Live Your Best Lives
People often say: "The most beautiful places in the world are often the most dangerous places."
We look forward to seeing the most stunning scenery and experiencing the unknown world, until one day, the scenery we long for becomes the road we have walked.
Our motherland is so vast that it encompasses different scenery of mountains, rivers, lakes and seas.
After visiting the regular check-in spots and the popular online attractions that are crowded during holidays, we turned our attention to the niche scenery that few people know about and visit - the tiankeng.
Different geographical conditions have created unique tiankeng wonders of varying sizes. They are hidden in the undeveloped mountains, each of them is stunningly beautiful and the scenery is extraordinary.
Today's guide will show you the most hidden gems in China. Visit any of them and you'll be so cool you'll dominate your social media feed!
"Tiankeng" is a large karst negative landform that is widely distributed in my country.
Tiankeng is called "karst funnel" in geography. It is the result of long-term erosion of carbonate rocks by rainwater and underground river water.
For example, millions of years ago, due to the violent uplift of the earth's crust, the underground river sank and the original underground caves collapsed many times, gradually forming a sinkhole that has been silent for thousands of years.
China's tiankeng landscapes are mainly found in remote areas, largely untouched by human interference and damage. They are arguably the most complete and natural world-class scenery in nature!
Walking into the tiankeng is like entering a wonderful and magnificent new world, where all kinds of flowers and plants that you have never heard of grow freely.
The tiankeng is nestled in a dense, pristine forest, boasting pristine waterfalls. Besides the stalactites, stalagmites, and stone pearls scattered throughout the cave, it's even home to a rare animal, the flying squirrel. To describe the tiankeng's scenery as breathtakingly beautiful is no exaggeration!
There are only 130 tiankengs discovered and confirmed on this earth, of which more than 90 are in my country, and there are as many as 49 in Hanzhong, Shaanxi.
The Hanzhong tiankeng group is hidden deep in the Qinba Mountains and is mainly distributed in Ningqiang, Nanzheng, Xixiang, Zhenba, Chenggu, Mianxian and other places. Among them, there are 31 conventional tiankengs, 17 large tiankengs and 1 super tiankeng.
The Hanzhong tiankeng group not only ranks first in the world in terms of quantity, but also has excellent resource endowments such as typicality, originality, rarity and integrity.
For tourists, the tourism and sightseeing value here is excellent. But more importantly, the tiankeng has multiple values, such as scientific research and scientific expeditions, and has reached the standards of a world-class geological relic.
The mysterious Didonghe Tiankeng is known as the "most beautiful tiankeng in the world". The well-developed chemical sediments in the cave have created a palace of art.
The upright stalagmites and stone pillars make people marvel at the natural beauty of nature. The spreading stone flowers are delicate and smooth, with unique shapes. The well-developed "stone fields", "stone dams", "stone pearls", etc. are everywhere, forming a beautiful scene.
It turns out that the underground world is not as dead as imagined, but is full of nature's ingenious creations.
Boniukeng is a huge tiankeng with a diameter of about 100 meters and a vertical depth of about 120 meters.
There are densely distributed underground rivers around the Boniu Tiankeng. The altitude of the tiankeng is relatively high. The rock structure layers of the Boniu Tiankeng are magnificent and varied, and the skylight effect allows people to see the sky from a well.
There is a sky eye next to the tiankeng, which is about 75 meters deep. It is suitable for rappelling and standing above the sky eye to shoot the evaporation of water vapor, giving people a sense of profound beauty.
This cave is long and complex, a technical cave that has not yet been fully explored. Beginners can rappel from the Sky Eye and return to the pit along the path.
Tianxing Cave was formed when a surface river flowed into the cave and turned into a dark river. After the river entered the cave, many skylights opened on the top of the cave.
The light from the sky shines down like twinkling stars, hence the name "Tianxing Cave".
Tianxing Cave is usually a flat cave with no water. Coral stones can occasionally be found in the river. The cave is about 2 kilometers long. When it rains, the river and the water in the cave flow rapidly, and the end will become a pool of water, and the depth is unpredictable.
If you find a skylight on the mountain at the top of the cave, you can also rappel down. The cave is open and very suitable for cave photography.
The Lotus Cave is very well preserved, with beautiful scenery, strange peaks surrounding the water, and it is like spring all year round.
The stone forests, stalagmites and stone pillars are in various shapes and sizes, and the scenery is basically in its original undeveloped state. The various stalactites and stalagmites in the cave are of various shapes and sizes, which are rare in many caves.
Jilong Mountain is 25 kilometers away from Tonglu City, with an altitude of more than 800 meters. It is a typical karst landform.
Canyons, streams, and high mountains and plains form a continuous rolling hillside landscape, with clouds and mist shrouding the mountains and jagged rocks in the forests. The area is home to numerous caves of various sizes, many with underground rivers and springs, ancient trails and villages, sea of clouds and sunrises, Chengmen Cave, and Wolong Cave, attracting adventure enthusiasts and outdoor enthusiasts from all over Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai.
Jilong Mountain has four natural caves, each with its own characteristics.
Inside the cave, darkness and loss of direction are experiences that most people have never had. They need to overcome their fear of the unknown world and the various anxieties caused by their existing senses in the dark world.
Less than two kilometers from Lengwu Mountain, you can reach Jinniu Cave to experience the thrill of caving.
Jinniu Cave is spacious and well-ventilated, making it very cool in summer. To enter the cave, you need to wear caving equipment, such as headlights, helmets, gloves, and river tracing shoes. Under the guidance of professionals, we entered Wolong Cave, where you can see all kinds of strange stalactites.
