Taiji Cave, the Premier Cave in Southeast China

★ Travel Location: Taiji Cave, Xuancheng, Anhui

Before my friend recommended Taiji Cave to me, I didn't even know there was such a scenic spot in Xuancheng, Anhui. It's a solid 4A-level attraction. As early as the Han Dynasty, it had already become a tourist胜地, rising to fame during the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, it was hailed as a wonderland on earth, earning the reputation of "the Premier Cave in Southeast China." I can only say that our motherland is vast and beautiful, with scenic spots everywhere. There are so many wonderful places that one can never visit them all.

Taiji Cave, anciently known as Taiji True Realm, Guangde Hidden Treasure, and Changle Cave, is located in Xinhang Town, Guangde, Xuancheng, 35 kilometers from the county seat. It gets its name from the Taiji pattern on the cave surface. The name "Taiji" indicates that this is a Taoist sacred site. The great Ming Dynasty writer Feng Menglong once ranked Taiji Cave as one of the "Four Wonders of the World." Besides Guangde Hidden Treasure, the other three wonders are Leizhou Drum Exchange, Dengzhou Mirage, and Qiantang River Tide, with the latter being the most famous. There is a folk saying that highly praises Taiji Cave: "After visiting Huangshan, you don't need to see other mountains; after touring Taiji Cave, you don't need to see other caves."

Because of its early fame, Taiji Cave boasts many traces of historical figures. Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, and Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty all visited Taiji Cave. Many literati from various dynasties also came here, such as Fan Zhongyan of the Song Dynasty, who left his calligraphy "Qiongrán Rock" at the site.

At the entrance, they were promoting a Hanfu tour of the cave. If you wear Hanfu, you can get a half-price ticket. What a great deal! Although Hanfu is beautiful and I enjoy seeing others wearing it elegantly, it is quite inconvenient for sightseeing. After a brief discussion, we reluctantly declined the half-price temptation.

Entering the gate, there is a lake with Taihu stones placed on its shores. Some imitation ancient buildings look very new and uniform in style, probably built recently. Although they lack some ancient charm, the lake and mountain scenery is still quite beautiful. Even without Taiji Cave, this place would still be a leisure spot. This lake is called Yanchi Lake (Inkstone Pool Lake), and of course, there is a story behind it—it is said that some famous literati once washed their inkstones and brushes here. Whether this is verifiable is another matter. Nonetheless, the natural scenery is nice, with the Mysterious Wonder Mountain as a backdrop, attracting many people to take photos, especially the young ladies in Hanfu, who fit perfectly with the setting. Perhaps most of the Hanfu tour time at Taiji Cave is spent here, after all, climbing steps and boarding a boat in long Hanfu is quite inconvenient.

Taiji Cave is a limestone karst cave, 5.4 kilometers long, consisting of an upper cave, lower cave, water cave, and dry cave. Caves within caves, all connected, it is quite large, with 19 major halls and over 160 scenic spots. It's a scene that changes with every step. However, the so-called scenic spots are essentially stones "carved" by nature's extraordinary craftsmanship, imagined into various shapes by people. The most famous ones are called the "Ten Major Scenes," which are must-visits when touring the cave.

"Supreme Elderly Lord" is an old man with hands clasped as if chanting scriptures. Legend has it that the Supreme Elderly Lord once traveled through famous mountains and rivers, passed by this cave, lingered and forgot to leave, and turned into stone, leaving his immortal image in the cave.

"Dripping Water Wears Through Stone" is riddled with holes from water droplets. It is said that the inspiration for "The Lesson of Dripping Water Wearing Through Stone" came from this stone, revealing the laws of nature. In the center of this stone, there is a smooth, round small hole. It is formed by water droplets continuously falling from the rock crevice above, always landing in the same spot, eventually wearing through the stone over hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years.

"Locust Tree" is a tall, straight ancient tree with lush foliage. If it were in the southwest region, it might be directly named a banyan tree.

"Immortal Boat Over Cassia" is shaped like a small boat, but the boat surface seems to face downward, half-suspended in the air. Immortals, after all, have supernatural powers and don't ride boats as mortals do.

"Twin Towers Reaching the Sky" are two ancient towers, but they seem larger at the top and smaller at the bottom. Could it be a reflection in the sea of clouds?

"Golden Dragon Coiling Around a Pillar" is a tall jade pillar with a golden dragon coiled around it.

"Huangshan in the Cave" is a bit far-fetched; it doesn't look much like Huangshan. It's probably just because Huangshan is so famous and happens to be in Anhui that they named a scenic spot after it.

"Panorama of Ten Thousand Phenomena" is located in the Hall of Ten Thousand Phenomena, the largest hall in Taiji Cave, majestic and magnificent, gathering countless scenes.

"Taiji Mural" is on both sides of the corridor, with rich content including gatherings of immortals, a mighty army marching, and battlefield clashes. Of course, without some imagination, you cannot appreciate these "pictures."

"Sky-High Gazing" features stalactites hanging from the ceiling, and this area is also called the Sky-High Palace.

Having seen karst caves in the southwest region, these caves in Jiangnan always seem somewhat lacking in scale. However, this place is only a little over an hour's drive away, and Taiji Cave is relatively large. Actually, most of these caves have a similar style. Taiji Cave resembles Shanjuan Cave; the water cave requires a boat, but I prefer the dry cave attractions, where you can walk or stop as you please. When you see a favorite spot, you can even go back for another look. Although riding a boat offers a unique charm, the scenery is not as spectacular as the dry cave. The halls in the dry cave are my favorite. Wherever you walk, you see beautiful stalactites, with colorful lights creating myriad shapes. Some spots have explanatory signs, while others are left entirely to our imagination. As far as your imagination goes, you can see that far. As wild as your imagination is, you can see that wild a scene. Sometimes, I even find the unnamed spots more interesting. Once a name is given, it tends to set a fixed mindset.

If you have enough time, you can also appreciate the cliff inscriptions inside the cave. Those preserved to this day are all by famous figures. However, the lighting is a bit dim, making it hard on the eyes.

My friend isn't very interested in the bizarre karst cave; he prefers the outside. So, we didn't stay long, since we have visited Shanjuan Cave, Zhanggong Cave, Tao Zushi Sacred Site, Linggu Cave, etc., many times in Yixing. These caves have a similar style; it's all about who markets better. The most successful marketing is Shanjuan Cave, which leveraged the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai to become a famous tourist attraction. Zhanggong Cave is also well-known, while Linggu Cave and Tao Zu's Muli Cave are relatively less famous but still worth seeing.

Like Zhanggong Cave, Taiji Cave, as a Taoist sacred site, inevitably has a Taoist temple called Taiji Temple, probably named after the cave. When we arrived, it was getting late, so we took a quick look around and left.

Xuancheng hides a famous cave, Taiji;

Flower valleys blush with fresh colors so fine.

Let gentle breezes carry honeyed thoughts,

Cutting cold and pruning heat, all spring to keep.

Self-drive tour: Taiji Cave, Xuancheng, Anhui