Tujia Folk Beliefs and Culture — Cave Worship (Part 2)
Viewing the Red and Black caves through the reproductive worship nature of yin and yang stones makes the answer even clearer. According to records, the two stones are both located in the Linjun Cave, and their connection is self-evident. Both the stones and the Linjun Cave are symbols of reproductive worship, differing only in belonging to different periods and representing different objects. The Linjun Cave represents the mother's womb, while the two stones...
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Viewed from the reproductive-worship nature of the Yin Stone and Yang Stone, the answer regarding the Red Cave and Black Cave becomes even clearer. According to records, the two stones are both located in the Lin Jun Cave, and their connected relationship is self-evident. Both the two stones and the Lin Jun Cave are symbolic objects of reproductive worship. They merely belong to different periods and represent different objects. The Lin Jun Cave represents the mother's womb, while the two stones respectively represent the female genitalia and the male phallus. In fact, the two have an internal evolutionary connection. The earliest record of the Red Cave and Black Cave, in the Shiben, contains no theory of yin and yang stones, which shows that the earlier reproductive worship of the Ba people was cave-mother-womb reproductive worship. In records from the Six Dynasties period, the Yin Stone and Yang Stone appear, showing that by then the Ba people's reproductive worship had shifted from the mother's womb to the female genitalia and male phallus. This evolution occurred along with the Ba people's gradually clearer understanding that the union of male and female produces children. However, despite this evolution, the two stones in the records are still located in the Lin Jun Cave, showing that after the new reproductive-worship consciousness arose, the consciousness of cave-mother-womb worship did not completely disappear, but became entangled with the new reproductive worship, forming a composite form of reproductive worship.
In summary, the theory of the Red Cave and Black Cave is a clan-origin myth permeated with the Ba people's concept of mother-womb reproductive worship. The Red and Black Caves are objects of worship regarded by the Ba people as the source of their ethnic origins and are symbols of the mother's womb. It should be further pointed out that the cave reproductive worship originating in the theory of the Red Cave and Black Cave continued through later ages and became one of the distinctive features of Ba culture and later Tujia culture.
III. Supporting Evidence from Names Using "Dong" and "Dong"
"Dong" and "dong" both refer to caves. In classical texts, there are repeated records of the names of the descendants of the Ba people being preceded by "dong" or "dong." In the names of Tujia chieftain administrative divisions, names with "dong" or "dong" also appear in large numbers, and "dong" or "dong" were often used as appellations for the various tribes of the Tujia people. On the one hand, this is because the areas where the Tujia people live are mostly stream-and-cave terrain, and Tujia areas were called "dong," with the saying "the Man do not leave the frontier, the Han do not enter the dong"; on the other hand, it is because cave reproductive worship had a deep and broad influence in Tujia areas, so much so that it permeated various appellations related to the Tujia people. Examples are given by category below:
After Ba was destroyed by Qin, its remaining forces were mostly called "Man" or "Yi," and in historical books "dong" or "dong" was often prefixed to "Man" or "Yi." For example:
Volume 56 of the Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government records: "(In the first year of Emperor Zhenzong's Jingde reign) Ding Wei, transport commissioner of Kuizhou Circuit, pacified the Yi people of the streams and caves, and was quite renowned for his authority and benevolence. The people of his jurisdiction petitioned to retain him, and for five years he could not be replaced."
Volume 77 of the Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government records: "In the fifth year of Emperor Zhenzong's Dazhong Xiangfu reign (1012), Tian Huaqiong, chief of the Luopu and Mocuo Cave Man, and others presented stream cloth as tribute."
Volume 11 of the History of Song records: "(In the fifth year of the Qingli reign, 1045) In this year, Long Yite of the Stream-Cave Man and Southwestern Yi of Shizhou came to present tribute."
Volume 4 of the History of Yuan records: "In the first month of the third year of Emperor Wenzong's Zhishun reign (1332), Aqishiyong, cave chief of Zhongxin Stockade in Kuilu, together with more than eight hundred cave Man, raided Shizhou. In the fourth month, from Sichuan's Shibi, Sanmao, and Dapan, twenty-three people including Yewang of the Three Caves Man came to present local products as tribute."
Volume 4 of the History of Yuan also says: "In the eleventh month of the fourth year of the Zhiyuan reign (1338), the Sanmao Cave Man of Sichuan rebelled, and envoys were sent to relieve the people who had been raided."