Yunshe Tujia Village is located on the banks of the Taiping River at the foot of Fanjing Mountain. Legend has it that this was where immortals lived in the past. It still retains the ancient traditional Tujia folk customs and is also a piece of undeveloped private land!
Yunshe Fairy Cave, located in Yunshe Tujia Folk Culture Village, is an unopened cave landscape.
The stalactites, stalagmites, stone curtains and stone waterfalls in the Fairy Cave are well-developed, crystal clear, and have various shapes and are lifelike.
Walking through the cave, the giant projections cast by headlamps, the rustling of footsteps, and the strange dark world of the caverns ignited our adrenaline, bringing both excitement and awe. This two-kilometer journey into the inner world of the Earth feels like time has stopped, offering a unique and extraordinary experience.
Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, located in the southwest of Hubei Province, is a primitive, mysterious and beautiful place!
It is located on the beautiful scenic line of 30 degrees north latitude, hidden deep in the mountains, with rich outdoor resources, and can be called a pure land outdoors.
Luyuanping, located in the upper reaches of the Mufu section of the Enshi Grand Canyon, is an undeveloped village. Of the 30 households in the village, only more than 10 remain. It is sparsely populated and can be described as a true paradise.
Luyuanping is nestled deep within a canyon fissure. From Qiaowan Pass on the mountain to Qiaowan at the valley floor, there's a vertical drop of over 500 meters. The path, carved from the cliff, descends over 1,000 meters, traversing 42 switchbacks. This fissure, formed over thousands of years by geological movement, is a remarkable spectacle. Sunlight filters through the cracks in the rock walls, streaming into the cave and illuminating the surrounding jungle, a truly remarkable feat of nature.
The Qingjiang Ancient Riverbed, a relic left behind after the diversion of Enshi's mother river, the Qingjiang River, stretches 8 kilometers. The ancient riverbed boasts a comprehensive geological structure, with no human habitation within a ten-mile radius, and is a typical karst landform.
There are countless caves, steep cliffs, and collapsed boulders on the ruins of the ancient riverbed, which is a miniature karst landscape.
Among them, the most worth seeing are caves within caves, caves connected to each other, mountains within caves, caves within mountains, and stalactites standing in rows... It can be said that there are cave groups, underground rivers, and cracks in the ground everywhere.
This route is a classic outdoor hiking route in China. It has not yet been developed and has retained its original appearance.
Wulong is a district surrounding Chongqing, famous for its karst topography and an important part of the "South China Karst".
The "tiankeng" in Wulong refers to the three natural bridges.
The Three Natural Bridges consist of Tianlong Bridge, Qinglong Bridge and Heilong Bridge. They are magnificent and are the largest natural bridge group in Asia.
Tianlong Bridge is the first bridge in Tiankeng. It is 200 meters high and has a span of 300 meters. It is named because it is located in the first place and has the momentum of reaching the sky and the earth.
There are holes in the bridge, and there are holes in the holes. The holes are like a maze, which is the biggest feature of this place.
Beneath the Tianlong Bridge lies the Tianlong Tiankeng, a filming location for the movie "Transformers 4." Descent into the tiankeng and then looking back up at the Tianlong Bridge reveals a massive "bridge arch" beneath the bridge, a truly breathtaking sight.
Qinglong Bridge is the second bridge in the tiankeng here and is also the natural bridge with the largest vertical height difference.
The bridge is 350 meters high, 150 meters wide and has a span of 400 meters. When the sun sets, the bridge is illuminated by a brilliant glow, sometimes brighter and sometimes darker, like a green dragon ascending to the sky, hence the name Qinglong Bridge.
A few hundred meters ahead is the "Black Dragon Bridge", which is the third bridge of Tiankeng.
The bridge arch is deep and dark, and the top of the bridge looks like a black dragon hiding there, which is very scary. The scenery of Black Dragon Bridge is unique with its four precious springs: "Three-fold Spring", "One-line Spring", "Pearl Spring" and "Mist Spring", which have different flow patterns.
Safety is the basic principle of any activity.
Safety awareness can protect your own life and also demonstrate responsibility to the team. When entering a tiankeng, you must be led by a professional outdoor worker equipped with professional skills, reliable equipment, and a good team spirit.
The following are specific precautions:
1. First and foremost, caving isn't a one-person game; it's a team activity. Please travel with at least two people. Following a professional leader will reduce unnecessary risks. Experience can often help you avoid many dangerous situations.
2. When entering a cave, there are two essential items: a light source and a helmet!
Tips:
First, ensure sufficient light. Bring a reliable, high-quality lamp with plenty of batteries. If your trip is long, prepare multiple backup lamps. Wearing a helmet ensures safe navigation in the cave.
3. If you get lost in an unfamiliar cave, do not wander around. The best way is to wait for rescue where you are.
Tips:
Note: In an unfamiliar cave, an experienced leader should lead the way and mark the way according to regulations.
4. The temperature in caves is generally low, so it is necessary to wear thick clothes whether you are in the south or the north.
5. Do not wade in the water easily in the cave without sufficient safety guarantees, and also take waterproof measures.
6. When walking in the cave, avoid running and jumping. When going up and down slopes, try to use your hands and feet and walk slowly.
Speaking of caves, they have always been a mysterious area in people's minds.
Because of the unknown, fear and curiosity about the cave, the scenery here is infinitely magnified in people's hearts.
Although this activity has developed relatively maturely abroad, adequate preparation is still required before embarking on a cave exploration.
The cave is dark and mysterious, yet full of excitement and challenges. Therefore, it's essential to follow a professional guide, have the necessary knowledge of geography, geology, and rope techniques, and be well prepared.
Because once you enter the cave, it is not just a simple tour, you will gain a lot of unprecedented knowledge and scenery!
