野人洞

Yeren Dong

Useful Information

Location:	Qiaoshang Township, National Road 209, Fang County, Shiyan, Hubei 442114. On G209, between Qiaoshangcun and Donergou. Car park at the road, 10 minutes walk. (31.9188745, 110.7320487)
Open:	All year daily 8-18. [2025]
Fee:	Adults CNY 65. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave Yeren
Light:	Incandescent Coloured Light
Dimension:	L=1,980 m, T=14 °C.
Guided tours:	L=1,200 m. self guided.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Yeren Dong, Qiaoshang Township, National Road 209, Fang County, Shiyan, Hubei 442114, Tel: +86-719-361-1205.
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

21-NOV-1998

Wang Xingbin, a tourism expert from Beijing, and Li Faping, deputy director of the Municipal Tourism Bureau, come to Fang County for inspection.

Description

野人洞 (Yěrén dòng, Wild Man Cave) is a name which is based on a Chinese legend about wild men living in caves. The yeren are the Chinese version of the bigfoot legend. However, the Yeren connection is 21st century marketing. The cave was originally called Ancient Cave by the locals. When the cave was explored and bats were discovered in the cave, it was also called the Bat Cave. But when Wang Xingbin, a tourism expert from Beijing, and Li Faping, deputy director of the Municipal Tourism Bureau, came to Fang County for inspection, the decided to use the yeren legend for marketing and rename the cave Yeren Dong. They established the 房县野人谷旅游区 (Fang County Wild Men Valley Tourist Area). The whole Yeren Cave legend was elaborated, they even created a fake legend, telling the story of local farmer Yin Hongfa. For some reason this Yěrén dòng is translated Savage Cave on most websites, which is actually just a synonym. Most likely the authors are not aware that savage is generally considered a derogatory term to describe a primitive and uncivilized person. Yeren are actually ape like creatures, not stone age humans, although they are able to interbreed with humans according to Chinese legends.

Local farmer Yin Hongfa, who returned from work at 11 o'clock on 01-MAY-1974. When he was at the cave entrance, he met a huge man covered in red hair. The savage came at him with outstretched hands. He grabbed the savage by the hair with one hand and fought him with his sickle in the other hand. When the sickle cut him, the savage suddenly jumped in pain producing a gibbering sound, dancing and then rushing away. Yin Hongfa returned home, but he was so in panic that he lay paralyzed in bed for a week unable to speak. He had five wounds and there was a lock of red hair in his hand.

The cave has a spectacular entrance which was sculpted into the face of a huge ape, obviously a reference to the Yeren. The cave is entered through the wide open mouth of the Yeren. There is also a sculpture in front of the entrance showing a man fighting a much larger yeren with a sickle, obviously the fictitious farmer Yin Hongfa. Inside are more such artworks, sculptures and more. Plastic curtains which transform groups of stalagmites into a sort of stage and are called the sleeping places of the yeren. They resemble old canopy beds though, not the sleeping places of hugeape. On stalagmites dozens of candles were placed, and the guides tell that the yeren used the speleothems as percussion, as they omit strange sound when they are hit. Plastic water lilies are swimming on the cave lakes, actually rimstone pools which are said to be the bathing pools of the yeren. And the small waterfall is the yeren shower. If you don't like tacky things, you might have an allergic reaction.

The cave has two levels which are connected by a long series of staircases, so the physical ability to walk staircases is necessary. It’s an ascent of about 60 m. The cave has many speleothems, the light is colourful, even for Chinese caves, the cave does not have a single white lightbulb. And like all other Chinese caves it has "mountains hidden in the cave and caves in the mountains".

The cave is located in a meander of the Xiaohe river. The 209 National Highway runs along the valley, but right at the cave the new road has a shortcut through a tunnel. To reach the cave its necessary to turn off onto the old road which follows the river. The valley, located some 45 km south of the county seat has numerous interesting spots. There are Huancai Gorge, Yeyu Beach, Dojun Cave, Longdan Cliff, Waterfall Group, Wild Man Kui Valley, Sky Rope Cliff Climbing, Dragon Gate Opening, and Cliff Castle.