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"You need a lot of imagination to enjoy Guilin," says our tour guide, Marwin, as we set out to explore Guilin, a magical city surrounded by thousands of mountains. "If I suggest you think of it as a pig, then that's what you should do."

We smile at his words but Marwin is right. Without an imagination, visitors to the northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, would never find horses galloping and drinking on a cliff; fish plunging into the ground or jumping over the dragon gate; or the Goddess of Mercy watching over Guilin.

Built by Mother Nature herself, these masterpieces emerging from the earth and hanging from the ceilings of caves look like they belong more to a scifi movie than real life.

Chinese film director Zhang Yimou certainly used his imagination, turning the peaceful town of Yangshuo, two hours from Guilin, a perfect site for cycling and sightseeing, into a theatre for his larger-than-life "Impression of Liu Sanjie" musical.

Based on a Chinese musical movie made in 1961, the outdoor musical, which has been running since 2004, portrays the life of Liu Sanjie in Tang dynasty (706 BC). Like most of Zhuang ethnic minority - the largest ethnic group in Guang Xi, Liu loved singing and even used songs to communicate. Gifted for her singing, Liu only sang for other farmers, not the money and fame. She sang against the landlords who over taxed them.

Located by the Li River, two kilometres from famous West Street in Yangshou, the jawdrop¬ping stage has the real mountains and river as the foreground and the sky and constellation as the backdrop.

Against 12 mountain peaks on the 1,654 square kilometres of water area, more than 600 actors - some of whom are real fishermen from the Li River, portray how Liu Sanjie lived.

A rumour that the female protagonist was dancing naked on the crescent moon floating on the water surface in the show during the first few months attracted more crowds and increased the rental of binoculars.

"All the Juang people like Liu Sanjie because of her devotion to the people. And all the girls want to have her voice," says Marwin. Most of Guilin's population is made up of the Juang, and they love singing and dancing by Lijiang River - and just about everywhere else.

"See? Everyone's Liu Sanjie here," says Marwin, pointing to people singing and playing fiddle in a public park. Whether it's because of the rumour or love for the lady, both daily shows at 2,000seat theatre are usually sold out and a third show is often needed.

If you were impressed by the grandeur, colours, number of per¬formers and technique of Olympics opening and closing ceremonies in Beijing last year, the musical offers equal excitement, albeit on a smaller scale.

None the less impressive, though admittedly requiring less imagination, is the Lotus Cave just outside Xingping in Yangshuo. A remarkable natural spectacle, it even has lotusshaped stalactites.

"That's the carp trying to jump over the dragon gate," says Marwin, pointing to another stone emerging from the ground. According to local myth, the fish wants to jump over the gate to become a Buddhist.

The highlight appears just before the exit where 108 stone plates sticking up from the ground resemble lotuses floating in a pond. Although some are hidden further inside the cave, the accuracy of the number is not necessary. Just seeing dozens of them under the beautifully arranged coloured lights is more than enough.

If you go …

Bangkok Airways (www.BangkokAir.com) offers a regular service between Bangkok and Guilin starting at Bt11,000. Call (02) 270 6699.