Opened just over one year ago, The Giggling Tree was founded by a Dutch couple after their experience leading tours throughout China for several years. Although managed by the owners and English-speaking staff, much of the service provided at the inn is run by villagers.

The renovated farmhouse offers private rooms with bath in colorful summer motifs, with wicker furniture and wooden floors. The impressive restoration project includes the replacement of 80,000 roof tiles and the installation of electricity and plumbing systems that didn't exist before.

Further north of Yangshuo, lies the one-of-a-kind Hotel Of Modern Art (HOMA). Located within a 550-hectare sculpture park, HOMA offers the karst landscape of Guangxi from an entirely re-oriented artistic view. Owned and developed by an entrepreneur from Taiwan and patron of the arts, Rhy-Chang Tsao, the park was named Yuzi Paradise (Fool's Paradise) to capture the whimsy and other-worldliness of the capacious eco-art park.

Initially opened in 1997 as a private artists' retreat, the park, hotels, workshops, and conference center include more than 200 art pieces created and contributed by more than 100 international artists. Four years ago, HOMA opened its doors to public guests, aspiring artists, and connoisseurs. Exotic, luxurious and secluded, Yuzi Paradise makes for a tranquil retreat.

It lies mid-way between Yangshuo and Guilin, a little over an hour and half's drive each way. Private cars and shuttles must be arranged to its remote location. The solitary ambiance is ideal for romantic getaways. Upon arrival, guests are offered either bicycles or 1930s-style open-air electric cars to cruise around the park. The features of the park are as harmonious with nature as they are discordant.

Monuments of human creativity, the sculptures are a mix of ingenuity and playfulness. A high-tech greenhouse filled with semitropical vegetation and botanical gardens - including 100 rare species of Australian cacti - can also found within the park.

(China Daily October 16, 2008)