Taiji Cave () is a karst cave located on Shilong Mountain () in Guangde County, Xuancheng City,

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

Province, People's Republic of China, where the provinces of

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...

and Anhui meet.

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

writer and poet

Feng Menglong Feng Menglong (1574–1646), courtesy names Youlong (), Gongyu (), Ziyou (), or Eryou (), was a Chinese historian, novelist, and poet of the late Ming Dynasty. He was born in Changzhou County, now part of Suzhou, in Jiangsu Province. Life Fe ...

described the cave as one of the "Four Absolutes Under Heaven" (天下四绝 ''Tīanxià Sìjué''). It is also considered a primary "Place of Enlightenment" (道教道场 ''Dàojiào Dàochǎng'') by

Taoists Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao ...

, similar to the Bodhimanda of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

. The 200-million-year-old cave is divided into dry and wet layers representing the

yin and yang Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and ya ...

of Chinese philosophy.
In February 2004, the

Chinese State Council The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the pre ...

included the cave on its fifth list of National Scenic Attractions. It is also a 4A rated National Tourism Area.

Overview

At in length and covering a surface area of , Taiji Cave is the largest natural limestone cave in

East China East China () is a geographical and a loosely defined cultural region that covers the eastern coastal area of China. A concept abolished in 1978, for economical purposes the region was defined from 1949 to 1961 by the Chinese Central Govern ...

. The cave's first chamber extends to and has a height of . To date nineteen separate chambers have been opened to visitors. There are more than 160 features inside the cave, including the "Ten Large Landscapes" (十大景观 ''Shí Dà Jǐngguān''). By boat it is possible to explore the water-filled level of the cave where there are many unusual rock formations.

The "Ten Large Landscapes"

These interior features of the cave are largely based on their resemblance to other objects. Some are individual rock formations, whilst others are groups. * Lord Laozi (太上老君 ''Tàishàng Lǎojūn'') * Dripping Water Penetrates Stone (滴水穿石 ''Dīshuĭ Chuānshí'') * Luxuriant Old Tree (槐荫古树 ''Huáiyìn Gŭshù'') * Capsized Boat of the

Immortals Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...

(仙舟覆挂 ''Xiān Zhōu Fùguà'') * Twin Heavenly Towers (双塔凌霄 ''Shuāng Tǎ Língxiāo'') * Golden Dragon Coiled around Jade Pillar (金龙盘柱 ''Jīnlóng Pán Zhù'') * Yellow Mountain of the Cave (洞中黄山 ''Dòngzhōng Huángshān'') * Chamber of the Myriad Rock Formations (万象揽胜 ''Wànxiàng Lǎn Shèng'') *

Mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

of the Supreme Ultimate (太极壁画 ''Tàijí Bìhuà'') * Stalactite of Heaven's Eye (壶天极目 ''Hú Tiānjí Mù'') Taijidong1

Local places of interest

Dotted around the cave there are many places of historic interest including the "Hidden Dragon Bridge" (卧龙桥 ''Wòlóng Qiáo'') where Emperor Guangwu (5 BCE–29 CE) took refuge during the

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

, the military command platform (将军台 ''Jiāngjūn Tái'') of General Lu Meng (178–220 CE) and the "Sabre Gorge Stone" () of

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

patriot

Yue Fei Yue Fei ( zh, t=岳飛; March 24, 1103 – January 28, 1142), courtesy name Pengju (), was a Chinese military general who lived during the Southern Song dynasty and a national hero of China, known for leading Southern Song forces in the wa ...

(1103–1142 CE). Outside the cave lies the Inkstone Lake (砚池湖 ''Yànchí Hú''), said to be the location where Song Dynasty politician and writer

Fan Zhongyan Fan Zhongyan (5 September 989 – 19 June 1052) from Wu County of Suzhou ( Jiangsu Province, China), courtesy name Xiwen (), ratified as the Duke of Wenzheng () posthumously, and conferred as Duke of Chu () posthumously, was a Chinese poet, p ...

washed his

inkstone An inkstone is traditional Chinese stationery. It is a stone mortar for the grinding and containment of ink. In addition to stone, inkstones are also manufactured from clay, bronze, iron, and porcelain. The device evolved from a rubbing tool us ...

References

{{Anhui topics Caves of Anhui Karst caves Karst formations of China Show caves in China Tourist attractions in Anhui