"It is advisable to be brave enough to chase the poor, not to be known as the overlord." At that time, Xiang Yu, the overlord of Chu, had a good hand, but he played poorly. In the end, he threw his helmet and armor and surrendered. Is it in the golden cave? Of course, this is just a joke. This Wujiang River is not the other Wujiang River, and this Bawang helmet is not the other Bawang helmet. The 14-meter-high Bawang helmet in the picture below is one of the "three wonders" in the Zhijin Cave, and it is currently the only one in the world. The most realistic helmet-shaped stalagmite ever discovered took about 500,000 years to grow like this!

On the eve of May Day, I came to Bijie, Guizhou to catch up with the "people following the crowd". Of course, the gold-lettered signboard "Zhijin Cave" here is the first choice. It may not be more famous than other popular destinations during the May Day holiday, but Zhijin Cave can There are many famous names hanging on it: National Geopark, National Natural Heritage, National AAAA Tourist Attraction, World Geopark (the first one in Guizhou Province). Moreover, Zhijin Cave was rated as the first of the "Six Most Beautiful Tourist Caves in China" and the first of "China's Most Beautiful Tourist Attractions-"Top Ten Wonderful Caves in China". National geographic research departments such as "China National Geography" also praised it highly. It is called "the king of Chinese karst caves". "

The locals in Bijie sometimes call the Zhijin Cave the Underground Heavenly Palace, which means that every hall and every scene in the cave is similar to the Heavenly Palace in myths and legends. According to the different landscapes and characteristics of the Zhijin Cave, the entire cave is divided into the Welcome Hall, Lecture Hall, Xuexiang Palace, Shouxing Palace, Guanghan Palace, Lingxiao Palace, Shiwanda Mountain, Talin Cave, Golden Rat Palace, and Wangshan Mountain. There are 47 halls and more than 150 attractions. When you step into this cave, there will be countless strange-shaped stone pillars, stone curtains, and stone flowers waiting for you along the way. The name of imagination, listening to the guide's explanation is really like entering the mythical world.

After entering the welcome hall at the entrance of the Zhijin Cave, I was already overwhelmed by this magnificent palace. The first cave in the sky really deserves its reputation. The first scenic spot at the entrance is "the sun and the moon shine together". When you go down dozens of steps and look back, you will suddenly find that there are two beams of light coming from the left and right sides, one big and one small, and the big one on the left. It is the entrance of the cave just now. The small one on the right seems to have suddenly opened a door in the sky. The two echo each other in the distance. In addition, the water vapor in the cave is pervasive. The word "sun and moon shine together" is an appropriate description. Yes, I'm sure the one who named it was a talented scholar.

Zhijin Cave was discovered in April 1980 by a tourism resource survey team organized by the Zhijin County People's Government. Once it was announced, it shocked the world, attracting many tourists to see it, and also attracted many geological experts to come to scientific research. Zhijin Cave was formed by crustal movement about 500,000 years ago. It is a multi-layered and multi-type cave. The cave is about 6.6 kilometers long, 175 meters wide at its widest point, and has a relative height difference of more than 150 meters. The volume of the entire Zhijin Cave reaches More than 5 million cubic meters, if you only talk about the size, it is definitely not enough to convince people. There are many treasures like Overlord helmets hidden in the cave. There are more than 40 kinds of accumulations in the cave, such as stalagmites, stone pillars, stone buds, and bell flags. It forms various karst treasures and karst cave wonders. It has many of the world's best karst caves in the world, and is known as the "king of karst caves".

If you don’t go far, you will find a huge torch-shaped stalagmite in Xiangyun Hall. The "Hercules Cup" is the first signature attraction of Zhijin Cave. It is named after the famous trophy that resembles the World Cup football match. , whether you are a football fan or not, you must recognize it, so many football fans will use it as a background photo. However, regarding the "Hercules Cup" in the Zhijin Cave, I think it is more like an indescribable organ somewhere in a boy's human body. If a nation obsessed with reproductive worship sees this place, it may come to "kneeling three times and knocking nine times". Bar……

Of course, the above is just a joke. Continue walking along the faint light and you will come to Pipa Palace. The name is naturally related to Pipa. So, where is Pipa? Please look at the upper right corner, there is a vertical stone shield hanging upside down on the cave wall, which is shaped like a pipa and has distinct strings. Maybe when the tourists are away, the fairies will come to play Bai Juyi's long poem "Pipa Xing": noisy and mixed, big beads and small beads fall on the jade plate...


Walking out of the Pipa Palace, you will arrive at the Golden Tower City. Dozens of tall and sturdy stalagmites are displayed in front of you, like golden pagodas. These stalagmites are actually formed by layers of dripping sediments gradually increasing in height and width, and some places have weathered, which shows that the roof of the cave has sparse vegetation, poor soil and water conservation, and impure dripping water. And the tall and straight green pine in the Cedar Hall is 13 meters high, and the canopy is covered with layers of white snow. , showing more and more the noble and unyielding character of the pine tree.


Walking out of the city of the Golden Pagoda, you will immediately have a feeling of high sky and light, suddenly enlightened. The height and width here are more than 90 meters, so it is also called "Jiujiu Palace". It is rumored by the locals that anyone who has been to the Jiujiu Palace can live to be 99 years old. If they really live that old, they can be said to be birthday stars. In fact, there are really birthday stars in this palace. "Samsung Party" refers to the picture below. The one in the middle is the birthday star, with drooping long beard and walking on crutches. In addition, there are two other astrological signs - Fu Xing and Lu Xing accompanying the old birthday star.



