黃仙洞

Huangxiandong

Useful Information

Location:	Zhongxiang, Jingmen, Hubei 431934. (31.417821, 112.953433)
Open:	All year daily 8:30-17:30, last entry 16. [2025]
Fee:	Adults CNY 60, Children (120-140 cm) CNY 35, Children (<120 cm) free, Senior (60-69) CNY 35, Senior (70+) free. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave Immortals
Light:	Incandescent Coloured Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Huangxiandong, Zhongxiang, Jingmen, Hubei 431934, Tel: +86-724-4382222.
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

黃仙洞 (Huangxiandong, Yellow Immortal Cave) was named after Huang Shigong who once lived here according to legend 黃石公 (Huang Shigong, Yellow Rock Old Man) is a semi-mythological Taoist hermit who lived between the Qin dynasty and Han dynasty. According to legend he was a minister of King Zhuangxiang of Qin, and his name was Wei Che. When the king dies and his son Qin Shi Huang became the new king, he turned out to be tyrannical and ignorde the advive of his ministers. Wei Che chose to retire and left the court. It seems Qin Shi Huang finally understood that he needed advice from a competent minister, and so he chased him to the foot of Mount Li and attempted to persuade him to return. Wei Che refused to go back and lived as a hermit in the Huanghua Cave at the base of Mount Huang in the northwest of Pizhou. The people living in the area did not know his name, so they called him Huang Shigong after the mountain where he lived. So this cave is actually thought to be 黄龙洞 (Huánglóng dòng, Yellow Dragon Cave) from this legend. In other words, despite the literal translation, the cave is actually named after the mountain Huang where it is located and the immortal taoist hermit who lived here.

However, as always in China there are different versions, and another legend tells that the Jade Emperor sent Huangxian to this cave to capture the Yellow Dragon. Of course, the Chinese version is far more poetic, as well as the names of hundreds of speleothems inside the cave. In this case even the Chinese visitors have problems with the lack of information.

The cave tour is 2.5 km long and has numerous stairs, so some physical fitness is required. The cave is not suitable for elderly and disabled. At the end of the tour there is a 100 m high iron staircase up a steep artificial tunnel. This is the official exit of the cave, and it ends on the other side of the mountain. The way back to the entrance is a 45-minute hike or a motorbike ride which costs extra. As the visits are self-guided, you may prefer to not use this staircase and instead return inside the cave to the entrance. This is not much shorter, but it is inside the cave and from the other direction you may see different things.

The cave has numerous great speleothems, like stalactites, stalagmites, and a massive formation of rimstone pools. Actually there are some sections which are lighted with white light, so it is possible to see the actual colour of the speleothems. However, there were some visitors which were annoyed because the cave was so dark. As far as we know the light was either turned aut accidentally or it was simply broken.

Huangxian Cave is located in the southern part of the Dahong Mountain Range and is part of Mount Dahong Scenic Area. From Zhongxiang it is reached on a long winding drive on G347 east, S247 north and finally S327. This is a long drive and be aware that driving on those roads is quite slow. As a result, the scenic are is not very crowded, despite the spectacular cave.