Tenglong Cave has been designated as a National Geopark and awarded the prestigious 5A-level tourist attraction status in China. This year, UNESCO approved the inclusion of Enshi Grand Canyon-Tenglong Cave in the World Geoparks list.
Tenglong Cave is the largest known solutional cave in China and is claimed to be the largest dry cave in Asia. It ranks seventh among the world’s longest known caves and is hailed as one of the world’s premier caverns.
On April 18, 2024, I traveled from Enshi to Lichuan. Enshi’s Tenglong Cave is located in the suburbs of Lichuan, just 6 kilometers from the city center. Taking a bus to the City Court stop, I turned a corner and saw the “Tenglong Cave” entrance arch.
Continuing forward and turning left, I arrived at the Tenglong Cave Visitor Center.
Visitors over 70 years old and retired military personnel with valid ID cards enjoy free admission. Those aged 60-70, children, and college students pay half price. The full adult ticket price is 150 yuan per person.
However, all visitors must purchase a shuttle bus ticket (22 yuan) to reach the water cave entrance at the scenic area.
Tenglong Cave consists of two major cave systems: a water cave and a dry cave.
The Qing River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, originates from Qiyue Mountain in Lichuan and suddenly plunges into the water cave (also known as the sinkhole).
Upon entering the scenic area, visitors are greeted by the deafening roar of rushing water. The water cave entrance is 45 meters high and 20 meters wide, with a maximum flood peak flow of 676 cubic meters per second. The sound we hear is the river crashing against the riverbed.
It truly resembles a giant dragon opening its mouth to swallow the Qing River.
This scenic spot is aptly named “Crouching Dragon Swallows the River.” Here, the Qing River is compressed by the mountain, narrowing the channel and forming a 30-meter waterfall that rushes into the water cave, creating a magnificent spectacle with thunderous waves.
Entering the main cave entrance, we encounter the Qing River’s underground stream. This subterranean river (from Crouching Dragon Swallows the River to the Black Hole) stretches for at least 16.8 kilometers, with a vertical drop of about 120 meters and an average longitudinal slope of 7%.
There are 18 skylights along the way.
The main cave connects to multiple branch caves, forming an intricate network.
We come across the Coffin Stone, shaped like a coffin and hidden in a karst cave on the cliff, resembling the cliff burials of ancient Ba people. The Chinese words for “coffin” and “official wealth” are homophones, suggesting prosperity in Chinese culture. However, I believe it more likely represents the ancient Ba people’s transcendent view of life and death.
Exiting the water cave, we arrive at the plaza in front of the cave.
Adjacent to it is the dry cave entrance, which is 72 meters high and 64 meters wide, large enough for more than 20 trucks to enter side by side. Such an enormous cave entrance is extremely rare, ranking third in the world.
It is said that helicopters can freely enter and exit, though we didn’t see any. However, we did see a fallen promotional poster inside the cave.
There is a hot air balloon ride available for a fee, lasting only 5 minutes. Adult tickets cost 140 yuan, while children’s tickets are 100 yuan.
This dry cave is the former course of the Qing River. According to the introduction, Tenglong Cave is the largest cave by volume in the world. The dry cave of Tenglong was once the early riverbed of the Qing River, but now it has no flowing water.
Ahead is the electric cart boarding point.
Riding an electric cart inside a cave was unheard of to me, which is a testament to the cave’s enormous size. The area where the main attractions are concentrated is still some distance away, about a 30-minute walk. Visitors can choose to take the electric cart directly or walk. As usual, I chose to walk. There was still ongoing construction inside the cave…
We passed through the Cliff Gallery. According to the display board: In the 1980s, when the first scientific expedition team entered the mysterious Tenglong Cave, the cave floor was covered in silt and scattered rocks. The team members had to climb arduously along the cave walls to pass through this area.
Here is Dragon Scale Mountain. One of Tenglong Cave’s unique features is that it has mountains within the cave. Dragon Scale Mountain is 35 meters high, with the cave ceiling reaching about 170 meters. Due to the collapse and accumulation of rocks from the cave roof, the mountain inside has grown taller over time.
Moving forward, we surprisingly encountered a wine storage area with massive jars, something rarely seen elsewhere.
Four golden elements for cave storage: constant wind, constant temperature, constant humidity, and constant oxygen.
This natural microclimate greatly promotes the development of the wine, helping to encourage microbial growth and making the wine purer.
The cave absolutely meets these conditions, so it has become a storage place for groups and individuals to rent jars jointly or individually…
Ahead is the terminal station for the electric carts, where the attractions become more concentrated.
For those who don’t want to walk this section, there’s a “magic carpet” (the “conveyor belt” at the top of the image below).
This is the “Changing Seas into Mulberry Fields,” a unique karst formation created by water erosion over millions of years, resembling terraced fields.
This is the “Map of China,” formed by spring water dripping vertically from the cave ceiling onto the limestone layers below. The splashing pearls and jade create sediment that spreads and settles, accumulating over time to form a marvelous natural geological map of China.
This is the Time-Space Tunnel.
The narrow cave passage, illuminated by interplaying lights, creates an illusion of traveling through time and space.
This is the Yanyang Goddess.
The river channel narrows here, intensifying the water’s dynamic force. Water erosion has carved out many hollow stone pillars on the rock face. These pillars resemble the silhouettes of young women, and since this area was anciently called Yanyang, it’s named the Yanyang Goddess.
This is the Bountiful Harvest scene. It appears to show fragrant rice, golden corn, plump soybeans, and inverted wheat, resembling a lively scene of “abundant harvest.”
The highest point inside Tenglong Cave reaches 235 meters, with an internal mountain 125 meters high, and the widest part measuring 174 meters, confirming its immense scale. Unlike typical limestone caves, this one doesn’t have many stalactite crystals. Instead, it features more varied cave wall formations, making it “majestic” rather than “delicate.”
In previous cave visits, I’ve seen numerous stalactites and learned that their formation takes tens or even hundreds of thousands of years. In limestone caves, calcium-rich water drips from the ceiling, accumulating calcium at the drip point, slowly forming stalactites growing downward. Where water drops hit the cave floor, stalagmites gradually form and grow upward. When stalactites and stalagmites connect, they form columns. Given Tenglong Cave’s height, it’s hard to imagine where calcium-rich water dropping from the ceiling would end up. Personally, among the caves I’ve visited, the one praised as the “Number One Cave Under Heaven” – Zhijin Cave – should be considered both majestic and beautiful.
Like other limestone caves, Tenglong Cave uses lighting to create a dreamlike atmosphere, even featuring beautiful decorations in the upper spaces.
Although Tenglong Cave is very long, not all of it is open to the public, so visitors must return the same way.
Tenglong Cave also features regular “laser shows,” but I missed it due to timing.
There’s also a Yishui Lichuan song and dance performance, with some audience members already waiting.
I didn’t wait but returned to the dry cave entrance, following the signs.
I took the scenic bus back to the passenger center.
This concluded my trip to Enshi. Enshi is worth visiting, with the only regret being the unfavorable weather during my stay. Some planned attractions like Pingshan Canyon (I reached the scenic area entrance, but it was temporarily closed due to rain, wasting six to seven hours round trip) couldn’t be visited. I remind friends to try to avoid the rainy season when planning their trip.
