Qixia Shan

Useful Information

Location:	West Lake, Hangzhou
Open:	No restrictions. Huang Long Tu Cui: Adults CNY 15. [2010]
Fee:	free. Huang Long Tu Cui: All year daily 8-18. [2010]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	West Lake, No 1, Longjin Road , Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Tel: +86-571-87179609. E-mail: Huang Long Tu Cui, 16 Shuguang Lu, Hangzhou, Tel: 0571-8797 2468
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History

Description

Qixia Shan (Mountain on Which Clouds Stay) is a hill in the middle of Zhejiang city. West Lake is a famous tourist destination, which is located in the middle of thecity, includes the namesake lake and numerous hills with parks surrounding it. Located at the north western corner of West Lake there is a huge park with forests, a bamboo park, temples and caves. There are numerous caves which are popular spots for the park visitors. The caves are talus caves or erosional caves, the rocks here are crystalline. Most caves are heavily alterated by humans, so they are actually more or less artificial.

Xixiadong (Purple Cloud Cave or Rosy Cloud Cave) is located in Xixia Ling (Rosy Cloud Hill). The huge cave has single chamber, big enough for about 100 people. It was named after the reddish colour of the rocks.

Jinjudong (Water Music Cave) was named after a meandering stream that makes a pleasant gurgling sound at it passes by the cave entrance.

Ziyundong (Stone House Cave) has walls carved with beautiful designs from the period of the fifth dynasty. There are stone-carved images of the Chinese Goddess of Mercy and Mahasthamaprapta.

Huang Long Tu Cui (Yellow Dragon Cave Dressed in Green) was named after the bamboo growing around it. The temple on the site was once a Buddhist temple and was later transformed into a Taoist shrine. It was elected one of the New Ten Views of West Lake. A legend tells, that once a South Song monk from Yellow Dragon Hill in Jiangxi Province came to this place and decided to build a temple. One day a yellow dragon appeared and hit the ground strongly, the big rock opened like a dragon mouth and a spring gushed out from it. A yellow dragon is sculpted into the rock, with a spring emerging from its mouth.