Mural Hill in Yangshuo County, Guilin

Why is Mural Hill So Special?

Mural Mountain, also known as Jiuma Mural Mountain, is a scenic spot that you will never miss if you visit the Lijiang River. It is located on the west bank of Lijiang River, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) away from Guilin and near Xingping Town. Facing the wide and calm waterway is a huge and steep cliff, which looks like a huge color screen. Mural Mountain is backed by mountains and consists of five peaks. It is an aggregate of yellow, white, black, gray and green weathered rocks. From a distance, the mottled cliff surface looks like a huge mural with nine horses in different postures.

Where is Mural Hill

Jiuma Painting Mountain is one of the famous sights of Lijiang River in Guilin, which is located 4 kilometers upstream of Xingping River. Linjiang and stand, rock such as cutting, looking like a huge picture screen, rock cutting wall screen stand, more than one hundred meters high and wide

Main Attraction of Mural Hill

This mountain is called Nine Ma Huashan in Chinese, which means a mural mountain with nine horses. According to a legend, the nine horses were raised in heaven and cared for by the fictional character Sun Wukong in Chinese classical literature. However, Sun Wukong is not satisfied with his work. He often goes back to Huaguo Mountain, where he lives on the earth, leaving Tianma unattended. On one occasion, nine of them fled to the world. They walked briskly in the green mountains, where there were clear water and blooming flowers. They liked the scenery very much and never went back. Later, they had to hide in a cave to avoid the gods sent by heaven to bring them back. Unfortunately, the horses were discovered by God when bathing in the Lijiang River at dawn. They fled hastily and ran to the edge of the cliff, where they became stone statues as punishment for not coming back.

Another legend is that a painter who wanted to paint this picture saw nine horses drinking water in the Lijiang River. As a result, the horse was frightened and ran into the cliff in a hurry and confusion. No matter how incredible these legends sound, they add mystery to the charming scenery and make people more fascinated by the magical work of nature.
Horses have different attitudes. One image may be a running horse, while the other image may be standing still, neighing, eating grass or drinking water. It is not easy to identify all nine horses because it requires keen eyesight and rich imagination. A folk song claims that the person who can identify all nine horses will be the first scholar and the first person to come out of the highest imperial examination in ancient China.

Former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai also visited the place in the 1960s and was reported to be able to identify all nine horses. When General Chen Yi asked Zhou how many horses he could recognize, Zhou said it was 18. Do you know why there are 18 of them? That’s because nine horses are on the wall and the others are reflecting on the water.

Behind the mural mountain is a canyon suitable for drifting. There is a drop of 180 meters (590 feet) and the whole route is 3.5 kilometers (about 2.2 miles) long, like a ribbon winding through the valley. Of course it is very interesting to ride an inflatable raft in the torrent!

Best Time to Travel Mural Hill

The best travel time is April to October.

Guilin has a relatively low latitude. Belongs to the subtropical humid monsoon climate. Generally speaking, Guilin has a mild climate with distinct seasons and excellent climatic conditions. The annual average temperature is 19.3℃, which is said to be “less snow in three winters and flowers in four seasons”. When traveling to Guilin, the best season is from April to October each year, during which there will be two golden weeks of “may day” and “November”, which is also the peak period of tourism. Guilin with suitable climate will have many tourists, room reservation and transportation will also enter a climax, and the price will rise compared with usual. therefore, it is better to avoid this time and choose an off-season to travel and appreciate the beauty of the world.

How To Get  There

  • Take a Li River cruise ship from Guilin Zhujiang Dock to Yangshuo, which will pass Mural Hill on the way; otherwise, take a bus from Guilin General Bus Station to Yangdi Dock first, and then hire a bamboo raft, which costs CNY118 for an adult and around CNY40 for a child under 1.3m (4.3 feet).
  •  From Yangshuo: First one can take a bus from Yangshuo Bus Station to Xingping Town. After arrival, take a bamboo raft at Xingping Dock and then drift upriver. It takes nearly an hour and costs CNY80 per adult and CNY40 for each kid under 1.3m (4.3 feet). Hikers can walk from Xingping to the Mural Hill, which takes around 1.5 hours.

Useful Travel Tips

Admission Fees Free of charge.
Opening Hours The whole day.

Nearby Attractions

Recommended Guilin Tour Packages

Edited by Doreen/张洋