Yangshuo Moon Hill

Yangshuo Moon Hill

Yangshuo Moon Hill is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Moon Hill is a spectacular sight in Yangshuo, located beside Fenglou Village in Gaotian Township, standing over 380 meters tall. It earned the name "Bright Moon Peak" and is commonly known as Moon Hill because of a large, natural hole through its summit that resembles a bright, high-hanging full moon.

The hill is located at the end of the Ten-Mile Gallery scenic area in Yangshuo County, Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The scenery here is quaint, elegant, serene, and peaceful. At the top of the hill is a natural stone arch that goes all the way through, resembling a bright moon hanging high in the sky when viewed from afar. The shape of the hole changes as you view it from different angles. When admiring the hill by car, the shape of the arch transitions magically—from a crescent moon, to a half-moon, to a full moon, and then to a waning crescent.

Visitors can climb up an over 800-step path directly to the moon-shaped cave. This cave is extraordinarily large, measuring 50 meters in both height and width, while the mountain walls are only a few meters thick. The walls of the cave are flat like walls, but the ceiling is covered with stalactites of various shapes. Two of them resemble Wu Gang and the Jade Rabbit from the Moon Palace. On sunny days, visitors can see the blue sky and white clouds through the cave, like a round mirror hanging on the mountaintop. Because there is a small round hill to the north of the cave, visitors walking along the southern moon-viewing path can observe the cave from different angles—seeing a full moon, a half moon, and even a crescent moon. The Qing Dynasty poet Xu Tingzheng described this scene as “the moon hanging over the high peak.” He wrote: “On the mountaintop floats the mirror’s glow, / Day and night its brightness never fades. / Since an ancient cliff broke off one piece, / Its lingering soul still shines through time. / The mountain wears the moon, no phases it knows, / The moon rises, shining as the mountain glows. / This mirror, unyielding through endless years, / Takes you on a long journey to the Moon Palace.” Following the over 800-step path leads you directly to the moon cave. The cave is amazingly large, 50 meters in both height and width, which is why the walls are only a few meters thick. The walls are flat like walls, and the ceiling is adorned with stalactites of various shapes, two of which look like Wu Gang and the Jade Rabbit. On clear days, the blue sky and white clouds seen through the cave resemble a round mirror hanging on the mountaintop. When it rains, mist swirls around, and the moonlight becomes hazy—what year is it tonight?

Introduction

The main peak of Moon Hill has an elevation of 1,490.3 meters, with a relative height difference of over 1,100 meters. The mountain is majestic and tall, with deep and long valleys. Located in the subtropical zone, the climate is warm and humid, and it is home to a rich diversity of rare flora and fauna, earning it the title “Gene Pool of Species.” It hosts several species of plants and animals that coexisted with dinosaurs, such as the spotted salamander and tree ferns. In addition to common rare species, there are also extremely uncommon creatures like the luminous snake, brittle snake, seven-tailed snake, and beauty snake. Thanks to its unique geographical advantages, Moon Hill has historically been home to many centenarians, far exceeding the population ratio set by the United Nations. The longest-lived recorded person, Zhi Zhichuan, lived to be 145 years old, a record in China.

Moon Hill is a spectacular sight in Yangshuo, located beside Fenglou Village in Gaotian Township, standing over 380 meters tall. It earned the name "Bright Moon Peak" and is commonly known as Moon Hill because of a large, natural hole through its summit that resembles a bright, high-hanging full moon. Visitors can climb up an over 800-step path directly to the moon-shaped cave. This cave is extraordinarily large, measuring 50 meters in both height and width, while the mountain walls are only a few meters thick. The walls of the cave are flat like walls, but the ceiling is covered with stalactites of various shapes. Two of them resemble Wu Gang and the Jade Rabbit. On clear days, visitors can see the blue sky and white clouds through the cave, like a round mirror hanging on the mountaintop. Because there is a small round hill to the north of the cave, visitors walking along the southern moon-viewing path can observe the cave from different angles—seeing a full moon, a half moon, and a crescent moon.

