Ten Mile Gallery: The Most Beautiful Ride in Yangshuo

The postcard is familiar: jagged karst peaks, like stone teeth gnawing at a misty sky, rising from emerald rice paddies. This is the iconic image of Yangshuo, Guangxi. But to truly feel the heartbeat of this landscape, to move through the postcard rather than just look at it, you must do one thing: get on a bicycle and ride the Ten Mile Gallery.

This is not a gallery with walls and a roof. It is an open-air museum of sublime geology, a ten-li (roughly five-kilometer) stretch of paved path that winds between the town of Yangshuo and the ancient village of Jiuxian. Here, the art is eternal, sculpted by water and time, and the admission ticket is a rented bike, a bottle of water, and a willing spirit.

More Than a Path: A Journey Into a Chinese Painting

The moment you turn off the main road and onto the Gallery path, the world changes. The din of motorbikes and tourist buses fades, replaced by the whir of your bike chain, the chorus of insects, and the soft rustle of bamboo groves. The road itself is flat and mercifully easy, making it accessible to almost anyone. This isn’t about athletic conquest; it’s about sensory immersion.

You are now inside a living, breathing Shan Shui painting. Those impossibly vertical peaks—with names like "Folded Brocade Hill" and "Sword-Pointed Peak"—are no longer distant silhouettes. They loom beside you, their limestone faces draped in vines and hardy shrubs. You pedal under their silent gaze, the scale shifting from monumental to intimate with every turn.

The Cast of Characters: Mountains with Personality

The Ten Mile Gallery is not a monotonous parade of similar hills. Each peak has its own character. You’ll pass the Elephant Trunk Hill, its namesake shape dipping into the Yulong River as if taking a long drink. Further on, the Moon Hill presents its bizarre, perfectly circular window near its summit, a celestial puncture wound that frames passing clouds. Locals have woven tales around these formations for centuries, stories of immortal beings, love tragedies, and celestial dragons. As you ride, you’re not just passing geology; you’re cycling through folklore.

The Real Magic: Life in the Slow Lane

While the mountains are the headline act, the true soul of the ride is found in the spaces between them. This is where you witness the timeless rhythm of local life, a beautiful contrast to the bustling West Street back in Yangshuo.

You’ll glide past farmers in conical bamboo hats, knee-deep in flooded paddies, transplanting green shoots with practiced, rhythmic motions. You’ll smell the earthy perfume of turned soil and hear the gentle splash of water buffalo cooling off in muddy ponds. Old stone bridges arch over quiet streams, and ancient banyan trees spread their mighty roots, offering deep pools of shade. Every so often, a small path beckons you to detour into a village of white-walled houses, where the only sound might be the clack of mahjong tiles or the sizzle of vegetables in a wok.

The Art of the Detour: Yulong River Bamboo Rafting

No ride down the Ten Mile Gallery is complete without a strategic pause for a bamboo raft adventure on the Yulong River. Several access points along the bike path allow you to seamlessly switch modes of transport. Leaving your bike at a designated spot, you board a simple, flat raft poled by a local skipper.

Floating down the jade-green water is the perspective shift you didn’t know you needed. The peaks you were cycling beside now reflect perfectly in the still river, doubling the beauty. The world slows to the pace of the current and the gentle plunk of the bamboo pole. It’s a moment of profound peace, a core memory of any Yangshuo trip. After your float, often ending downstream, a quick shuttle or a leisurely bike ride along the riverbank returns you to your starting point.

Navigating the New Normal: Tips for the Modern Traveler

The Ten Mile Gallery has evolved. While its beauty is constant, the experience around it reflects modern Chinese tourism.

• The Electric Option: Don’t feel like pedaling? Electric bikes and scooters are now ubiquitous for rent. They offer a fantastic way to cover more ground with less effort, especially under the summer sun. They’ve democratized the journey, allowing families and those less confident on a bicycle to partake fully.
• The "Instagram vs. Reality" Moments: Certain spots, like the iconic view of a winding road framed by peaks, can get crowded, especially during golden hour. Photographers and influencers in flowing dresses are part of the scene. Embrace it or seek your own quiet corner just a few meters away—the beauty is endless.
• Beyond the Pavement: For the adventurous, dirt paths and trails spiderweb off the main paved route. These lead to hidden viewpoints, secluded villages, and authentic farmer’s homes where you might be beckoned for a cup of bitter tea.
• Timing is Everything: Start early. A 7 AM ride gifts you mist-shrouded peaks, the morning light painting the limestone gold, and having the path largely to yourself. Late afternoon offers stunning, soft light and a cooler temperature.

The Culinary Pit Stop: Fueling the Ride

This isn't a ride you rush. Part of the joy is the spontaneous stop. Old ladies set up stalls with freshly peeled pomelos, sweet and refreshing. Farmers sell tiny, flavor-packed wild kumquats. And when hunger strikes, look for a simple farmhouse restaurant with plastic tables set in a courtyard. Order the beer fish (píjiǔ yú), a Yangshuo classic where fresh river fish is braised in local beer and tomatoes. Follow it with a plate of stir-fried sweet potato leaves and rice steamed in bamboo. It will be one of the most memorable meals of your trip, earned by the turning of your pedals.

The Ten Mile Gallery endures because it is more than a checklist item. It is an interactive, human-paced dialogue with one of Earth’s most spectacular landscapes. It proves that the journey itself, the wind on your skin, the scent of wild ginger, the nod from a passing farmer, and the awe of looking up at a tower of stone that’s stood for millennia, is the true destination. It is, without hyperbole, the most beautiful ride not just in Yangshuo, but perhaps in all of China. It reminds us that sometimes, to truly see, we must move slowly, breathe deeply, and simply be present in the gallery of the world.