Classic Zhangjiajie Landscapes (12)
Huanglong Cave Premium Tour Route: Known as 'China's best cave and the world's finest wonder,' Huanglong Cave lies in the northeast of Suoxiyu National Nature Reserve. Covering 100,000 square meters with a total length of 11.7 km, it comprises two dry and two water levels, with one reservoir, two rivers, three pools, four waterfalls, 13 halls, 96 corridors and dozens of peaks.
This article is compiled from the original travel notes on the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com); it is a record of trips from earlier years. Time-sensitive information such as ticket prices, schedules, and accommodation prices is subject to the latest announcements from scenic areas and transportation authorities; the itinerary ideas and attraction introductions still have reference value.
Huanglong Cave Premium Tour Route
Huanglong Cave, enjoying the reputation of "China's best cave dwelling and the world's number one wonder," is located in the northeast of the Suoxiyu National Nature Reserve. Huanglong Cave has a total area of 100,000 square meters and a total length of 11.7 kilometers. It is divided into two layers of dry caves and two layers of water caves, with 1 reservoir, 2 rivers, 3 pools, 4 waterfalls, 13 halls, 96 corridors, and dozens of peaks. At present, 9 groups of landscapes have been opened, including the Dragon Dance Hall, Xiangshui River, Tianxian Water, Huaguo Mountain, Tianzhu Street, Dragon Palace, and Maze. Inside the cave, stalactite pillars, stone whips, stone curtains, stalagmites, stone flags, stone screens, stone waterfalls, stone flowers, and stone pearls formed by the solidification of calcareous aqueous solution are in a thousand postures and too beautiful to take in all at once, hence the praise that "the cave contains a vast universe, and underground there is another heaven." In 1985, the conclusion of an investigation by more than 70 experts organized by the Ministry of Geology was that Huanglong Cave contains all the contents of "Speleology," the entire karst cave can be called the "all-around champion" among China's karst caves, and the cave's landscapes are also rare in the world. In May 1992, after investigating the Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area, Dr. Sansel and Dr. Lucas of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO praised it, saying: "Huanglong Cave is the most beautiful karst cave we have ever seen, and it even has such a long underground river, which is truly incredible." In 1993, Zhou Guangzhao, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and 15 other scientists from across China believed: "Having traveled all over the world, Huanglong Cave is the karst cave with the largest scale, the most complete contents, and the most beautiful scenery that we have ever seen." In 1997, Huanglong Cave was listed by the National Tourism Administration as a premium tourist attraction in China, making Huanglong Cave a national treasure. In recent years, Huanglong Cave Investment Co., Ltd., a holding enterprise of Beijing Datong Industrial Co., Ltd., has invested 100 million yuan to further develop the Huanglong Cave Scenic Area, making it a world karst cave tourism destination. In 2001, the Huanglong Cave scenic spot received a certificate from the National Tourism Administration as one of China's first batch of 4A tourist attractions.
[Dragon Dance Hall] After entering Huanglong Cave, passing through more than 200 meters of winding corridors, going through the "Dragon Tooth Gate," and passing through the "Happiness Gate" or "Longevity Gate," visitors enter a hall as high as 100 meters, about 600 square meters in area, and able to accommodate ten thousand people. The stone pillars on the left and right are fitted with colored lights, magnificent and splendid, even more like a dance hall. On the high platform to the right of the hall, stone pillars stand like a forest, and on the stone wall to the front left of the high platform, a pair of nestled lovers whisper to each other. In the hall, stalactites stand upward one after another, some like conches emerging from water, some like lotus flowers rising upright. By the lamplight, they also look like a group of fairies in colorful garments dancing gracefully. No wonder visitors call this hall the "Dragon Dance Hall."
[Xiangshui River] Xiangshui River is an underground dark river, 1,250 meters long in total, with a water surface width of 3 meters and an average depth of 2 meters. Boating forward, the river course twists and turns, stalagmites overlap on the cliffs of both banks, gentle waves sway with floating light, mist curls around the islets, and along the way visitors can see landscapes such as Qilong Bird, Stone Flower Island, Crocodile Mouth, Dragon Flower Reef, Dragon King's Golden Helmet, Treasure Pavilion, Dragon Head Rock, Hidden Dragon Gorge, Conch Top, Stone Flower Reef, and Incense Insertion Platform.
[Tianxian Water] Tianxian Water covers an area of 5,483 square meters and is located at the top of a stone waterfall, with a ceiling like the vault of heaven and a floor like the Loess Plateau. Three streams of spring water pour down like smoke and mist from three honeycomb-shaped stone caves in the cave ceiling, with a drop of more than 60 meters, flowing continuously through all four seasons, forming a wondrous waterfall scene inside the cave. After the spring water containing calcium carbonate falls into the pool, it flows along the slope, and through long-term changes forms a magnificent spectacle of flowing stone at the bottom of the cave. The bottom of the slope is as smooth as a mirror, and the "thousand hills of fine farmland" are crisscrossed by field paths.