Moon Hill is a spectacular sight in Yangshuo, located beside Fenglou Village in Gaotian Township, standing over 380 meters tall. Because the summit has a large hole running through it, resembling a bright, high-hanging full moon, it is called Bright Moon Peak, or commonly known as Moon Hill. Visitors can take an over 800-step hiking trail directly to the moon cave. This cave is surprisingly large, with a height and width of about 50 meters, while the surrounding mountain walls are only a few meters thick. The cave walls are smooth like walls, and the ceiling is covered with stalactites of various shapes, including two that look like Wu Gang and the Jade Rabbit from the Moon Palace. On sunny days, visitors can see the blue sky and white clouds through the cave, like a round mirror hanging on the mountain peak. Due to a small round hill located to the north of the cave, visitors taking the moon-viewing path on the south side can see the cave from different angles, observing a full moon, a half moon, and a crescent moon. The Qing Dynasty poet Xu Tingzheng referred to this sight as the “moon hanging over the high peak” and wrote a poem: “On the mountaintop floats the mirror’s glow, / Day and night its brightness never fades. / Since an ancient cliff broke off one piece, / Its lingering soul still shines through time. / The mountain wears the moon, no phases it knows, / The moon rises, shining as the mountain glows. / This mirror, unyielding through endless years, / Takes you on a long journey to the Moon Palace.” Following the over 800-step hiking trail leads directly to the moon cave. The cave is surprisingly large, with a height and width of 50 meters each, so the mountain walls are only a few meters thick. The walls are smooth like walls, and the ceiling is covered with stalactites of various shapes, including two that resemble Wu Gang and the Jade Rabbit. On sunny days, looking through the cave at the blue sky and white clouds is like seeing a round mirror hanging on the mountain peak. When it rains, mist shrouds the area, and the moonlight becomes hazy—what year is it tonight?

and a crescent moon. The Qing Dynasty poet Xu Tingzheng called this sight the “moon hanging over the high peak” and wrote: “On the mountaintop floats the mirror’s glow, / Day and night its brightness never fades. / Since an ancient cliff broke off one piece, / Its lingering soul still shines through time. / The mountain wears the moon, no phases it knows, / The moon rises, shining as the mountain glows. / This mirror, unyielding through endless years, / Takes you on a long journey to the Moon Palace.”

Moon Hill is known as one of the world’s famous mountains, an immortal mountain, and a spiritual mountain. There is an 800-step marble-paved path leading up to the Moon Palace. The palace is about 50 meters high and wide, filled with stalactites that resemble Chang’e and the Jade Rabbit, in harmony with the legend of the Moon Palace. From different viewing angles along the moon-viewing path at the foot of the hill, you can see the moon in various shapes—full, half, and crescent. Within just a few minutes, you can witness the dynamic phases of the moon, making it quite a spectacle in Yangshuo County. Nearby attractions include Beauty’s Makeup, Crouching Tiger Mountain, and Nine-Ox Ridge.

Moon Hill connects to the western foothills of the Liupan Mountains—the Xifeng Ridge—to the southeast and borders the Xihua Mountain to the northwest, extending in a northwest-southeast direction. Moon Hill is about 40 kilometers long and 20 kilometers wide, with a narrow, fishbone-like ridge. The slopes on both sides are relatively gentle, generally between 40-60 degrees. The vegetation mainly consists of grasses, including rare or nearly extinct high-quality forage such as smooth brome, meadow fescue, orchard grass, hard fescue, and yellow sweet clover, which serve as key grazing lands for the XiJi and HaiYuan regions. The source of the Hulu River lies at Hujia’ao on the southern foothills. The Zhongwei–Jingning Highway winds around the mountain.

The original vegetation of Moon Hill is well-preserved, and its natural scenery is uniquely charming. There are over 80 peaks over 1,000 meters high, and the main peak features a typical “watershed.” Numerous waterfalls hang high in the forest, alongside streams and woods. At the mountaintop, “Buddha’s light” can occasionally be seen—a rare natural phenomenon that makes it a “fairy tale world” and an ecological mystery.

