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You might have seen the stunning scenery of Guilin Mountain and water. But do you know where is the Li River firstly originated? It has a very lovely name, the Mao’er Mountain which means Kitty mountain in English. People name it like this because if you look at the main pea from the distance, it look exactly like a lying cat. Mao’er Mountain is located Xingan county, Guilin city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is the main peak of the Yuecheng mountain, with the highest peak of 2141.5 meters high above the sea level.
The Mao’er mountain is covered with numerous green forests, plus there is a giant basin on the mountain, no wonder it could be the origin of the Li river. It is about 60 kilometers long and 16 kilometers in width, which means there’s a whole green world waiting being discovered. To keep tourists from getting lost, they have this map at the entrance with guide lines in different lines. The moment you step in,the park, you’re embraced with sufficient amount of oxygen and sight of pure green. Since it’s faraway from the city and village, everything in here still is in a primitive way.
There is a giant rock called Tiandeng Stone on the mountain top, meaning Sky Light Stone. It is a round hole with a diameter of 20 cm chiselled from the rock. In old festive times, the local people would climb to the top and light up the sky light, wishing a good smooth life. When the light is lit, it could be seen even from a faraway location. Sadly such tradition has been banned due to the forest fire prevention. Besides the light hole, there is also a huge tower there that belongs to the provincial television station.
Because it’s so big and high, the mountain-climbing could be really interesting. Different height for different views and each layer is amazing in its own way. Bamboo forests at the mountain foot, azalea bushes sea on the hill, just get your cameras prepared. It is worth mentioning the there are 38 different species of azalea, decorating the mountain to a colorful world.
In 1996, a local farmer was picking some traditional Chinese herbs on the area but accidently found an aircraft wreckage that belonged to the United States Army. Later the researchers confirmed that it was a fighter plane shot down by Japanese during the World War two, when China and America united together to fight against the Japanese fascist. 10 people on that plane were all dead.
Despite it is a cool natural wonderland, remember not to climb the mountain all by yourself. There are still a lot wild animals and snakes, the wise thing to do is to join a small group. Even if you want to take a little adventure, be sure to gear up all the useful stuff. Keep in mind safety tops everything.