In the materials cited above, such terms as "Stream-Cave Yi," "Luopu Cave Man," "Mocuo Cave Man," "Shibi Cave Man," "Sanmao Cave Man," and "Dapan Cave Man" show that "dong" or "dong" was in fact a component of ethnic appellations.
In the names of Tujia chieftain administrative divisions, place names with "dong" or "dong" appear in even greater numbers. For example:
Those subordinate to the Yongshun chieftain included: Lare Cave, Maizhuohuang Cave, Lüchi Cave, Shirongxi Cave, Baiyan Cave, Tianjia Cave, and others.
Those subordinate to the Sangzhi, Dayong, and Cili chieftains included: Upper Dong, Lower Dong, and others.
Those subordinate to the Rongmei chieftain included: Shiliang Lower Cave, Upper Airong Dong, Lower Airong Dong, and others.
Those subordinate to the Shinan chieftain included: Yaoba Dong, Jin Dong, Zhong Dong, and others.
Those subordinate to the Youyang chieftain included: Dongbianxi Dong, Foxiang Cave, and others.
"Dong" or "dong" were also often used as names or units of measurement for the various tribes of the Tujia people. For example, the Eight Man living in the You River basin were eight tribes. Today the Tujia people commonly call the leaders of the eight tribes the "Eight Tribe Great Kings." The eight tribes are also called the "Eight Dongs." On a section of a stone tablet unearthed in Shuikan Village, Bamao Township, Baojing County, and now kept in the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Museum, the inscription contains this appellation: "The first eight dongs, through Han, Jin, the Six Dynasties, Tang, the Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, and Ming, were the upper reaches of southern Chu... Therefore those tabooed as the eight tribes were so named because they all guarded the eight dongs, one dong being one tribe." This inscription clearly points out that in Tujia areas, "dong" was once a substitute term for tribe.
Many more examples can be given of using "dong" or "dong" to refer to tribes. Volume 3 of the Tongzhi edition of the General Gazetteer of Youyang Directly Subordinate Prefecture records the names of the Nine Streams and Eighteen Caves in Youyang and its neighboring areas. The Nine Streams are nine streams, and the Eighteen Caves are eighteen Tujia tribes scattered throughout the Nine Streams basin, namely: "Youchou Cave, Xining Cave, Songnong Cave, Xiaosen Cave, Lubitan Cave, Baxi Cave, Dazhujia Cave, Rongping Cave, Ganping Cave, Zhixi Cave, Shangji Cave, Yunluo Cave, Diqian Cave, Nanrong Cave, Jiuling Cave, and Dibin Cave." The total should be eighteen caves; two caves are missing here, possibly an omission in the record.
The History of Yuan records: "In the twelfth month of winter in the first year of Emperor Taiding's Taiding reign (1324), Tian Xianshiyong and others of the Rongmi Cave Man of Kuilu, across nine caves, raided; Sichuan Province sent envoys to persuade five caves to surrender, and sent troops to capture the rest. In the fourth month of summer in the third year (1326), Tian Xianshiyong and others of the Rongmi Cave Man joined with the Man of twelve caves to raid Changyang County..." In the text, expressions such as "9 caves," "5 caves," and "12 caves" all use "cave" as a unit of measurement for tribes.
Whether a clan was called by "dong" or "tong," or whether these were names of native chieftain administrative units, or used to refer to tribes, there is an inherent connection and consistency among them. The entire Tujia ethnic group once regarded caves as objects of reproductive worship, hence caves could serve as a clan name. Under the premise that the whole ethnic group commonly worshipped caves, each tribe could also have its own specific cave as an object of worship, hence caves could be used to refer to tribes. Native chieftain administrative units, especially grassroots units, were mostly divided by tribal groups, so the names "dong" or "tong" frequently appeared in native chieftain administrative systems. In sum, names bearing "dong" or "tong" should be relics left by the cave reproductive worship consciousness of the ancient Ba people, and are also testimony to the widespread existence of cave reproductive worship among the Tujia. Based on this, the author speculates that when Tujia tribes established their villages, they must have selected nearby mountain caves as objects of worship to pray for the prosperity of the tribe and endless descendants; the cave should have been the emblem of the tribe. The many famous caves near Tujia mountain villages serve as evidence of this.
