Breathing oxygen in Guangxi, every breath tastes as sweet as sipping honey
Shibashui: Guangxi hides a "Silver Chain Waterfall River," where every breath is sweet enough to make you tremble
As the car just turned into Luhua Village, the sound of water rolling in the mountain hollow could be heard—not just sporadic sounds, but a series of waterfalls crashing down from the clouds. The white water hits the green stones, breaking into mist that coolly touches the face. Uncle Li, the mountain guardian, walks back carrying a bamboo basket filled with freshly picked wild tea: "This water seeps from the cracks in the bones of the Ten-Thousand Great Mountains, flowing through eighteen bends, winding past ten waterfalls, and even the air carries sweetness."
🌊 Ten cascading waterfalls form a river, a 300-meter drop creating an emerald pool
At the top, the "Heavenly River Waterfall" looks like a silver chain falling from a 30-meter cliff, plunging into the pool with a "thud" that makes your eardrums tingle. Walking down, ten tiers of waterfalls layer upon each other; some are as thin as strings, flowing like water curtains along the rock walls; others are as wide as white silk, tearing sunlight into golden fragments. By one waterfall pool stands a wooden sign reading "Negative oxygen ions 65,000+/cm³." Uncle Li laughs, "Taking a deep breath here is ten times more effective than a purifier in the city. Look at these trees—they grow more vigorously than anywhere else."
The plank road is built along the waterfalls, with the most dangerous parts carved into the cliff wall, where you can reach out and touch the splashing water droplets. Suddenly, the path opens up to a jade-green pool nestled in the valley, the water as green as uncut jade, with pebbles clearly visible at the bottom. "This is the eighth pool," Uncle Li points to a stone pier in the center of the pool, "In the past, mountain people crossed the pool by stepping on this, but now that a bridge has been built, it has become a scenic spot."
🪨 The "Longevity" character on the Imperial Inscription Stone, soaked in water for six hundred years
Deeper into the valley, a huge rock juts out from the cliff, with the character "Longevity" inscribed by Emperor Ming Xianzong’s own hand. Though the red paint has faded, the strength in the strokes remains. "This character hides the 'Shibashui Longevity,'" Uncle Li gestures with his hand, "Water flows around the stone, the stone supports the water, and the elders say that drinking three sips of pool water facing this character brings good fortune."
Next to the stone, a golden toad stone crouches by the water’s edge, its mouth facing the waterfall, holding rainwater that reflects the shadow of the "Longevity" character. "This toad has guarded here for six hundred years," Uncle Li points to the moss on the stone, "It never moves with the rising and falling water. Look at its belly—it’s shiny from tourists touching it, all hoping to catch some wealth luck."
🌿 The trees in the Zhuangyuan Forest live even longer than the waterfalls
Leaving the waterfall group, the plank road enters an ancient forest. One camphor tree’s trunk requires three people to hug it, with a tree age plaque reading "500 years," and the bark’s texture resembling an old person’s palm. "This is the Zhuangyuan Forest," Uncle Li says, "Scholars on their way to the imperial exams used to stop here to pay respects, believing it would bring literary luck." Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting coin-sized light spots on the ground, and the air is filled with the fragrance of plants and moisture. Taking a deep breath feels like your lungs have been cleansed.
On the way down, Uncle Li scoops up a handful of water from the stream: "Try it, this water is sweet to drink directly." Indeed, the clear water slides down the throat with a hint of herbal sweetness. Looking back, the ten-tier waterfall becomes a pale white line in the dusk, the sound of flowing water mixed with insect chirps, like the mountain humming an old tune. Suddenly, it’s clear why the emperor inscribed the "Longevity" character here—in such a place, the water lives long, the trees live long, and even the air you breathe carries a lasting vitality.
Practical Guide
· Transportation: 20 minutes by car from Hezhou city center (take Bada West Road → West Ring Road, navigate to "Shibashui Primitive Ecological Scenic Area," parking fee 5 RMB/day); taxi round trip from city center about 50 RMB, 30 minutes drive.
· Oxygen Breathing Tips: Enter the valley before 9 AM for the highest concentration of negative oxygen ions; the viewing platform below the "Heavenly River Waterfall" is the "oxygen bar’s prime spot," where you can see water droplets dancing in the sunlight as you take deep breaths.
· Hidden Activities: Find the "Echo Waterfall" (the third waterfall tier, where shouting once can hear five echoes); collect water from the "Longevity Spring" beside the Imperial Inscription Stone (locals say drinking it adds years to your life); in the Zhuangyuan Forest, find the "Couple Trees" (two ancient camphor trees whose branches intertwine into a heart shape in midair).
· What to Eat: At the entrance, "Luhua Village Farmhouse" is recommended, try the braised river fish (freshly caught and killed, 38 RMB per jin), Hezhou stuffed tofu (15 RMB per serving), paired with homemade rice wine to refresh yourself.
When did you feel the air was "sweet"? Was it the mist by the waterfall or the breeze in the forest? Share your thoughts in the comments~