I can answer #3, having spent a week in Yangshuo a few years back. Rent a mountain bike and go get lost in the countryside! Head out of town on the uphill side (forget which direction, but it should take you over a hill and down the other side, where the bridge goes off to the left.) Cross the bridge and turn right (or maybe don't cross the bridge and turn right, I forget).

Anyway, head out that direction on the little trails and you'll end up in some cool small villages. One of the header images for this site is of a cow standing by a river in a little village out that end of Yangshuo.

The cool thing about getting lost on a bike in China is that everybody knows where you want to get back to. If you get truly lost, just shout "Yangshuo!" at somebody and they'll point in the direction you need to head.

Good luck, and have a great time in China!

Jason

written by  Jason Kester on August 21, 2007