IV. Reproductive Worship Concepts in Cave Burial Customs
Cave burial, called rock tomb burial in folklore studies, is a burial method in which the coffin of the deceased is placed in a rock cave. The natural rock caves, karst caves, or artificially excavated rock caves used as burial sites are mostly located on precipitous cliffs that are difficult to climb. Cave burial is one of the distinctive burial customs in Tujia history. The reason the Tujia practiced cave burial is that it was governed by the concept of cave reproductive worship. According to the concept of cave reproductive worship, the cave is the "mother's womb" that nurtured human ancestors, and is a symbol of reproductive power and vitality. Sending the coffin of the deceased to a rock cave carried the meaning of letting the soul of the deceased return to the ancestral spirits and to the "mother's womb" of ancestral origin to obtain rebirth.
This concept of the soul returning to the cave—the mother's womb—to obtain rebirth has another form of expression among the Yi people, namely placing the ancestral spirit tablet in a cave, so that the soul of the deceased returns to the "mother's womb" where the distant ancestors were born and obtains rebirth. Pu Zhen's "The Chinese Creation Gourd" states: "Each clan of the Yi people in Liangshan, Sichuan, has its own rock cave for placing the ancestral spirit tablet 'Madu.'" The book also says: "Rock caves were the dwellings of ancient humans, filled with the spirits of ancestors, and therefore after death, the soul must also return to the place where the ancestors originally lived. Thus, 'caves,' like 'pot heaven,' are the destination of Yi souls." Placing the spirit tablet in a cave precisely embodies the concept of the soul returning to the "mother's womb" to seek rebirth, which also provides strong corroborating evidence for our interpretation of the meaning of soul-return-to-mother's-womb contained in cave burial. In other words, sending the spirit tablet or coffin to a cave both carry the meaning of using the mother's womb for the deceased's reincarnation.
In Tujia areas, cave burial has a long history. The Jin Dynasty's "Records of Huayang" states: The tombs of Tujia ancestors "had graves with unclosed doors; their caves mostly contained green pearls, which people could not take, for taking them was inauspicious." "Graves with unclosed doors" means cave burials did not close the cave entrance; "their caves mostly contained green pearls" refers to burial goods placed in cave burial sites, which because they were the belongings of the deceased, were considered inauspicious to take. From this it can be seen that what was recorded was cave burial. Volume Two of Zhang Fan's "Chaoye Qianzai" of the Tang Dynasty: "When the parents of the Five Streams Barbarians died, their bodies were placed outside the village, and burial took place after three years, with drumming, singing, and dancing; relatives feasted and watched performances for over a month. They exhausted their wealth for coffins, and chiseled niches in the mid-slope of high mountains facing the river for burial. They lowered the coffin from the mountain by rope, and the higher it was, the more filial it was considered; thereafter they never performed sacrifices again." What is recorded is cliff burial, placing coffins in rock niches, which should belong to a type of cave burial.
Numerous cave burial remains are preserved in Tujia areas. For example, Baojing, Yongshun, Longshan, Guzhang, Luxi, Xiushan and others all have cave burial remains. The "Baojing County Gazetteer" says: "Immortal Wood, on the bank of the Ruxiang River in the northeast of the county, at the cave entrance on the sheer cliff there is a wooden box lying horizontally, called 'Immortal Wood.'" The "Yongshun County Gazetteer" says: "Immortal Coffin is in Nanweizhou, with a hanging coffin on a stone cliff, of unknown date." The "Xiushan County Gazetteer" also says: The county's "north is Immortal Cliff, with steeply cut stone walls, towering over the water, and halfway up the cliff a square cavity like a chiseled opening, within which is placed a red basket." The western Hubei region also has cave burial remains, such as the cave burial cluster in the northwestern suburbs of Enshi City. Volume Nine of the "Shinan Prefecture Gazetteer" says: "In Duting Township northwest of the city, the cliff is over a hundred zhang high, and in the cliff face there are twelve caves, all places for storing coffins." In Changyang's Ziqiu, Machi, and Yazikou and other places, there are place names such as Coffin Rock, Coffin Rock, and Coffin Cave, all remnants of cave burial customs. In these places, poems about cave burial still circulate among the people:
Why is the coffin suspended on this cliff?
Birds cry and apes howl, stirring the heart,
Snow flies, grass and trees wear mourning,
Wind blows through pine waves, trees lament.
In spring, a hundred flowers all offer funeral rites,
At night, the lone moon shines on the spirit altar.
Pitiful one, whose child are you,
Dead until now, still not buried!
In the "Immortal Cave" at Seven Confucius Cliff in Jiannan Town, Lichuan City, there are four bone-collecting grass coffins, all made from hollowed-out trees. At Toukan Weir in Xiaba Township, Changliang District, Jianshi County, seventeen holes are chiseled into a cliff face, and bones still remain within. The Tujia customarily refer to cave burial tombs collectively as "Immortal Caves," and there are quite a few cave burial tombs named "Immortal Cave." On the cliff on the north side of White Tiger Mountain on the south side of Liushu Trough in Sanbao Township, Changliang District, Jianshi County, there are three caves called Immortal Caves. The three caves are located halfway up the cliff, difficult to climb up to or retreat from; traces of artificial chiseling and vermilion painting on the cave walls are faintly discernible, and they should be ancient cave burial sites. In the cliff east of Maodong in Laifeng County, there is also an Immortal Cave, with the cave entrance about 120 meters from the ground and about 80 meters from the cliff top, too dangerous to climb. The "Laifeng County Gazetteer" of the fifth year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty recorded this cave: "The cave is halfway up the mountain, with eight or nine wooden railings in front of the entrance." In August 1992, the Cultural Relics and Archaeology Team of the Enshi Autonomous Prefecture excavated this cave, measuring the cave depth at 71 meters and obtaining over 130 cultural relics, preliminarily determined to belong to the Western Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan and other dynasties respectively, being burial goods placed in the cave during different dynasties; the Immortal Cave is a site of cave burial clusters accumulated over successive dynasties.
The long history of cave burial and the numerous cave burial remains indicate that cave burial was an important burial custom that continued to prevail in Tujia history. The continued prevalence of this burial custom must necessarily be connected with the widespread cave reproductive worship among the Tujia. One should know that placing coffins into caves on sheer cliffs thousands of feet high is a technically difficult task that we still have not fully understood, and the manpower and material resources consumed were unimaginably great. The motivation that drove people to pay such a huge price must have contained some belief of the people, namely the prayer for the rebirth of the deceased; thus, using caves commonly recognized as possessing reproductive power to bury the deceased became the path by which people, sparing no hardship, sought to achieve the rebirth of the deceased.
V. Cave Culture
Cave worship spanning thousands of years has had a broad influence on Tujia culture. Tujia cave architecture, cave customs, poetry and prose praising caves, cave tourism development, and so on are all directly or indirectly connected with cave worship. Of course, with the development of Tujia cave culture, its reproductive belief elements have gradually died out, while practical and aesthetic elements have increasingly grown; however, the continuously developing Tujia cave culture at any time cannot sever its umbilical connection with the cave worship of the past. In other words, without the earlier cave worship, there would be no later Tujia cave culture.
An important component of Tujia cave culture is cave architecture, especially the cave architecture of the native chieftain period. Some native chieftain kings liked to build natural caves into palaces, dwellings, and places for recreation; besides the natural defensive function of caves, this was also related to the influence of cave reproductive worship. Native chieftain kings regarded caves as "the place of ancestral caps and robes," viewing them as auspicious places, believing that caves could make them healthy and long-lived, with endless descendants. This can be said to be the underlying reason why native chieftain kings were enthusiastic about building cave architecture as dwellings. The most famous cave architecture is certainly the Wanquan Cave of the Rongmei Native Chieftain. The Rongmei Native Chieftain Tian Shunnian wrote "Record of Pingshan Wanquan Cave," which documents his process of building the Wanquan Cave structures: "The cave was originally named Hejia Cave; Wanquan Cave is the name I gave it after repairing it. ... When first entering the cave, the interior was all filled with large rocks, with only about two zhang of flat ground, used by the local people as a garrison and defense site. I observed that its configuration could be opened up, so at Xinping, just a short distance from the cave, I first repaired official quarters, arranged four markets around, and established the foundation. It was formerly said there was no water in the cave, and one could only look up to catch drops from the mountain rocks. But it was not that there was no water; the water all flowed through the rocks. After removing all the stones and building city platforms, the spring water flowed like a stream. I moved to Xinping in the spring of the Guihai year. Managing affairs in the cave day by day, by the winter of the Dingmao year, the defenses were already solid and the pavilions and chambers were somewhat complete. Whenever the sun and moon shone and clouds and rosy mists rolled and unfolded, I felt the mountains, rivers, grass, and trees were lush and deeply beautiful; those who wandered there all regarded it as a grand spectacle beyond the material world, but how would they know the bitter heart of the skilled craftsman, and the planning for what could be relied upon in emergencies—was it not the work of a single morning or evening!" Wanquan Cave can be called the cave-style palace of the Rongmei Native Chieftain. The cave site is on a sheer cliff, the cave entrance is round, built with finely crafted stone blocks, and above the right side of the entrance is a fortress stone platform. Inside the cave there is an animal-shaped stalactite, a flower terrace, and a small fish pond. Pavilions and towers are built on both sides. On the stone wall to the left of the cave entrance is engraved the "Record of Wanquan Cave."
Gu Cai's "Journey Through Rongmei" of the Qing Dynasty records another karst cave built by the Rongmei Native Chieftain—Wanren Cave: "On the twenty-seventh day, I visited Wanren Cave. (Three li down the slope east of the administrative office.) The cave is at the bottom of the slope. After a one-li stone-paved path and crossing one stretch of water, at the cave entrance there is a street and a gate tower, and the cave keeper's family lives there. When guests arrive, wine and fruit are provided; after eating, one ascends to the cave. Its rocks are like ancient bronze in color, with many holes and apertures, and one can sit everywhere. Visitors rest among them at heights and depths, like immortal screens. At the highest point there is a rock tower, with a ladder suspended ten ren high; climbing it is terrifying, and people also live on the rock. The path winds upward through the stone walls, very dark and gloomy, and no one dares to tread it. In the center is the Yiquan Pavilion, very refreshing, with many inscriptions on all four walls. Behind the pavilion is the Dragon Pool, the water pure emerald green, with a bridge above that can be crossed; now the bridge has collapsed, and visitors stop here, unable to reach the rear cave. When the water is shallow, white bones like ox shoulders emerge, white and hard. Scattered among the sand, some say: these are dragon bones; in drought they are taken and thrown into the pool, and with a booming sound, rain comes."
The Rongmei Native Chieftain also built "Lover's Cave" and "Qingtian Cave." The Yongshun Native Chieftain also built "Cold Cave" and "Hot Cave," respectively for summer heat avoidance and winter cold protection.
The rich cultural connotations of caves, their magical natural landscapes, and their exquisite architecture have also attracted people to sightsee; especially the travels of men of letters inevitably involved inscribing poems and composing essays, thus giving rise to another component of cave culture—cave poetry and prose.
Poems inscribed about caves mostly use the peculiar landscapes of caves to express the poet's romantic reveries or Zen and Daoist sentiments. Here several cave poems by Tujia poets are recorded, to observe their feelings.
Ran Tianzhang, a Ming Dynasty figure and the fifteenth-generation native chieftain of Youyang, Sichuan, has his only surviving poem as a cave poem, "Inscribed on Immortal Cave":
The immortals in the cave are dim and unfathomable,
Fortunately the sea wind did not blow the boat back.
All around, green moss carves insect scripts,
A vein of spiritual spring scatters mussel pearls.
Flowers, unconstrained, bloom and fall,
Clouds, as if by appointment, leave and return.
Who can quietly practice the art of longevity,
And here refine cinnabar and sweep the green moss?
This poem uses the secluded, mysterious scenery of Immortal Cave to express the poet's longing for a life like idle clouds and wild cranes, displaying a Daoist immortal sentiment.
Ran Shunchen, a Ming Dynasty figure and the sixteenth-generation native chieftain of Youyang, Sichuan, in his poem "Inscribed on Dayou Cave," uses the scenic splendor of Dayou Cave to express his longing for the free and unfettered life of immortals:
For what year did the ghost axe split it open?
The cave-heaven scenery is enough to linger over.
Springs clink like jade pendants in the cold red ravine,
Bamboo floats lotus fragrance up onto the stone moss.
Gushe Mountain leaves its scenic traces for a thousand years,
The moon over Huayang Cave purifies the dust.
Do not let official service delay your poetic inspiration,
Come one after another to enjoy the clear outings and scenic spots.
Mo Ruojue was a native of Liangshuikou, Sangzhi County, Hunan, in the late Qing Dynasty. His poem "Passing by Maling Cave" sings of Maling Cave at Liangshuikou, Sangzhi, Hunan, and recreates the scene of the Lishui River passing through the cave:
The scenery is clear and mild in the fourth-month days,
On the Maling road the rain falls in endless threads.
The cave mouth opens slightly, locked by thick mist,
The mountainside is already broken, joined by white clouds.
Waves stretch across both banks as people fish,
Three sounds of oars, and travelers launch their boat.
Inscriptions left on the cliff are gradually covered with moss,
The ink marks are blurred, yet the surname is still passed down.
Xia Chuhong was a native of Yongshun in the Republican period. His poem "Immortal Traces in the Ancient Cave" celebrates the great stone cave on the opposite bank of Bu'er Gate, two li from Yongshun county town, known as Immortal Cave:
Who sealed the ancient cave with a single pill,
No Wang Qiao and no Chi Song are seen.
Only the green, green grass by the river remains,
I come and carefully trace the immortal's footsteps.
Besides poems inscribed on caves, there are also some cave writings, either recording the beginning and end of cave development, or describing the beautiful scenery of caves, or recounting the functions of caves for defense, dwelling, and escaping heat and cold. Such cave writings have already been cited earlier; here I quote the section "Visiting Swallow Cave at Upper Pingshan" from the Qing Dynasty Gu Cai's Records of Travels in Rongmei as a further supplement:
"On the twenty-fourth day it was very hot. We visited Swallow Cave at Upper Pingshan; it is about twenty li deep. Holding birch-bark torches, we entered, with six or seven boys setting off firecrackers one after another to warn off mountain demons. At first the cave entrance was very narrow, but as we went in it gradually widened, enough for two carriages side by side or horses abreast. The walls had the forms of immortals, flowers, birds, beasts, towers, and terraces, all painted by stone stalactites. On the level ground there were stone stoves, stone candlesticks, and shapes of lions, monkeys, and stone people gathered in conversation. There were also stone railings winding around them, of varying sizes; when struck, they all gave forth sound like chime stones. All were in darkness, and without raising fire they could not be seen—truly a wonder of creation. Its spring was sweet and cold; drinking it dispelled the heat. The local people said: 'If you can go another ten li in, you should see the light of heaven, and a recluse in full cap and robes will come out to welcome you; he is an ancient one who withdrew from the world, attained the Way, and does not die.' Unfortunately I had no fate to meet him. My attendants told me the torches were exhausted, so we still went out by the same route..." This travel record describes the fantastic stones in the cave, using many things as comparisons, unfolding a lively world within the cave, and also introducing local legends, adding even more magic.
Another component of Tujia cave culture is cave tourism. Although the Tujia mountain areas also have beautiful landscapes, compared with the famous mountains and great rivers of the whole country, they are, after all, not dominant. The unique natural tourism resources of Tujia areas lie in streams and caves. Tujia areas have layer upon layer of peaks and ridges, crisscrossing streams and gullies, and caves everywhere. Streams cut deeply into mountain bodies, forming numerous deep-mountain gorge landscapes; the streams and gullies have swift water and are good places for rafting. The fantastic peaks and strange rocks in the many karst caves form one natural gallery after another, and many caves have streams running through them, providing convenience for people to raft and tour the caves. At present, the development of the two tourism resources of streams and caves has gradually taken shape in Tujia areas. Among stream tourism development projects that have already had an impact are: Shennong Stream rafting, Qingjiang River rafting, Mengdong River rafting, and Danshui rafting, which will not be described further here. Although the development of cave tourism resources began earlier, its influence is not as great as the former. In fact, there are extremely many famous caves in Tujia areas, but very few have been developed. To attract the attention of the relevant departments, the famous karst caves in the Qingjiang River basin and You River basin where the Tujia people live are listed below:
Famous karst caves in the Qingjiang River basin include: Luoshui Cave, Long Cave, Chushui Cave, Wanren Cave, Wanquan Cave, Qingtian Cave, Laohu Cave, Shuanglong Cave, Huangjin Cave, Shitong Cave, Juyuan Cave, Tongtian Cave, Wuyuan Cave, and others.
Famous karst caves in the Youshui River basin include: Gao Cave, Zhe Cave, Yang Cave, Xiao Cave, Laoya Cave, Huaque Cave, Mao'er Cave, Tianjia Cave, Darao Cave, Hongyan Cave, Xiangshui Cave, Shiti Cave, Youchou Cave, Daaojia Cave, Dayou Cave, and others.