Jiuxiang Cave in Kunming
● Chinese Name: 九乡溶洞
● English Name: Jiuxiang Cave
● Keywords: Museum of Karst Caves, grown from 6 billion years ago
● Best Seasons: All year round
● Reccommended Visiting Time: 1 Day
● Fee: ¥90 for entrance fee and ¥30 for cable car
● Opening Hours: 08:00~18:00
● Location: Jiuxiang Countryside of Yiliang County in Kunming
Why is Jiuxiang Cave so special?
Jiuxiang Cave has about a hundred karst caves and the most wonderful in-cave scenes in China. The caves in Jiuxiang fall into 4 cave clusters: Sanjiao Cave, Dashang Cave, Diehong Cave and Dasha Dam Cave. 66 out of the numerous caves in the area are profitably exploitable and the karst cave cluster is the largest of its kind on Yunnan-Guizhou plateau. The caves in the area are praised for their grandeur, wonder grotesquerie and natural beauty.
Introduction
Some Informatin of Jiuxiang Cave
Jiuxiang Caves is 20 sq km in area and includes 5 tourist attractions, Diehong Bridge (5 km southeast from Jiuxiang Street, famous for the karst caves, the twin waterfalls and the huge natural stone dam cluster), Dasha Dam (consisting of picturesque karst caves and thick forest), Sanjiao Cave (5 km north of Jiuxiang Street, famous for the karst caves), Alu Long [a scenic area 6 km west of Jiuxiang Street, famous for the excavated Yi Nationality cliff paintings of Qin 221BC-206BC) and Han (206BC-220AD) dynasties] and Mingyue (meaning the bright moon) Lake.
Jiuxiang, the birthplace of the aboriginal Yi ethnic people, has a strong minority custom color, a long cultural history, and widely spread old myths and tales. These include Hunting Festival, the Worship the White Dragon Festival, Love Song Contest, Bullfighting, Wrestling, Sanxian Dance (Sanxian is a three-stringed plucked instrument), Rattle Stick Dance and so on.
Main Attractions of Jiuxiang Caves:
Yincui Valley
It is located in the north of Jiuxiang Scenic Spot. Its total length is 1 km. Ii got its name for the the lush vegetation in it. It is also called Lover Valley. They said that it was place for young girls and boys to sing love songs. Girls stood at the right side and boys stood at the left side. They sang songs until they found their right persons. There’s a river named Maitian River flowing in the valley. It’s a branch of Nanpan River. People can take a boat for a distance of 700 meters.
Lying Dragon Cave
There are two waterfalls in it. During flood season, the two waterfalls flow together and meet in a deep pool at a depth of 10 meters. The combined and cascading waterfalls just like two yellow dragons from the rock at a length of 30 meters. So they were named the ‘Female and Male Flying Waterfalls’
Male Lion Hall
It is a slant underground hall. Its height is about 20-30 meters and its length and width are more than 200 meters. Its volume is 1 million cubic meters. It is a typical example hall of Karst caves. There’s no any support in the hall and it can be said the most big underground hall among the carst caves.
Best Time to Visit Jiuxiang Cave
Jiuxiang Scenic Spot can be visited all the year round for the warm climate. In spring, flowers are in full bloom, the weather is neither too hot nor too cold. In summer, people can take a boat there and step into the caves to avoid summer heat.
How to Get There
Jiuxiang Cave is about 108 kilometers away from Kunming, and it’s very convenient to get there from the city center. There are many public buses driving from the city center to Jiuxiang, and public bus will take about 1.5 hours to get there.
Travel Tips:
1. Tourists should take enough clothes since they may get wet in boats when they visit the karst caves and the gorges. 2. Visitors can spend their time watching folk songs and dance or tasting local food, which are interesting.
Nearby Attractions
Yangzonghai Lake Scenic Spot and Little White Dragon Forest Park are not far from Jiuxiang Scenic Spot. Tourists can take buses at the gate of the Jiuxiang to go there.
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