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Guizhou, located in southwestern China, borders Hunan to the east, Guangxi to the south, Yunnan to the west, and Sichuan and Chongqing to the north. It is often considered a "barbarian and Miao frontier" by most Chinese. Home to a diverse and numerous ethnic minority population, and underdeveloped industry and economy, Guizhou boasts picturesque scenery and is home to one of the most typical karst landforms in the world, earning it the nickname "Karst Kingdom." This remote mountainous region is dotted with typical karst landscapes, including caves, funnels, and depressions of all sizes.
As we all know, Guizhou is home to caves everywhere. National Geographic China once selected four of China's six best caves, including Zhijin Cave, Dragon Palace Cave, and Shuanghe Cave. However, hidden deep within the mountains, some caves remain largely undiscovered. Today, let's discuss your Guizhou cave exploration guide and explore its unique attractions.
Representative destination: Zhijin Cave
Address: Guanzhai Miao Township, Zhijin County, Guizhou Province, 120 kilometers from Guiyang
Strength coefficient: ★★ (five stars is the highest, three stars is medium strength)
Zhijin Cave is now a National Geopark, a National Natural Heritage Site, a National AAAA-level Tourist Attraction, and a World Geopark. It topped the list of "China's Most Beautiful Tourist Caves" in National Geographic's "Beauty China" competition, receiving high praise as the "King of Chinese Karst Caves." It also topped the list of "China's Top Ten Most Beautiful Caves." In 2015, Zhijin Cave was officially designated a UNESCO World Geopark, becoming the first in Guizhou Province.
Zhijin Cave is known as the "King of Caves" because it holds many world records. For example, the developed area of the cave covers 350,000 square meters; the variety and quality of the deposits within the cave are rare; the height and width of the cave hall are among the highest in the world; and the magical silver rain trees and exquisite curly stones are rare in the world. The most spectacular sight is the pagoda forest world within the Golden Pagoda Palace. Within the 16,000 square meter cave hall, over 100 golden and silver pagodas stand tall, divided into 11 halls.
Zhijin Cave is a comprehensive karst system with multiple layers, stages, categories, and forms. It is one of the world's leading karst caves developed for tourism. The cave boasts a relative height difference of over 150 meters, with a maximum span of 175 meters. The cave's average height and width range from 60 to 100 meters, totaling over 700,000 square meters. The average height of the deposits is around 40 meters, with the highest reaching 70 meters, more than 7 meters higher than the tallest stalagmite in the Monte Martin Cave in Cuba, the world's highest. In terms of both volume and deposit height, it is two to three times larger than those in European countries such as France and Yugoslavia, which are consistently ranked among the world's top six tourist caves.
Representative destination: Dragon Palace
Address: Southern suburbs of Anshun City, Guizhou Province, 40 kilometers from Huangguoshu Scenic Area and 116 kilometers from Guiyang City
Strength coefficient: ★ (five stars is the highest, three stars is medium strength)
Dragon Palace, one of the first national AAAAA-level tourist attractions, is known as "China's No. 1 Water Karst Cave." Its underground river cave stretches 15 kilometers, the longest in China. Currently, only the second section, 1,240 meters long, is open to the public. The cave's stalactites are in various shapes and sizes, and its halls resemble the mythical Dragon King's palace.
The Dragon Palace Scenic Area boasts China's longest and most beautiful karst cave, China's largest cave Buddhist temple, the world's lowest natural radiation dose rate, and the world's largest and most concentrated collection of water- and land-based karst caves. Poet Ai Qing called it "a great miracle of nature," and Chinese painting master Liu Haisu praised it as "a wonder of the world."
The Longgong Scenic Area also has the country's largest cave waterfall - Longmen Waterfall, which is more than 50 meters high and 26 meters wide. The water flows through the mountains and rocks with a gushing momentum, which is majestic and magnificent, like a galloping horse.
Representative destination: Getu River
Address: Shuitang Town, Ziyun County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province
Strength coefficient: ★★★ (five stars is the highest, three stars is medium strength)
The Getu River is a national scenic spot. The word "Getu" is a Miao word that means "the holy place for flower dancing."
Here you can find the intangible cultural display of the quaint Miao Spider-Man climbing rocks with his bare hands and walking on swords and diving into seas of fire; there is the fascinating culture of King Yaru, and the secluded Dahe Miao Village, which is like a paradise on earth; there is the unparalleled Big Cave Yan Palace and the magnificent view of thousands of swallows returning to their nests, as well as the deepest vertical shaft in China and the world's highest and best-preserved ancient river channel relic blind valley.
The Getu River Scenic Area embodies the essence of karst, mountains, water, caves, rocks, and forests, blending grandeur, strangeness, danger, steepness, seclusion, and antiquity into a perfect tapestry of natural and cultural beauty. It is a serene, pristine, ecological, natural, and majestic sanctuary rarely found in modern civilization. Here, folk customs, culture, history, and nature converge to create a magnificent and captivating beauty on a grand scale. Getu River is a place of incredible beauty, a tranquil and secluded mountain, and a paradise for outdoor sports and leisure.
