Escape the scorching temperatures in these cool summer vacations

When people long for views of the nation's most scenic hills and rivers, they book a bamboo boat cruise in Yangshuo. Yangshuo lies to the southeast of Guilin and in the northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It's famous for its karst hills and traditional fishing-village lifestyle. Downtown is touristy. Visitors can rent bikes and head to the countryside to find a more calming scene: bamboo boats chugging along the river, fishermen setting out with cormorants, farmers toiling in fields with lush peaks soaring high above. [Photo/VCG]