灵谷洞

Linggu Dong - Valley Spirit Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Yangmu Tea Farm, 28 km southwest of Yixing. (31.223196, 119.741822)
Open:	All year daily 8-16. [2023]
Fee:	Adults CNY 65. [2023]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	Ar=2,400 m², L=347 m.
Guided tours:	D=2 h.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Linggu Dong, Tel: +86-510-87470468.
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

灵谷洞 (Linggu Dong, Cave of the Valley of the Gods) is the third-largest cave of Yixing. The tour crosses five chambers full of speleothems, stalagmites, stalactites, pillars, and so-called stone flowers. It is visited for centuries and is famous for it graffities, poems engraved during the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. According to legend, it was discovered by the Tang Dynasty poet, Lu Guimeng. He was enraptured by the cave’s beauty and attempted to excavate it but had to abandon the project due to its magnitude. In the Song Dynasty, the cave became quite popular and many visitors left behind inscriptions on its walls.

The cave is located in a bamboo forest, reached on a path with serpentines. The cave has six chambers. The first chamber is small, with a 40 cm crevice known as the Crab Hole. Once this passage was the entrance to the cave behind, visitors had to crawl on all fours to pass. Today, an artificial tunnel allows easy access to the rest cave. The second chamber is full of stalagmites. The third chamber is the largest of the tour with rocks protruding spectacular from the ceiling, and a clear pool on the floor. According to legend, this was the bathing place of the mystical deity Linggu Xian Gu. The fourth chamber, though smaller, is said to be the one with the richest speleothems. The fifth chamber is named Crystal Palace and has an array of stalactites in various shapes and sizes. The ceiling is covered with calcite crystals which glisten and twinkle. And finally, the sixth chamber has a high ceiling with stalactites.