Tourists flock to West Street in Yangshuo

Andy from Austria mixes drinks for customer at his own bar on the West Street in Yangshuo, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 9, 2011. In 1984, the first café opened at the West Street in Yangshuo. Its boss was Gao Shuangzhong. From that time, numerous cafes, bars, hotels opened one after another on this 517-meter-long street, which was later nicknamed as the foreigners' street, or the "Global Village". Though Gao Shuangzhong speaks fluent English, he even didn't finish junior high school. It is more surprising that there are three foreign employees working for him in his bar named Bar98. Living and working at the West Street since childhood, Gao has made over an hundred foreign friends here, who invited him to travel in Southeast Asia, Australia, the USA, Germany, etc. "The West Street has the most beautiful landscape in China. Many foreigners love the tranquility and coziness here. Some have stayed for over ten years."Gao said, adding that many of his foreign friends even found their true love in Yangshuo. "Although I am not very knowledgeable, I believe that Chinese and foreigners should live and work harmoniously here, making the West Street more attractive and comfortable. " Gao's fairness and generosity has won his good fame and sincere friendship in these years. The Yangshuo County is renowned for picturesque scenery of Karst peaks and turquoise Lijiang River, while the West Street attracts tourists with ancient and local architectures, various souvenirs, joyous nightlife and exotic styles. It accommodated one million foreign visitors in 2009 and two millions in 2010. With a history of 1400 years, the street is becoming more and more lustrous with an international atmosphere. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua)

Foreign visitors have meal in a Chinese restaurant on the West Street in Yangshuo, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 9, 2011. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua)

Foreign visitors enjoy leisure time at Bar98 on the West Street in Yangshuo, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 9, 2011. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua)

Photo taken on June 9, 2011 shows the exterior of Bar98 on the West Street in Yangshuo, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua)