Â鶹APP

Stone curtains are on display at Reed Flute Cave. Photo by Fremantle99 –

Top 10 Fascinating Facts About Reed Flute Cave

Reed Fleet Cave is a spectacular cave located in Guilin City. Located in the northwest of Guilin city, Reed Flute Cave is about 8km away from the Railway Station and 5km to the city center, which is quite convenient for tourists to visit.

 Walking into Reed Flute Cave, you will be amazed at how radiant the dewy stalagmites look. The rainbow lights and dazzling array of massive natural formations compose a dreamy wonderland. The underground lake peacefully flows along the cave, with the reflection of the cave veiling on the river and flowing quietly with the stream, which makes the beauty even more vivid and dynamic.

1. The distinctive formations in the Reed Flute Cave have names that match their appearance

A lake inside the Reed Flute Cave in Guilin (China), is artificially illuminated. Photo by Dariusz Jemielniak –

The interior of Reed Flute Cave is a sight that can not be recreated anywhere else on earth these distinctive formations have names that match their appearance, and some are said to resemble mythological creatures or modern structures like the Statue of Liberty.

While stepping out of the cave, you will find the abundant reeds that grow and thrive outside the mysterious cave, which can be used to make flutes, and that is how the cave was named.

Just close your eyes and imagine yourself standing amid the reeds and getting refreshed, breathing the fresh air and catching the gentle whistling of the flute. Outside the cave, it’s a perfect tranquil hermitage where China’s “Thoreau” may live.

2. There are 77 ink inscriptions of poems and travelogues inside the Reed Flute cave

Reed Flute Cave – Nature’s Art Palace, Illuminated by multicolored lights, the Reed Flute Cave looks like a dazzling underground palace, which is why the cave is also known as Nature’s Art Palace. Location: Guilin. Photo by Flickr user: Bernt Rostad https://www.flickr.com/photos/brostad/ –

Despite nature’s art masterpieces, there are77 ink inscriptions of poems and travelogues inside the cave, which indicates its popularity during ancient times, and the oldest one can be dated back as far as the Tang Dynasty (792AD).

However, it is widely believed that the cave sat empty and untouched for a thousand years, before its rediscovery in the 1940s by a group of refugees, fleeting Japanese Troops. 20 years later, the cave was formally opened to the public (1962).

3. The Reed Flute Cave attracts popular tourists from all over the world

Reed Flute Cave. Photo by lienyuan lee –

Since 1962, the cave has become an extraordinarily popular tourist attraction with people from all over the world. Even the former Chinese government leader Deng Xiaoping, former US presidents Nixon and Carter, and former UN Secretary-General De Quillar have visited the cave.

4. The Reed Flute Cave was formed 180 million years ago

Cave picture. Cave in Guilin. Photo by Mgmoscatello –

There are various stalagmites, stalactites, stone pillars, and stone flags that have been forming since 180 million years ago. They were shaped by nature either grotesquely or vividly.

These “peaks”, “tree trunks” and “animals” are stalactites formed by the consistent dripping water from the top of the cave. The water containing calcium ions drips down from the cracks and crystallizes into stalactites suspended at the top of the cave over millions of years.

Water drops onto the ground to form stalagmites that grow from the bottom to the top and gradually form a stone pillar. There is an old saying in China that says “the consistent water can drop through the stone”.

 In Reed Flute Cave, on the contrary, the consistent water forms a stone. As long as there is water dropping, stalactites will keep growing.

5. While in the cave one can see stone pillars and rock formations created by carbonate deposition

Reed Flute Cave. Photo by lienyuan lee –

Featuring a fascinating collection of stalactites, stone pillars, and rock formations created by carbonate deposition, many of the formations in the cave have been compared to recognizable shapes of mythological creatures and natural images.

For instance, there is a formation that looks like the Statue of Liberty, and each rock has been given a poetic name by the local Chinese people.

6. There are groups of “lions” in the Reed Flute Cave

Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan). Guilin, China. The scale of the cave can be understood from the size of the visitors in the lower right corner of this photo. Photo by G41rn8 –

The various stalactites are fully used for nature’s metaphor: tall peaks, dense forests, and gigantic tree trunks. Every time the sun rises, there are groups of “lions” dancing heartily in the forest in front of the rising sun, making the whole forest full of vigor and vitality.

 Here is a big “lion” among them. It is watching over a group of little “lions” playing on the side of the mountain.

7. The Crystal Palace lamp is also another fascination while in the Reed Flute Cave

Reed Flute Cave. Photo by A J Butler –

It is the widest place of Reed Flute Cave, 93 meters (305ft) wide and 18 meters (59ft) high. A huge “Crystal Palace lamp” hangs on the upper left of the hall. It paints the hall with a magical color, like the Dragon King’s Crystal Palace in the Chinese myth. 

Walking into this hall, it is very flat, empty, and not crowded with stalactites. The flat surface and the top rock are relatively complete, with fewer fissures.

8. Pines in the Snow consists of the snowman and the pine tree

Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan). Guilin, China. The large and popular Reed Flute Cave is located only 3 miles NW of the city center. While some visitors might consider the neon-lit interiors to be excessively gaudy, many others are thrilled by the colorful vistas that open up underneath the ground here. Photo by G41rn8 –

It consists of two unique stalagmites. One is like a snowman. The other is like a pine tree with thick layers of snow on its branches and leaves, standing in the forest.

As a Chinese saying goes, “Pines turn greener after snow”, and the snowy pine tree shows its tough and hardy characters which Chinese people always admire. The “snow” here is made up of calcite crystals.

9. Sky-Scraping Twin are the twin pillars in the cave

Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan). Guilin, China. A highlight of the cave is this reflecting lake, whose ultra-pure water inverts the rock formations like a perfect mirror. Photo by G41rn8 –

You will enjoy the magnificent panorama of a “primeval forest”: there are hundreds of “pines”, and “evergreen cypresses”. Many of these dense pillars form the most spectacular stone forest.

The twin pillars in the forest are truly lofty, and thick. when you have a close-up, they reveal the differences. Both of the pillars seem very tall and straight up to the sky, so people call them ” Sky-Scraping Twin”.

10. There are many ancient Inscriptions of poems and travelogues

People are seen standing by a lake in the cave. Photo by Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada –

There are altogether 77 inscriptions, including five in the Tang Dynasty (618AD-907AD), eleven in the Song Dynasty (960AD-1279AD), and one in the Yuan Dynasty (1271AD-1368AD), four in the Ming Dynasty (1368AD-1644AD).

 There are many inscriptions of poems and travelogues written by scholars, monks, and tourists. You can enjoy the ancient calligraphy from different periods of China.

 These writers came from all over the country, indicating that Reed flute cave has been a tourist attraction with a long history. The oldest inscription in Reed Flute Cave can be dated back as far as the 6th year of Zhenyuan in the Tang Dynasty (790 AD).

Some inscriptions are also evidence showing the monks have visited together, reflecting the prevalence of Buddhism in Guilin. Nowadays, they also became useful materials for studying the spread of Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty.