白馬洞

Baima Dong - White Horse Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Near Yichang city. (30.387689, 111.223855)
Open:	All year daily 8-17. [2022]
Fee:	Adults CNY 78. [2022]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System Coloured Light
Dimension:	L=1900 m.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Baima Dong, Nanjinguan, Yichang, Tel: +86-717-8863176.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

白馬洞 or 白马洞 (Baima Dong, White Horse Cave) is visited by boat. A clear cave river leaves the cave entrance on which the cave is entered. It was named after a group of exceptionally white stalactites, which aer said to resemble a running white horse. Of course, there is also a legend, that is the white dragon horse that helped Tang monks go to the West to get Buddhist scriptures.

According to legend, a long time ago, a white horse ran to a village in the south of Hanshui and was enchanted by the scenery. It was enchanted by the view of the mountains, the forests, the bamboo, the flowers, the singing, the dancing, the clear water, the blue waves, the fish, and the people. Since then, the white horse, which had no home to return to, has been living here in "seclusion".
In this village lived a large family named Zhang, whose head was named Zhang Wan, and employed more than 10 long-time workers, one of whom was called Zeng Qinquai, who was responsible for carrying water. One day, after he had filled a dozen jars of water, he was about to sit down and have a smoke when the boss, Zhang Wan, sent someone to call him to carry water again. The loyal and honest "Hundred Danshui" did not say a word and went to pick water again. As he did so, he muttered in his mind, "I've filled up a dozen jars of water, how can they use them all up so quickly? So, after sweating profusely, he hid in the dark to see why the water was being used so quickly and where it was being used. After a short time of hiding in the shadows, a miracle occurred. A tall white horse ran into the courtyard and sucked water from the tank with its mouth. In the blink of an eye, it drained a dozen or so jars of water. Afterwards, the white horse ran happily to the cave at the edge of the mountain.
When he saw the horse, he told Zhang Wan, who thought it was a divine horse that had manifested itself in the world and had to bring incense to the entrance of the cave to honour it. Later on, the myth spread and people in the neighbourhood built a temple with 12 statues in the cave. Every year, in the third month of the lunar calendar, good men and women come to the cave to worship and make wishes. Strangely enough, the white horse never appeared again after the people had offered incense. This gave the cave its name, and the village where Zhang Wan lived became known as White Horse Village.

Just 5 minutes from the cave exit is the equally remarkable Sanyou Dong (Three Guest Cave) and a mountain trail overlooking the Yangtze River.