years ago Yangshuo was a small village, generally visited for a few
hours by those on tours down the Li River; most Chinese tourists elected to
take advantage of Guilin's superior accommodation options. After some favorable
reports by adventurous overseas guests and glowing write-ups in the ubiquitous Lonely
Planet series, Yangshuo gradually became known on Asia's backpacker
circuit, offering cheap hostels and banana pancakes to laowai (foreigners)
on a budget.
Thanks to China's burgeoning domestic travel sector, Yangshuo started to
attract Chinese vacationers in a big way about five years ago, and the town's
mix of tourists rapidly changed from nearly 100% foreign to more than 80%
native Chinese. Annual increases in tourism in excess of 20% drove the rapid
proliferation of hotels and guesthouses as tour operators raced to provide
entertainment options for the growing masses.
Commenting on Yangshuo's
whirlwind development, Jasmine Yang, owner of a
small guesthouse off West Street for the past 15
years, said, "The changes have been amazing. I
used to have a lot of foreigners staying here, but
now it's mainly tour groups. I had to take out all
the dormitory beds because the Chinese don't
like the traditional backpacker style of accommodation. I'm making more money,
but it's certainly a lot more work."
Whether cruising on the Li River, bamboo rafting on the Yulong River or
watching Jiang Yimou's waterborne sound-and-light spectacular Third Sister Liu,
water is central to Yangshuo's tourist experience. Unfortunately, and quite
predictably, tourism, agriculture and industry are now taking their toll on
both the cleanliness and flow of the town's nearby waterways.
While some efforts have been made to remove sources of contamination,
"pollution events" often contaminate the Li and Yulong rivers, and in some
areas, once-clear water has become murky and algae-ridden. Restaurants, hotels
and newly developed scenic spots draw fresh water from the river, dumping trash
and untreated sewage back into it in exchange.
Another serious problem is dropping water levels. As scores of ferryboats
slowly ply the Li River, beaching on the stony bed is now an increasing
phenomenon. Thanks to the increasingly shallow water, navigable stretches may
be shortened to as little as 6 kilometers in the dry season. Many Yangshuo
residents are concerned that soon the river will disappear entirely.
Liu Gang, a
cormorant-fisherman on the Li River, has watched
the slow degradation of the source of his
livelihood over the past 15 years. "This river
used to be full of big fish," he said. "The
current
would be strong, even in
the dry season. In some places the water is really shallow now, and the fish
are a lot smaller. Sometimes I don't catch anything worth selling for a few
days."
The effect of tourism on the Li River is also a potential threat to the
environment along the Yulong River. There is continuing competition between the
two scenic areas; Li River tourism is mainly organized by travel agencies as
part of packages out of Guilin, whereas Yulong River tourism is run by
operators in Yangshuo.
Recruiting, handling and charging as many tourists as possible is now the
philosophy of the day for both sets of operators. Anyone hoping for a tranquil
cycle ride through the Yulong River rice paddies is likely to be confronted by
a succession of buses, noisily navigating the narrow country lanes to transport
tour groups to and from their bamboo rafts.
The growth of tourism has brought mixed blessings to the residents of Yangshuo
and the surrounding area, and many locals are satisfied with the extra income
that the rising influx of tourist dollars and yuan has brought. Some small
villages, such as Xing Ping, have river access, and this has resulted in vastly
increased revenues for local inhabitants with entrepreneurial flair.
However, despite the financial incentives, many locals are concerned that new
development is harming the esthetics of Yangshuo, renowned for its "scenery in
the town, town in the scenery" setting. Much of the new construction jars with
traditional architecture, and has blemished some previously stunning mountain
backdrops.
American tourist Paul Murray is one of many people disappointed on their return
to Yangshuo. "I came here four years ago, and despite the obvious sprawl of the
town, there was still a feeling that every street was enclosed by an almost
magical landscape. It looks like things have got a bit out of control now -
there's construction everywhere and nothing looks to be sacred anymore," he
commented.
Although sightseeing has long dominated China's domestic market, recreation is
growing as a new tourism product. With a booming economy driving up living
standards, more and more Chinese are seeking better quality of life, especially
those from urban centers. Growing flexibility in how vacations are taken allows
domestic tourists time to visit new areas like Yangshuo, and to spend time
pursuing a variety of recreational pursuits.
A rapidly improving transport infrastructure is helping these Chinese tourists
reach their holiday destinations. A new expressway from Guilin to Wuzhou will
soon complete the high-speed road connection from Yangshuo to the cities of the
Pearl River Delta, meaning a much-reduced four-hour trip from Guangzhou to
Yangshuo, and only an hour or two more from Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
As a nation and a people, the Chinese are now facing a difficult yet vital
question: how to achieve growth without causing further environmental
degradation. Protecting China's natural beauty now seems to be more of a
priority, even if it's just to satisfy requirements for next year's Summer
Olympic Games.
However, by fueling a new market for tourism, Beijing must realize that it is
piling up the pressure on a number of delicate ecosystems around the country.
The Yangshuo area is a destination with exceptional topography and immense
potential for tourism development. At the same time, the area is fragile, and
there is a dire need for more integrated planning and management to ensure that
development is sustainable, not detrimental, and that tourist-driven revenue
benefits all, rather than just a few.
Guangxi is one of the provinces and autonomous regions eligible for support
under China's "Go West" project, designed to support development in western and
southwestern China. National funding is focusing on key areas, and Yangshuo
qualifies for a percentage of the multimillion-yuan package. For the sake of
Chinese tourists, backpackers and locals alike, let's hope a sizable amount of
this aid is plowed into sustainable tourism.
Daniel Allen is a freelance writer and photographer from London who has
lived in China for the past three years.
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
in the town have multiplied from 30,000 in 1986 to
nearly 600,000 last year, and the pressure is mounting.
like the traditional backpacker style of accommodation. I'm making more money,
but it's certainly a lot more work."
would be strong, even in
the dry season. In some places the water is really shallow now, and the fish
are a lot smaller. Sometimes I don't catch anything worth selling for a few
days."
