Elephant Trunk Hill, embraced by Xiangshan Park of the same name, stands on the western bank of Li River in the south central area of Guilin city. This hill is so named because it outlines a vivid image of an elephant sipping water from the river with its trunk. It is the symbol of Guilin and its karst landscape.

Legend of Elephant Trunk Hill
There is a legend about Elephant Trunk Hill. It says that an elephant 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 back of the elephant while it was drinking water on the river bank and turned it into stone. Actually, the hill is a limestone karsts formation of 3.6 hundred million years old.
Water Moon Cave
Between the body and the trunk there is a semi round opening, known as "Water Moon Cave", which is about 10 meters high and 20 meters deep. It looks like a full moon floating on the surface of the water with the moonlight reflected on the waves. Over 70 inscriptions from the Tang and Song dynasties were found on the walls inside this cave, praising the beauty of the hill and waters nearby.