[Huaguo Mountain] Walking 60 meters forward from the giant stone curtain, on the right slope on the left side stand a hundred small and distinctive stone pillars, stalagmites, and stone flowers. Among them, the tops of 6 stone pillars are shaped like monkeys playing and posturing, full of life. One monkey among them is large and is called the Handsome Monkey King.
[Tianlong Bridge] The bridge is 26 meters long, 3 meters wide, 25 meters high, with a span of 20 meters. This bridge flies across the Xiangshui River, linking Tianxian Water with Tianzhu Street and the Dragon Palace. Standing on the bridge and looking down at the Xiangshui River, visitors can see tour boats full of tourists moving back and forth on the hazy water surface, as if they were visitors from beyond the heavens.
[Tianzhu Street] A hundred meters from Tianlong Bridge there is a long stone corridor like a street. In the corridor, stone pillars stand like a forest and are rich in color, just like a heavenly street night market. Tianzhu Street is 1 kilometer long in total, centered on the dazzling "Heavenly Street Market." To the west of the street, the stone pillars and stone flowers of Huaguo Mountain overlap in layers, and monkeys large and small are in a thousand postures; to the east of the street, the Stone Zither Mountain has many stalactites and stone curtains that can be struck to produce music.
[Stone Zither Mountain] Eighty meters from Tianzhu Street, beside the left slope wall stands a huge stone pillar, 5 meters high and 3 meters in diameter, with countless stone plates hanging down. The stone plates are hollow inside and produce sound when struck, crisp like a zither.
[Dragon Palace] After passing the Dragon Dance Hall and going around the Half-Moon Tower, visitors reach the Dragon Palace. The Dragon Palace is 72 meters high, with an average width of 60 meters and a length of more than 200 meters, covering an area of 15,000 square meters, and is the largest hall in Huanglong Cave. In the palace, more than 1,700 multicolored stone pillars rise from the ground, in a thousand postures and full of brilliant variety, displaying the majestic momentum of an underground crystal palace. At the center of the Dragon Palace is a natural white marble dragon throne, 12 meters high and 10 meters in diameter, commanding from above. Around it, numerous stalagmites, like the Dragon King's subjects, pay homage to it one after another. At the southern end of the Dragon Palace stands the pure white, jade-like "Sea-Calming Divine Needle," 27 meters high, the tallest stalagmite in Huanglong Cave, for which Huanglong Cave Company purchased insurance worth 100 million yuan. The entire Dragon Palace has a peculiar shape and majestic momentum.
[Dragon King's Throne] Located on the slope on the left side of the Dragon Palace entrance. It is 7 meters high and 9 meters in diameter, towering aloft and shining all over. The interior of the throne is hollow and can hold 8 people. Twenty meters in front of the throne are landscapes such as the Shrimp King Presenting Treasure and the Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate. The stalagmites cast shadows on the stone wall, forming beautiful pictures.
[Monkey Slope] On the slope to the right of the tour path at the Dragon King's Throne scenic spot, there are more than 10 stone pillars of uneven height, whose tops resemble monkeys, some squatting, some standing, some grasping, some scratching, lively and very interesting.
[Jade-Carved Huabiao] Located below the Dragon King's Throne. On the downhill section of the tour path stands a stalagmite, 8 meters high, with a snow-white top and cloud patterns winding around its body, shaped like a white marble huabiao.
[Conch in Hiding] Forty meters below the lower edge of the Dragon King's Throne, on the left side, a calcified rock is wedged between two stone pillars, shaped like a conch in hiding.
[Grandmother Carrying Grandson] Five meters in front of the Stone Cedar landscape stands a stone pillar shaped like a hunched old woman carrying her grandson on her back, tottering along—this is the "Grandmother Carrying Grandson" attraction.
[Golden Cudgel] Fifteen meters from the Golden Flower Pool, a stone pillar on the right soars straight up to the cave ceiling, reaching 21 meters high—thick at both ends and thin in the middle, just like Sun Wukong's Golden Cudgel. This is the "Golden Cudgel" attraction.
[Maze] Located on the lowest level of Huanglong Cave, it is 3 meters high, 135.8 meters long, and 7 meters wide, covering an area of about 900 square meters. The cave chamber is exquisitely delicate, with pure white and crystalline stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars, stone curtains, stone waterfalls, stone flowers, stone pearls, and stone corals densely packed throughout the entire cave. Cave landscapes of every description abound, full of endless mystery. Visitors stepping inside feel as though they have entered a bewildering underground magic palace.