垂云通天河

Chuiyun Tongtian River - Heavenly River and Cave - River to the Heaven

Useful Information

Location:	Tonglu County, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311515. Tonglu County, Zhejiang Province. 85 km from Hangzhou city. (29.927250, 119.527526)
Open:	28-MAR to OCT daily 8-20. NOV to 27-MAR daily 8-16. [2026]
Fee:	Adults CNY 108. [2026]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	T=18 °C
Guided tours:	D=1.5 h.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Chuiyun Tongtian River, WGFJ+PMQ, Tonglu County, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311515, Tel: +86-571-6437-1377.
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

28-MAR-1999	show cave opened to the public.
JUL-2002	awarded National AAAA-level Tourist Area by the National Tourism Administration.
OCT-2003	one of the Top Ten Most Attractive Scenic Spots in Zhejiang Province.

Description

垂云通天河 (Chuiyun Tongtian River, Clouds hang low over the Heavenly River, Hanging Clouds Reaching the Sky River) is one of those typical Chinese names which are quite baroque and nevertheless meaningless. Some translate it River Reaching the Sky, but actually it is the opposite, it’s a river cave and the river is underground. The name is a citation from the most popular Chinese book, 西游记 (Xī Yóu Jì, Journey to the West), where the Ape King travels around the country. 垂云通天河 (Chuíyún Tōngtiān Hé) is a river demon often depicted as a fish or carp demon. He appears in one episode, demands human sacrifices, and is ultimately defeated by 孙悟空 (Sun Wukong), also known as the Monkey King. The cave is located at the 垂云通天河景区 (Chiyun Tongtian River Scenic Area).

Chinese Scenic Areas are often like a theme park, and that’s the case here too. There is a car park, a visitor center and a park seems to be known under the name OMG心跳乐园 (OMG Heartbeat Park). The rides are Pilgrim, a 2000 m long SkyRoad Scooter and a New Zealand scooter. Lingyun Overpass or Lingyun Sky Bridge, which is the 300 m long glass sky bridge across the valley. Jiutian Cloud Gallery is a sort of outlook platform also with glass floor high up at the hillside. And finally Chasing the Dragon, a 1,350 m long.

The river cave is visited on a 1,000 m long boat ride. The tour stops several time and the visitors disembark to see side branches. There is a waterfall in the cave and the second part of the tour is on a higher level. The boat is lifted to this higher level by a sort of elevator.