A PLACE, A STORY / Guilin
Elephant Trunk Hill
A riverside rock arch suggests an elephant drinking. Its shape has become one of Guilin’s best-known images.
Sevgonlernassau · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons. Resized and compressed. · Original source · License
螺钉 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons. Resized and compressed. · Original source · License
Elephant Trunk Hill stands where the Li and Peach Blossom rivers meet in Guilin. The rock’s low arch gives the hill its familiar comparison to an elephant reaching into the water. A natural opening known as Water-Moon Cave passes through the stone near the river. Once you have found the animal shape, look again at the reflection and the edges of the arch. Comparing those details can make a familiar postcard view feel more personal.
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