Representative destination: Zhongdong Miao Village
Address: Gejing Village, Shuitang Town, Getu River, Ziyun County, Guizhou Province
Strength coefficient: ★★★ (five stars is the highest, three stars is medium strength)
Zhongdong Miao Village is known as "China's last cave-dwelling tribe". In this cave, which is more than 100 meters wide and more than 200 meters deep, lives China's last cave-dwelling "tribe" - 18 households with a total of 73 Miao people. Their ancestors moved to the mountains to escape war and later settled in the cave.
In order to relocate these nearly 100 Miao people from the caves, the local government has thought of many ways and even built new houses at the foot of the mountain not far away. However, not knowing what kind of charm cave life has, only a few families in the "Zhongdong" are willing to leave the caves.
In Zhongdong Miao Village, residents spin their own yarn and weave their own cloth, grind their own grain, and travel 15 kilometers a week to the market to buy oil, salt, and other daily necessities. The rest of the time, they farm, herd cattle, or raise pigs. During the slack season, the men gather around the campfire, drinking homemade wine, while the women gather to discuss daily life. Zhongdong Miao Village originally had a primary school within the cave, but later, thanks to corporate sponsorship and government action, the school was moved outside. Life within the cave is simple yet hard, yet beautifully simple. Despite their poverty, the Miao people are content.
In 2003, an American named Hulank Bird visited Zhongdong. Seeing the impoverished living conditions of the Miao people there, he donated over 100,000 RMB to build a power transmission line from the foot of the mountain to Zhongdong. Since then, the Miao village has enjoyed electricity and light. But that wasn't the end of it. Hulank Bird visited Zhongdong three more times. To truly improve the lives of the Miao people, he donated 800 RMB to each household, allowing them to buy cattle, sheep, chickens, and other livestock as capital investment, thus creating a virtuous cycle of continuous improvement in their living standards.
Representative destination: Getu River
Address: Shuitang Town, Ziyun County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province
Strength coefficient: ★★★★★ (five stars is the highest, three stars is medium strength)
Getu River is the only designated provincial rock climbing base in Guizhou Province. The unique karst topography of Getu River in Ziyun County has created a rich and diverse array of pristine eco-tourism and sports resources, as well as a rich and profound ethnic culture. Every year, a large number of international visitors flock to the area to participate in extreme sports such as low-altitude skydiving, rope jumping, and wingsuit flying.
The Getu River International Rock Climbing Competition has been held for over a decade. From its humble beginnings as a climbing competition, it has evolved into a renowned international climbing festival. At the 2016 China Sports Culture and China Sports Tourism Expo, the Getu International Rock Climbing Festival was selected as a China Sports Tourism Premium Project. As an annual international sporting event, the Getu International Rock Climbing Festival has become a globally influential brand.
Representative destination: Shuanghe Cave (there are also various undeveloped caves that are also frequently chosen by caving enthusiasts)
Address: Suiyang County, Zunyi, Guizhou
Strength coefficient: ★★★★ (five stars is the highest, three stars is medium strength)
Caving is an outdoor sport that combines science, sports and tourism to satisfy people's curiosity. It is also an exciting activity. During the caving period, each member should concentrate on completing the part of the expedition they are responsible for.
In the West, caving has become a sport, fostering the formation of large-scale caving groups and organizations. However, in China, caving is relatively rare, and many of the leading figures in domestic cave exploration are foreigners. As proven safe caving practices from abroad are introduced to China, large-scale caving events organized domestically are gradually increasing. China boasts a vast number of caves, cenotes, and fissures, but only a handful have been developed into scenic areas. Guizhou, a province rich in karst caves, boasts a wealth of underground cavities and rivers, creating one of the most diverse and diverse karst cave systems in China. Within a single cenote or fissure, numerous cave entrances can be found, either hidden within the rock face or at the bottom. While most tourists are limited to scenic areas with paved plank roads and illuminated paths, there's an alternative approach to caving: soft caving, exploring unexplored natural caves.
After experiencing the purest darkness, you might admire a prehistoric mural or discover a new species. Dark and mysterious as it is, it's also full of allure and challenge. The thrill comes from not knowing what's next. The greatest allure of caves lies in the discovery of the unknown.
Shuanghe Cave, located in Suiyang County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, is currently the "world's largest lapis lazuli cave" and the "world's longest dolomite cave."
Every year from April to May, caving experts from all over the world come to Shuanghe for scientific research for about a month. It is like a maze with many treasures hidden, and it is always attractive to people who like to explore nature.
After 30 years of joint scientific research by Chinese and French cave experts, it has been discovered that the total length of the Shuanghe cave group is 200.427 kilometers (some parts are still under exploration), making it the "longest cave in China" and ranking tenth in the world.
But if you think Shuanghe Cave is just one cave, you’re wrong! Shuanghe Cave consists of more than 200 caves and is the largest cave complex in China. Although it ranks only tenth in the world in length, its capacity is perhaps the largest in the world.
