Reed Flute Cave

We continue the heading "Post from the past": The Reed Flute Cave is the largest and most picturesque of the karst caves in the Chinese tourist city of Guilin. But the colorful name of this ancient cave is nothing compared to the beauty of its halls.

Guilin is an ancient picturesque city located in the south of China. The Chinese themselves call Guilin "the most beautiful city in the Middle Kingdom". 

Guilin has long established itself as a tourist center due to the wonderful nature.

Once there was an ocean on this place. Natural disasters forced the water to leave, raising to the surface fantastic mountains with outlandish gorges, crevasses, grottos and caves. 

In the northwest, seven kilometers from the city center, there is Mount Guangmingshan, on the southern slope of which the rock "Reed Flute" is perched. In this rock there is a unique cave called Reed flute cave (Reed flute cave).

The Reed Flute Cave, part of a system of caves and tunnels with many fragile stalactites and stalagmites, is one of the most famous caves. 

This karst cave goes to a depth of 240 meters and the first tourists visited it ... 1300 years ago.

The cave is given a very apt name: hundreds of small stalactites hang from the vault, many of which resemble thin pipes.

The cave got its name due to the thickets of bamboo covering the surroundings of the hill. Bamboo from this place was used by local residents to produce a musical instrument-a flute. 

The length of the route is almost 500 meters, at the turns of which you can see fascinating pictures of bizarre formations of stalactites and stalagmites, piles of mountain formations and stone pillars.

During the excursion, which lasts an hour, the movement inside the cave takes place along a U-shaped curve. 

The illuminated stalactites form paintings, according to the Chinese tradition, poetically named in the spirit of "the crystal palace of the dragon king".

Thanks to the unique illumination and reflection in the underground lake, the impression of frozen actions is created, which have poetic names according to the Chinese tradition: "Crystal Palace", "Dragon Tower"," Pine Tree in the snow"," Dawn in the Lion Grove"," Red Threshold " and so on.

The cave was formed due to the destruction of quartz rocks by water. 

Figuratively, the cave is called the palace of nature, the imagination draws pavilions, majestic palace chambers and paradise gardens with parks.

There is a legend that the cave was discovered thanks to a peasant who wandered in these surroundings and fell into a crevice. It turned out to be the entrance to the cave.

It is obvious that now the cave has a completely different look than in the days when it was first visited by a person: now stalactites and stalagmites shimmer with various shades thanks to bright illumination.

Gradually, the flute cave became a popular tourist attraction.

Inside, the cave is divided into several fabulous halls. In one of them there is a lake, one of the most beautiful underground in the world.

To the annoyance of many tourists, it is not easy to capture the local beauty: without special equipment, photos will not work, despite the illumination carried out. 

The Flute Cave is huge, it will not be difficult to get lost here.

During the tour, you can find many amazing stones here, which resemble the outlines of a mother with a child, then melons and vegetables.

Once inside the cave, it seems that I found myself in some other world, time and space. 

The local landscape, which is not subject to time, is inaccessible to Western tourists for a long time. Only in 1973, Guilin City was opened to foreign tourists, and quickly became one of the most popular tourist destinations.

The entrance to the cave costs 60 yuan (about $ 9). Opening hours: from 8.30 to 17.30 h.