Fortunately, rural China hasn't changed too much from 20 years ago, when I travelled here the first time. The landscapes in Yangshuo are still superbe, the rock climbing gorgeous, the people friendly and the rivers (relatively) clean. The only thing that has really changed is the village Yangshuo which has transformed itself into a 350,000 people city with 600 hotels and 3000 restaurants. Since we are staying in a nice little guesthouse a few km outside of Yangshuo in the middle of mountains and ricefields, this doesnt really bother us too much. First impression of travelling in 'modern' China: great!