Cave, The (2005)

Near the town Jiangkou in Wulong County, Chongqing, halfway up the mountain on the left bank of the Furong (Lotus) River, a branch of Wujiang River there is a place called "Panjia Yan." This is the location of a cave "steam", which gives off steam in winter and cool in summer. Every year he was crowned in mist, accompanied by a thunderous roar. For centuries, stories about this creepy "Steam Cave abounded and people did not dare enter? In May l993, several villagers braved explore with torches? 0ne year after their first exploration, May L, L 994. This "steam Cave" has been renamed "Furong Cave" and was officially opened to tourists.

Entering Furong Cave for the first time, the first thing I saw was silver layers curtains white stone like clusters of clouds below the curtains of stone were rows of stone "fields" and the pillars, as large trees towering in the sky. What a beautiful scene ... like a scroll painting. For a crystal clear pool, sparkling calcite under colored lights, falling down on the pond two stalactites jade etc.. The pool, one of the largest pools speleothems and the best is called "Jasper Lake coral."

The opening of the Furong cave was big news in Chongqing this year and immediately caught the attention of cavers. Before its opening, no one had found its natural entrance. Later, an international team of cave exploration conducted five large-scale scientific research l08 days. They discovered a secret of size: that there were 108 trees perpendicular within l0 km of the cave and Furong Cave Pit steam at 920 meters was the deepest in China. And all have been linked to Furong Cave! They also found that the caves had Furong over the 00 Types of speleothems, cave museum a true science.

One day in l997, during the Chinese New Year holiday, a retired official, Wang Chengyun around a cave entrance near the valley Longhe. 12 km from the county seat Fengdu. He immediately went home and invited some compamons to explore it further. After investigation of two weeks or more, they discovered many white stalactites in the cave. They reported to the local government and Professor Zhu Xuewen came to investigate. Later, he gave a high appraisal of the value of the cave in terms of tourism and scientific research and named Xueyu (Snow Jade) Cave. In the fall of 2001, my friends invited me to visit Fengdu Cave and Professor Zhu Xuewen offered his services as guide.

Torch in hand. I followed him into the cave Xueyu. Wherever I shine the torch was a calcium deposit incredibly beautiful glittering stone "flag", translucent and delicate as the wings of cicadas, stalagmites white snow, a white stone and immaculate "shield" shaped like a penguin .. . For me, hardened in the mud, their delicacy and purity is a reminder of natural beauty teen.

In March 2005, when Professor Hamilton-Smith Elery, Chairman of the Panel of the cave work of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), visited the cave Xueyu, he noted that all the ten thousand caverns, he investigated the Xueyu Cave was the most beautiful.