龙硿洞

Longkong Dong - Longkong Cave - Dragon Sky

Useful Information

Location:	Longkang Village, Yanshi Town, Xinluo District, Longyan City. 48 km from downtown Longyan. (25.209870, 117.255294)
Open:	All year daily 8:30-17. [2021]
Fee:	Adults CNY 55. [2018]
Classification:	Karst cave Lower Permian Qixia limestone
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System Coloured Light
Dimension:	L=6,000 m.
Guided tours:	L=2,000 m.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:	SONG Linhua1, WANG Jing1, LIN Junshu1, LI Fuhai2, ZHANG Yonglan (2003): Genesis Model of Longkong Cave by Two Acid Water Karstification, Longyan FuJian, PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2003, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (5): 524-531.doi: 10.11820/dlkxjz.2003.05.011. online
Address:	Longkong Dong, Longkang Village, Yanshi Town, Xinluo Area, Longyan 364002, Tel: +86-597-266-5608.
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

龙硿洞 龙硿洞 (Longkong Dong, Dragon Sky Cave) is a top tourist site, located at Longkang Village in its own 10 km² big scenic zone. The whole area is intensively karstified with numerous caves and dolines. Longkong Cave one of the biggest known caves in the state with passages on three distinct levels. It is also one of the most popular tourist sites. The 6 km long cave with eight huge chambers is well developed. The cave was known at least since the Tang Dynasty.

There is a 2 km long tourist trail which the visitor walk on their own. Every 100 m are tour guides stationed which give explanations and have an eye on the visitors. At the end, a cave river with wooden boats is reached. The boats are filled with visitors which then have to row out on their own. Outside is a lake with a jetty and a restaurant. Fortunately the boat ride is optional and costs an additional fee.

Like always in China, the hard facts about the cave are few and contradictory. Some state the tourist trail is 3 km long, but we think 2 km is more likely. Other weird facts are the area of 54,000 m² and the 8 big halls and 16 "branch cavities".

Outside the cave is a nice karst spring named 龙井 (Longjing Well), which is worth a visit. There are strange stories about the 10m deep well with its extremely clear water. According to local lore a huge tree once fell into the spring and vanished. So the locals reasoned, that the well has an enormous depth. We are a little astonished, that chinese trees do not swim.

The cave is located in Qixia marble, the metamorphosis was a result of a Late Yanshan granite intrusion. The Lower Permian consists also of Tongzhiyan sandstone and shale with coal seams, which are mined, Wenbishan sandtone and shales and Devonian silicarenite and conglomerate rock. The rocks were folded and valleys developed along the faults. The sandstone, shale with coal, and the granite form mountains, while the limestone is found on the lower slopes. The rain water collects on the non-carbonate rocks and drains on the surface, but when it reaches the limestone, it goes underground in sinks and forms huge underground caves. When it reappears it has not only a high amount of limestone, but quite exceptional also a high amount of sulfur. The sulfur originates obviously mainly from the coal seams and increase the dissolution, while creating a wide range of sulfur based speleothems.