Lihua Chen's Garden — Cross the Road, Walk 3 Minutes to the Real 20-Yuan-Note View, a Riverside Guesthouse at Xingping
Picture stepping out of your guesthouse, crossing one quiet little road for about 3 minutes, and standing on the bank of the Li River (漓江) looking at the exact scene printed on the back of China's 20-yuan note — karst peaks lined up and mirrored in the clear water, a bamboo raft drifting past, a cormorant perched on its bow. That's an ordinary morning for guests at Lihua Chen's Garden Hotel (阳朔丽华陈家花园), a small 17-room garden guesthouse at Egendi Village in Xingping Town (兴坪). Let me be upfront first: this place is in the Yangshuo (阳朔) countryside, not in Guilin city — about 65 km south of Guilin — and it's at Xingping, an old riverside village, not the West Street area in central Yangshuo town. If you're picturing stepping out of the lobby into a buzzy strip of shops, reset that image. Score 9.8/10 from around 1,722 real guest reviews, remarkably high, and the place has been a favourite with foreign travellers for years. What guests say with one voice is that the river-and-karst view is so good you barely want to leave, the owner and team look after you like family, and the freebies are generous and ungrudging — breakfast, afternoon tea, supper, laundry, and free station transfers. Honestly, if you want a quiet slow-travel base on the Li River, close to nature, this place is right up your street.
Here's the thing that sets Lihua Chen's Garden apart from the usual Guilin hotel — it's in a different league entirely on setting: on the Li River, right at the 20-yuan-note view. The guesthouse sits at Egendi Village in Xingping Town (兴坪), one of the loveliest stretches of the whole Li River. Guests agree that crossing the road and walking about 3 minutes brings you to the riverbank and the Yellow Cloth Reflection (黄布倒影) — the very scene on the back of China's 20-yuan note. Early mornings, the water is still, mist hangs low, and a bamboo raft drifts slowly past; it's the image most reviewers say stayed with them longest from their whole Guilin–Yangshuo trip. This is a small 17-room garden guesthouse with a homely, easy-going feel rather than a big hotel, and it was even named one of Yangshuo's 'top ten quality B&Bs' by the county back in 2018.
Let me clear up the location first, because it really matters for planning — this guesthouse is in the Yangshuo countryside, not in Guilin city. It's about 65 km south of Guilin (a ~1–1.5 hour drive), and it's at Xingping, not the West Street area in central Yangshuo town either — getting to West Street (西街) means a drive of roughly 25 km. Yangshuo railway station is about 10 km away, while Guilin Liangjiang (KWL) airport is roughly 57 km. The upside of the location is the most beautiful stretch of the Li River, the quiet of an old riverside village, and karst peaks filling your view. On the transport side, the good news is that the guesthouse runs a free Mercedes pick-up from Yangshuo high-speed railway station and Xingping bus station, which helps a lot. But worth repeating: Guilin and Yangshuo have no metro, and Xingping is a small village, so if you want to explore further afield or head into Yangshuo town, plan your wheels (a rental car, an electric scooter, or DiDi) before you arrive — especially if you'll be coming and going a lot.
"The location is spot on — just cross the road and you're at the Li River, with peaks straight out of the 20-yuan note. The rooms are big and far nicer than expected, and the owner and staff are wonderfully kind, helping with everything from the station pick-up to tips on what to see. Breakfast, afternoon tea, and even a free supper. The glass rooftop is gorgeous for photos. Quiet and great value — we'll definitely come back."
Three things come up most in the reviews. First, the location and the riverside view — being able to walk a few steps to the real 20-yuan-note view is something that's genuinely hard to find anywhere. Second, the warm, personal service: many reviews mention the owner and team who look after you like a guest at a friend's home, arranging transport, suggesting where to go and how to raft the river, and speaking enough English to make foreign guests feel at ease — the very thing that has made this place a long-standing favourite with overseas travellers. And third, the generous freebies: breakfast, afternoon tea, supper, laundry and drying, and free station transfers. The guesthouse itself has a glass sky-mirror rooftop (the 5th-floor viewing roof) that photographs as if you're walking through a painting, plus a swimming pool, a book bar, a Chinese calligraphy corner, and a small garden to sit out in.
