Libo County is a county in Guizhou popular for clear streams, waterfalls, and an emerald lake. Due to lush vegetation the air quality is unbelievably clean considering the county is in the eastern half of China.
Libo was a waypoint on the communication line to Guangxi province to the south and 2 bridges built in the 19th century on the route are landmarks for the county's two major nature sites: Xiaoqikong and Daqikong.
A decade long plan to turn the county into a popular tourism destination has succeeded spectacularly, attested to by the vitality and rapid growth of the county seat.
XiaoQikong Scenic SpotXiaoqikong (小七孔) (next to Mengliu Style Town). Among the peaks of more than 30 kilometers in the south of Libo County, it is 5 kilometers away from the Daqikong Scenic Area, with a total length of 7 kilometers. In the small seven-hole scenic area, there is a seven-hole arch bridge made of blue stone on the Xiangshui River. "Little seven-hole scenic area" got its name.
The small seven-hole ancient bridge was built in the fifteenth year of Qing Daoguang (1835). In ancient times, it was a commercial transportation road from southern Guizhou to Guangxi, across the Xiangshui River. The bridge is 40 meters long, 2.2 meters wide and 5.5 meters high. The bridge body is arched and the structure is exquisite. There are two original stone tablets at the head of the bridge, one is "Crebuilding the Monument", which is the merits of building the bridge; the other is the "Long Ancient Xing Bridge Monument", which is engraved with the couplet of "Thousands of Years of Mountains and Waves, Thousands of Years of Xiangshui River Bridge". The seven holes in the abdomen of the bridge are commonly known as the "small seven-hole ancient bridge". There are mainly 21 scenic spots such as Xiaoqikong Ancient Bridge, Laya Waterfall, Level 68 Falling Waterfall, Shishang Forest, Wild Boar Forest, Water Forest, Tianzhong Cave, Wolongtan, and Yuanou Lake.
Daqikong (大七孔). A gorge set in a stunning karst landscape. The gorge can be traversed by boat or the footpath. (updated Feb 2019)
Wuyan Bridge, formerly known as Tongfu Bridge, is located on the Shiweitang. It was built in the 40th year of the Ming Dynasty (1612 A.D.), with a total length of 42.8 meters and a width of 2.8 meters. The bridge is made of red sandstone. The bridge railings and the edges of the bridge holes are inlaid with granite, and the slope of the bridge surface is smooth. Qing Kangxi's "Nanhai County Chronicle" states: "The bridge is the provincial Buddha pass, the west water ferry, and the ships from 18 townships are moored here." In September 1993, the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government announced the Wuyan Bridge as a cultural relic protection unit in Guangzhou.
Dapeng Commercial Hotel (荔波大鹏商务酒店), 12 Zhangjiang Middle Rd, Libo, ☏ +86 854 3618866. A decent 3-star tourist hotel, definitely better in quality than most 3-star hotels in small cities, even has nice, soft towels. (updated Feb 2019)
