The Elephant Trunk Hill, located at the confluence of the Li River and Peac
h Blossom River, is a symbol of Guilin city.
Only if you come to Guilin and see it with your own eyes, could you believe there is such a natural creation. Parts of the hill stretching out into the Li River form the body, trunk and legs of the vivid elephant. It looks as if the elephant is drinking water from the river with its trunk. The Elephant Trunk Hill was shaped 12, 000 years ago by the rising forces of the earth's outer layers. There is a round open space like the moon between the elephant's trunk and legs. Locals always boast there are three moons in Guilin, one hangs in the sky, one is reflected in the water, and the third one is embraced by the elephant.
The scenery here inspires an awe of nature in visitors. It is a Karst region. The caves and hills were shaped out of the limestone by millions of years of water erosion.
In addition to the natural beauty, the richness of the culture also adds charm to the Elephant Trunk Hill. On the hill, there is lots of calligraphy engraved on the mountain rocks from many different dynasties. The most popular poem was composed 1500 years ago, 鈥淲ater embraces the bright moon, the moon floats on the surface of water. Water flows but the moon lingers; the moon is gone while water runs on.鈥?The perfect image of river and moon at the Elephant Trunk Hill has become one of the wonders of Guilin.
Today, the Guilin municipal government pays great attention to natural environment protection, and humans are working to improve the beauty of the town. Hundreds of lights are erected around famous scenery sites. At night, picked out by spotlights, the elephant trunk hill looks even more beautiful with reflections in the water.(Text by Peng HePhoto Source:www.guilininvest.cn)
source: crienglish.com
