A storybook scene

The Li River flows through the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China, winding past rural villages and spiky, soaring karst mountains. These tall limestone peaks rise in especially dramatic fashion between the towns of Guilin and Yangshuo. The landscape of the Li River gorge is just as impressive below as it is above: Hundreds of caves honeycomb the area, with dozens stretching more than half a mile. Also nearby is Reed Flute Cave, with its 180 million-year-old rock formations illuminated by multicolored lights.