社更穿洞

Shegeng Chuandong - Shegeng Through Cave


Useful Information

Location: Fengshan County, Hechi, Guangxi 547602.
(24.4153201, 107.0206158)
Open: no restrictions.
[2025]
Fee: free.
[2025]
Classification: GeologyNatural Bridge TopicCaves Used as Road Tunnels
Light: n/a
Dimension: L=139 m, W=142 m, H=76 m.
Guided tours: self guided
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: yes
Bibliography:
Address: Shegeng Through Cave, Fengshan County, Hechi, Guangxi 547602, Tel: +86-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
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History


Description

社更穿洞 (Shè gèng chuān dòng, Shegeng Through Cave) is typically named Shegeng Chuandong or Shegeng Chuan Dong. Chuan Dong is the Chinese term for through-cave. However, there is a border, between natural bridge and through-cave. This border is actually undefined, but most scholars intuitively say it’s a natural bridge if I can see the sky on the other side, and it’s a through-cave if the other entrance is invisible. Following this definition, this is a natural bridge, although it is 239 m long. But the cave passage is 142 m wide and 76 m high. It actually has the size of three soccer fields. There is a limestone cone right on top of the opening, so there is 190 m of limestone above the opening. But this cone is smaller than the cave opening, so the layer is only 25 m thick on the other side.

While the geometry of this cave is quite impressive, its location is breathtaking. This natural bridge is high on a karst tower, in the upper third of this tower and can be easily seen from both sides. From the Sanmenhai cave follow the valley upstream 1.5 km, and a road turns off on the left. The road winds uphill the steep slope in serpentines, crosses the cave and winds down again to the small village behind. It is actually the only road accessing this high valley with three hamlets.