Elephant Trunk Hill is one of the Lijiang River's most famous sights

  Elephant Trunk Hill is one of the Lijiang River's most famous sights. The hill is situated on the western bank of the Lijiang River, to the southeast of Guilin. It looks like an elephant, dipping its snout into the Lijiang River, hence the name "Elephant Trunk Hill". This sight is very representative of the landscape around Guilin and is a symbol of Guilin itself. A park and a Ming Dynasty pagoda are found on and around the Elephant Trunk Hill.

 
  A legend tells that an elephant, which belonged to the Emperor of Heaven, came down to earth to help the people in their work. This angered the Emperor of Heaven, who stabbed the elephant while it was drinking at the river's edge and turned it to stone. The cave between the body and the trunk of this elephant figure is of a particularly interesting shape and has inspired poets and other writers, old and new, to engrave verses on its walls. The poems of Lo You, Fan Chengda, and other poets from different dynasties are of inestimable literary and archaeological value. On the top of the hill stands the Puxian Pagoda, erected during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and shaped as the handle of the dagger with which the elephant was killed.
  Elephant Trunk Hill has the altitude of 200 meters, 108 meters long and 100 meters wide. The mountain area is up to 1.3 hectares, which is composed of pure limestone. The major scenic spots include: Xiangshan Square, HuiJiang Pavilion, Puxian Tower, Elephant-eye Grotto, Shuiyue hole, Shanxing Island and Yunfeng Temple.