子夏洞

Zixia Cave - Zixia Dong

Useful Information

Location:	Jiuyi Mountains, Ningyuan County 425600. (25.350164, 111.974897)
Open:	All year daily . [2021]
Fee:	Adults CNY 90, Children CNY 50. [2021]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System Coloured Light Son et Lumière
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Zixia Cave, Zixiayan, 281 Country Rd, Ningyuan County, Yongzhou 425600.
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

2184 BC	帝舜 (Shun Di, Emperor Shun) buried here.
~1600	geologist Xu XieKe lived in the cave.

Description

子夏洞 (Zixia Cave), also known as Chonghua Rock, is located at the foot of the mountain ridge 九嶷山 (Jiuyi Mountains). It is located only 500 m from the resting place of 帝舜 (Shun Di, Emperor Shun, *2294-✝2184 BC), a legendary leader of ancient China, the last of the Five Emperors. During the Ming Dynasty the geologist Xu XieKe (*1587-✝1641) lived in the cave. He explored the mountains and resources of the area. A stone sculpture of him is located in front of the cave entrance. To reach the cave it is necessary to cross a gate which is quite kitschy, a sort of plastic or plaster stone forest across the access road, which is called 紫霞岩大门 (Zixia Rock Gate). Okay, the bright orange gate with two dragons is even kitschier, but fortunately it is made of plastic and only blows up with air. Fortunately because it's possible to let out the air and easily remove it.

The cave is entered through a vast portal, but soon the passage becomes much smaller. On the left side is a side branch which is used as a cave temple. The people who come for worship have fixed thousands of red ribbons with golden letters on the railing, probably some kind of offering or prayer. The main cave is entered straight ahead through an artificial tunnel, with long staircase down to the lower level of the cave. Ihe main passage has a cave river which is named Dong Hai River. There are numerous speleothems, mostly stalactites and stalagmites. In one section the stalactites are quite exceptional with ribs or bacon rinds which make them look like huge, extraterrestrial jellyfish. This form is not exceptional, but the great number of such stalactites and their size is definitely impressive.

The cave is located in the area called in the Jiu Yi Shan or Nine Mountains, and that's why a formation of nine stalagmites is also called Jiu Yi Shan. The strange thing about those stalagmites is, that they are only 20 cm high and the whole group is about 40 cm in diameter. We have no idea why, but it's lighted with coloured lights and the Chinese guests seem to like it for reasons we cannot understand.

Another highlight is the light show in on chamber. A computer animated movie tells the legend of a village which was terrorized by a dragon and Shun Di who came and fought against the dragon with his legendary Kung Fu abilities and his mystical sword. He killed the dragon but died himself from his injuries. The movie is projected on a wall of water drops, which is created by a sort of garden watering system.

The cave is visited self-guided, so it is possible to enter without waiting for the next tour. Inside there are guides positioned at the most interesting places which explain their section through loudspeakers and answer questions. The cave is well visited even in winter and during bad weather, but primarily by locals. It seems it was not yet added to the itinerary of international travel operators. As a result there are almost no webpages on this cave [2021] but we added a youTube video to the links, which shows a cave visit.