白云洞

Baiyun Dong - White Cloud Cave

Useful Information

Location:	No. 87, Baiyun Road, Rulin Town. Hunan, Shaoyang, Chengbu Miao Autonomous County, 422500. (26.351020, 110.319138)
Open:	All year daily 9-17. [2023]
Fee:	Adults CNY 45, Children (14-18) CNY 22.50, Children (0-13) free, Seniors (60-64) CNY 22.50, Seniors (65+) free, Disabled free, Active Soldiers free. [2023]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System Coloured Light
Dimension:	L=4,000 m, VR=450 m.
Guided tours:	L=1,500 m.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Baiyun Dong, No. 87, Baiyun Road, Rulin Town, Hunan, Shaoyang, Chengbu Miao Autonomous County, 422500.
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

1742	Zhang Fangjia was transferred to be the magistrate of Chengbu County, and established Baiyun Academy in Baiyun Cave in the east of Chengbu.
16-DEC-2012	Chengbu Baiyun Lake National Wetland Park established.
AUG-2016	Hunan Nanshan National Park established.
10-JUN-2018	storage of Dong Zang Liquor in Baiyun Cave.
2019	rated as a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Description

白云洞 (Baiyun Dong, White Cloud Cave) is located at Hunan Nanshan National Park, the first national park in Hunan Province. The scenic area is a typical group of karst caves with karst landforms. The cave is also called 洞府奇观 (Dòngfǔ qíguān, Cave of Wonders). There are actually three connected caves, the other two are Biyun Cave and Hongxue Cave. A typical thing with the cave is the constant temperature, and during winter the relatively warm and humid cave air creates mist which rises from the entrance. The resulted in a local legend.

In the Western Han Dynasty, there were two fox spirits practicing in the cave. The white air rising from the entrance of the cave was the immortal energy they emitted when they were making alchemy. The foxes often turned into beauties to play with the woodcutters outside the cave. But they were not able to fight the white fairy bull, so they had to leave the unrefined elixir and flee to Jintong mountain to hide.

This legend is well known in China, and there were numerous films, operas, poems and other things created from the legend. And there are numerous White Cloud Caves. The cave was once also called Bai Niu Cave, and it is called White Bull Cave.

Since 2018 Dong Zang Liquor is stored in Baiyun Cave for maturing. Hunan Jinye Puree Liquor Industry Co., Ltd., are producing the liquor, it is then purchased by the cave visitors and stored in the cave for years for maturing. They have to sign a cellar agreement.