Xianggongshan Scenic Spot

This guide to Xianggongshan follows an unnamed photographer who climbed the hill before dawn, set up a tripod above a bend in the Li River, and won only bronze at the tenth International Photography Exhibition. It traces the hill's earlier life as an anonymous farming lookout near the village of Hebao, named for a silhouette locals thought resembled an old-fashioned government official. Climb the stone steps at sunrise for a chance at the same river bend and cloud-filled valley.