There is also Nantianmen, which is difficult to climb in Zhijin Cave. After climbing, you will arrive at the office of the Jade Emperor to deal with major events in the sky - Lingxiao Palace. Among the scenic spots that have been opened to the public in Zhijin Cave, Lingxiao Palace is the most beautiful and magnificent. The tourists who are lucky enough to visit here are all shocked and amazed. Especially the "Optimus Pillar", with a total length of 37 meters, stands tall, slender, delicate and exquisite. If you take a closer look, there are several clusters of stone flowers growing on the lower end of it. The petals are layered, and the shape is like monkeys climbing upwards, so it is also called "a group of monkeys ascending to the sky".

To say that my favorite in the Zhijin Cave is the Overlord Helmet, which is 14 meters high, decorated with pearls and silver light, and looks like the helmet of the ancient Chu Overlord. A lot of mystery. Bawang Helmet is actually a huge composite stalagmite, which is composed of a cap stalagmite at the bottom and a slender rod-shaped stalagmite at the top. What does this shape explain? From a scientific point of view, this shows that the early drip water in the cave is rich in substances, mostly flowing down in a linear manner, and the deposition rate is fast. The deposition process in which the substance content in the later drip water decreases, disperses, and the drip speed slows down, finally becomes what we see. Many tourists will take a photo with Bawang Helmet when they come here, which shows its charm.

There is also a huge mural in Guanghan Palace, called "The River and Mountains Are So Beautiful", the painting stretches for more than 200 meters and is magnificent. It is a long scroll of landscape paintings composed of stone curtains, stone pillars, stalagmites, and stalactites of different shapes, a bit like the large-scale Chinese painting "The Country Is So Beautiful" by Fu Baoshi and Guan Shanyue in the Great Hall of the People. The difference is that this is a masterpiece of nature, which is formed by the accumulation of dripping water in the cave, and it is three-dimensional, with reliefs, round carvings, ups and downs, and exquisite.

The size of Zhijin Cave is immature. The size of Zhijin Cave is the largest in the world, and there are countless treasures hidden in it. When you spend half a day watching the Zhijin Cave, you can also go to the Zhijin Cave at the entrance of the scenic spot. After visiting the Jindong Karst Museum, the museum is built on the mountain, with a sloping roof style and natural stone veneer. It is a building full of local Yi folk style. This design has won the second prize of the Ministry of Construction. There are a lot of science popularization about astronomy and geography in the museum, the cause of the park and cave models, and some introductions to specimens, as well as some inscriptions by famous celebrities, so that you can come out of Zhijin Cave to take a breather while attending a science class.

When you finish visiting the Zhijin Cave, you can also go to the nearby scenic spot Zhijin Grand Canyon, which is only 2 kilometers away and can be reached by a battery car. After checking the ticket, take the Zhijin Ladder with a height of 108 meters, which is the best way to travel in the Zhijin Grand Canyon. The highlight is that the elevator is built on the cliff. When the elevator descends slowly, through the transparent glass wall, the view of the car presents different beautiful scenery of the Grand Canyon at different heights, which is very impactful and breathtaking. linger.

There is a waistline covered by green vegetation on the almost 90-degree upright cliff in front of me. I think it is difficult for anyone to guess correctly how it was formed. In fact, it was a road dug by hand in the early days, but it has been abandoned now. , Standing at the bottom of the mountain and imagining the scene of driving on it, my legs are already weak.

Keep walking and you will be near the iconic scenic spot, the flyover. Looking from a distance, it makes people feel unfathomable. In the Grand Canyon, there are not only fast-flowing waterfalls, but also clear and calm streams. There are also two places next to each other. The spring water has been gushing vigorously.

There is a Jingu Temple under the overpass, with red walls and blue tiles, it looks very quiet and quiet here. If you look up at this time, you will find a sky. The mouth of the tiankeng is still heart-shaped, like love... ..

There is also a Cai Qun Batik Museum in the village of Zhijin Grand Canyon, which displays local batik crafts and some traditional clothing accessories. I admire their exquisite craftsmanship and exquisite patterns. I really want to buy two pieces to take home.

Travel Tips:
1. Zhijin Cave is located in Guanzhai Miao Township, Zhijin County, Guizhou Province. It is about 130 kilometers away from the nearest Guiyang Airport. It takes 2 hours by car. Tickets are 130 yuan, including sightseeing cars.
2. The viewing distance of the entire scenic spot is about 6.6 kilometers. People will walk slowly in the cave and appreciate it. The whole journey takes about 2 hours.
3. It is not forbidden to take pictures in the cave, but be careful not to touch the sedimentary rocks on the roadside when taking pictures, they are really fragile.
4. Because the carbon dioxide exhaled by tourists has turned many beautiful and transparent stalactites in the cave yellow, so don't smoke.
5. The temperature in the cave is low and the humidity is heavy. It is best to wear long shirts and trousers. In addition, the road is very slippery and the light is relatively dark. Be careful when walking and watching.
6. The food in Bijie also has a special liking for spicy flavors. Most people may not be used to it. Every year around April is the season when the cherries are ripe. If you come here, you must not miss it. I recommend this plate of Xishan in the eight bowls restaurant in the scenic spot. Zaoxue, the shape and name are very poetic, and it is also the name of one of the eight classics of Zhijin.

Graphic and text copyright: Uncle Fengzi