In the Xijie (West) Street, a time-weathered lane in the ancient, lovely town of Yangshuo in south China, a wrist watch seems to be a gadget you would least need.

Time means nothing for leisure seekers from almost every corner of the world traveling to this enchanting town, approximately 50 kilometers from Guilin, a world-renowned scenic resort in southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

It is almost midnight. Noushin Riazi is still nibbling her roasted corn cob beside a snack stall in Xijie Street, which boasts numerous pubs, bars, restaurants and handicraft shops with signboards in numerous foreign languages you can imagine.

'This is a lovely place. Everyone here looks so at ease and relaxed,' said Riazi from San Francisco in the United States.

Like many other foreign tourists, Riazi heard of Xijie by word of mouth from friends who have been here.

Nestled on the bamboo-clad bank of the limpid Lijiang River, Yangshuo lies at the heart of the karst limestone region of greater Guilin. The 1,400-year-old town is hemmed in by steep rock formations rising from green paddies and grape orchards. Its imposing scenery has inspired an old Chinese saying - Guilin has the most beautiful landscape on earth whereas the cream of its beauty can be seen in Yangshuo. 

But Yangshuo has earned its worldwide reputation in recent years as a paradise for leisure seekers where east and west not only meet but also are mingled.

Strolling down Xijie which is barely 1,000 meters long, new arrivals are often amazed by the blend of old and new - brick lofts with black-tile roofs and white-washed walls house sidewalk pubs and neat and colorful handicraft shops. Rows of restaurants under the soft Candle light serve pizza, spaghetti and tasty steak and other delicious Western snacks.

People chat in different languages, leaning back leisurely in wooden chairs, though the conversation sometimes sounds barely intelligible since everyone speaks a second language - Chinese, English, French or Japanese.

During the day, the street is crowded by enthusiastic tourists who take pleasure boats from the city of Guilin for sightseeing down the lazily-winding Lijiang River and stop over at Yangshuo. At night, the town of Yangshuo belongs to those who stay overnight, or even longer.