Xiangbishan and Guilin’s elephant-shaped riverside hill

Xiangbishan, the hill known in English as Elephant Trunk Hill, rises in Guilin as a limestone mass beside the Li River. Its outline is linked with the city’s image, and the site sits within Xiangshan Park near the meeting of the Li and Taohua rivers.

Xiangbishan’s limestone outline above Guilin

The hill is a karst formation, shaped by limestone and water over a very long geological span. Its profile is the feature most people recognise first: a broad body of rock above the river, with an arch at the base and the suggestion of a trunk below.

That shape has made Xiangbishan one of Guilin’s most familiar landmarks, and the name itself points to the animal form. The hill stands in the urban river landscape rather than apart from it, so water, rock and city belong to the same view.

Elephant Trunk Hill is identified as Xiangbishan in English-language sources, and the Chinese name ??? is widely used alongside it. The hill is placed in Guilin, Guangxi, China, at the confluence of the Taohua and Li rivers.

Karst scenery at the river junction

The site belongs to the wider karst scenery for which Guilin is known. In physical terms, Xiangbishan is a mass of pale rock set against open water, with the riverbank and nearby park paths forming the immediate frame.

Water Moon Cave lies within the same hill, and the rock arch below the main body is part of what gives the place its best-known silhouette. The setting combines an urban riverfront with a natural formation that reads as both cliff and landmark.

the confluence of the Taohua River and Li River is the key geographical detail that places Xiangbishan in Guilin’s riverscape. The same source places the hill in Elephant Hill Scenic Area, also known as Xiangshan Park.

The hill in Guilin’s cultural landscape

Xiangbishan is more than a rock shape on a river bend. It belongs to the visual identity of Guilin, where limestone hills rise from low ground and water threads between them.

Chinese sources and English guides alike connect the hill with the city’s emblematic image. The place has become a familiar marker of Guilin’s karst geography, and the name Elephant Trunk Hill gives non-Chinese readers an immediate image of the form.

symbol of Guilin appears in coverage of the hill, reflecting the strong visual association between Xiangbishan and the city. Another source gives the hill’s height as 200 metres above sea level, which places it within the city’s low river terrain.

Visiting Xiangbishan: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Xiangbishan stands in Guilin’s urban river landscape, and the hill is reached through Xiangshan Park near the Li River.
• The terrain is limestone karst with a riverfront setting, so the main experience is shaped by rock, water and the park paths around the hill.
• The hill includes Water Moon Cave and a lower arch, both visible parts of the formation.
• The official language is Chinese and the currency is the renminbi.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Xiangbishan

Where is Xiangbishan?

Xiangbishan is in Guilin, Guangxi, China, beside the Li River and close to the Taohua River. It forms part of Xiangshan Park and the city’s riverfront landscape.

What is there to see?

The main sight is the limestone hill itself, together with the arch at its base and Water Moon Cave. The setting brings together rock, river and parkland in one compact view.

What makes Xiangbishan distinctive?

Its outline resembles an elephant drinking from the river, and that form has given the hill its name. The place is a fixed part of Guilin’s identity as a karst city.