The Miao people of Moon Hill are an ancient branch of the Miao ethnic group in southeastern Guizhou, preserving many primitive cultural customs. They are referred to by experts and scholars as a “living museum of Miao culture.”

Moon Hill combines pristine ecology and traditional culture in one mountain, making it a treasure of Guizhou’s primitive ecology and culture. It offers tourism, scientific research, archaeology, adventure, and exploration, hiding great commercial potential and boasting immeasurable development prospects.

Location

Moon Hill connects to the western foothills of the Liupan Mountains—the Xifeng Ridge—to the southeast and borders the Xihua Mountain to the northwest, extending in a northwest-southeast direction. It is about 40 kilometers long and 20 kilometers wide.

The mountain is narrow and fishbone-shaped, with relatively gentle slopes on both sides, generally between 40-60 degrees. The vegetation mainly consists of grasses, including rare or nearly extinct high-quality forage such as smooth brome, meadow fescue, orchard grass, hard fescue, and yellow sweet clover, which serve as key grazing lands for the XiJi and HaiYuan regions. The source of the Hulu River lies at Hujia’ao on the southern foothills. The Zhongwei–Jingning Highway winds around the mountain.

Climbing to the top of Moon Hill and looking out at the surrounding scenery, you’ll see jade-like mountains, winding clear streams, wind-blown green bamboo, and flat green fields—a poetic and picturesque view that takes your breath away. In 1972, it’s said that U.S. President Nixon and his wife visited Moon Hill and exclaimed, “God has been too generous to Yangshuo,” adding a perfect touch to the hill’s fame. A folk rhyme goes: “The moon hangs on the western hill, / A tiger chases nine oxen from the east. / Ducks drink without lifting their heads, / Ancient doctors gather herbs on the mountaintop. / A lion’s head appears by the village, / A fairy combs her hair in the fields. / Inviting the moon to admire the view brings joy, / The beauty of Black Rock is delightful.”

Around Moon Hill are attractions such as Beauty’s Makeup, Crouching Tiger Mountain, and Nine-Ox Ridge. Moon Hill is the earliest, most attractive, and most distinctive natural rock climbing site in Yangshuo. The climbing area is at the summit, accessible via a stone-paved path that takes about twenty to thirty minutes to walk. The climbing routes face northwest. There are 14 bolted routes, 8 on the sheer wall, 2 on the left and right sides of the Moon Hill arch, and 4 in the transition zones between the arch and the sheer wall, with varying degrees of upward inclination.

Address:

At the end of the Ten-Mile Gallery in Yangshuo County, Guilin, approximately 8 kilometers from Yangshuo

Opening Hours:

8:00-17:30

Ticket Price:

30 RMB

Best Travel Season:

Autumn. The scenery of Moon Hill doesn’t change much throughout the year, but spring brings more rainfall in the Guilin area, which can be inconvenient for travel and make hiking slippery. Summers are quite hot, so autumn is the best season to visit Moon Hill.

Bicycle

Bicycle rental costs between 10-40 yuan per day depending on the season. You can cycle from Yangshuo towards Aishan Village (Shima Road), which takes about an hour; alternatively, you can take National Highway 321, which is around 8 kilometers but involves more traffic and requires extra caution.

On foot

1. Take the rural path in Gaotian Village, where you can enjoy scenic views along the way.

2. Go rafting along the Yulong River to Gongnong Bridge, then walk about one kilometer to Moon Hill.

Bicycle rental

Yangshuo town is only 8 kilometers from Moon Hill. Budget travelers can take a motorized tricycle for around 4 yuan.

Bus

At Yangshuo Bus Station, minibuses run every 5 minutes specifically between the Big Banyan Tree and Moon Hill scenic areas. The trip takes about 10 minutes, and the fare is 2 yuan per person.