But let me give you the honest gripes, compiled from real guest reviews, because they're real and worth knowing before you book. First, the remote location takes planning — the charm here is a quiet riverside village, but that means you're far from central Yangshuo, West Street and the buzz, and the run into Guilin or Yangshuo town is a fair drive. If you like stepping out to shops all around you, Xingping can feel too quiet. Second, breakfast choice is fairly limited: some reviews note it's a small, homely set rather than a big buffet, so if you're expecting a luxury-hotel spread, adjust your expectations (though most still praise it as tasty and home-made). And third, rooms come in several grades, and a few have noise or light issues — a handful of reviews mention construction noise nearby at times, and some rooms with limited natural light. If you want the full river view, ask for a 'River View' room and check the room-type photos carefully when booking.
Standard rates start at around ~¥450 (฿2,250) a night for a room in normal periods, then climb with the room type, view and season — full river-view and family rooms run higher. The thing to flag is that Yangshuo and Xingping prices swing hard with the season and holidays: over Chinese New Year, the Golden Week holiday (1–7 Oct), and the summer river-cruise high season, rates tend to spike and rooms fill very fast — and with only 17 rooms, the best-view ones go especially quickly — while off-season weekdays are usually the lightest. If you want a good-view room at a good price, book several weeks ahead and pick a free-cancellation rate to be safe. One handy note: the guesthouse states it 'welcomes guests from all countries' and accepts foreign passports, and China currently offers visa-free entry for Thai passport holders (check the latest conditions before you travel).
So, friend to friend — Lihua Chen's Garden suits you if you want a quiet garden guesthouse on the Li River, right at the 20-yuan-note view, a few steps across the road from the riverbank, with a warm owner and generous freebies, and you're happy to be out of town in exchange for the full riverside-nature experience. Couples, families after a slow trip, and foreign travellers who want a warm, English-speaking base tend to fall for it. But if your heart is set on being in town with food and sights all around, walking to West Street or Elephant Trunk Hill, this may be too far out. Look at a Guilin-city hotel like Sheraton Guilin on the riverfront in the centre, or compare Yangshuo design options like Shuidaotian Resort (out among the fields by the Yulong River), Yangshuo Mountain Retreat, and Secret Garden before you decide.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ On the Li River, cross the road ~3 min to the 20-yuan-note view
- ✓ Warm, English-speaking owner and team who arrange transport and tips
- ✓ Generous freebies: breakfast, afternoon tea, supper, laundry, station transfers
- ✓ Big, nicer-than-expected rooms; a glass sky-mirror rooftop made for photos
- ! Out at rural Xingping, far from central Yangshuo / West Street (~25 km) — plan your wheels
- ! Not in Guilin city (~65 km away)
- ✓ One of the loveliest karst-and-river views on the Li River, great for photos and rest
- ✓ A homely, warm guesthouse feel — a long-standing favourite with foreign travellers
- ✓ Well suited to couples, slow-travel families and lovers of riverside nature
- ✓ A great base for rafting the Li River and visiting Xingping Ancient Town
- ! Breakfast choice is fairly limited (a small homely set, not a big buffet)
- ! Rooms come in several grades; a few have nearby construction noise or low light — ask for a River View at booking
- 💡If you want to stay in Guilin city and walk to Elephant Trunk Hill / the shopping street · this one is out at rural Xingping on the Li River, ~65 km from Guilin city · fix → look at Sheraton Guilin on the riverfront in the centre, a ~5-min walk to Elephant Trunk Hill and Two Rivers Four Lakes, on our Guilin hotels list
- 💡If you want a Yangshuo design resort with full facilities · this is a small 17-room garden guesthouse on the Li River, focused on a personal, homely feel · fix → look at Shuidaotian Resort (out among the fields by the Yulong River) or Yangshuo Mountain Retreat on our list
- 💡If you want to be in central Yangshuo within walking distance of West Street · Xingping is ~25 km from West Street and needs a drive · fix → choose a place in Yangshuo town near West Street (西街), easier for evening strolls, on our list