Furong Cave
| Furong Cave 芙蓉洞 | |
|---|---|
 Stalactites in the Furong Cave | |
  | |
| Location | Wulong District, Chongqing |
| Length | 2.846 km (1.768 mi) |
| Official name | Part of the South China Karst |
| Reference | 1248-007 |
| Inscription | 2006 (30th Session) |
| Coordinates | 29°13′10″N 107°54′35″E / 29.219574°N 107.909782°E |
Furong Cave (Chinese: 芙蓉洞) is a karst cave located on the banks of the Furong River, 20 km (12 mi) from the seat of Wulong District, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.[1]
History
[edit]First discovered by local farmers in 1993 the cave was opened to tourists in 1994. It became a national 4A tourist site in 2002 then in June 2006 part of the South China Karst UNESCO World Heritage Site, the only cave in China on the UNESCO list.[2]
In August 1994, the Sino-British-American joint expedition carried out scientific investigation on the huge cave group of Furong Cave, and in August 1996, the Sino-British joint expedition again carried out scientific investigation on the Furong Cave group of Wulong. On June 15, 2001, the Sino-British-American joint expedition team of 19 members stationed at the base camp of Furong Cave scientific research activities. on June 16, the team formally carried out scientific investigation on the huge cave group of Furong Cave within a radius of about 100 square kilometers of Furong Cave. After nearly five days of painstaking exploration, the huge underground river water system of Furong Cave Group was initially explored.[3]
On July 6, 2011, Furong Cave Scenic Area was officially approved by the National Tourism Administration as a National AAAAA (5A) Scenic Spot. On June 27, 2012, Furong Cave in Wulong, China officially established sisterhood relationship with Crams Cave in France.[4]
Description
[edit]Furong Cave has a total length of 2,846 m (9,337 ft) and a width varying from 30 m (98 ft)–50 m (160 ft). Inside, the cave is divided into three sections, with the first featuring colorful subterranean features. The remaining two areas focus on the science of cave formation. There are more than 30 features inside the cave including the 15.76 m (51.7 ft), 21.04 m (69.0 ft) stone waterfall (巨型石) at the foot of which coral-like projections extend to 120 cm (47 in).[5]
In the vicinity of the cave spread over a total area of around 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi), there are more than 50 vertical shafts with a depth of over 100 m (330 ft). including the 920 m (3,020 ft) deep Steam Shaft (汽坑洞), the deepest in Asia.[6]
Formed during the Cambrian/Ordovician Periods some 500 million years ago,[2] the cave features numerous rarely found speleothems including coral and dog-tooth like crystalline calcite flowers as well as a variety of helictites, and crystalline gypsum flowers.[7]
On December 10, 2023, the Wulong Furong River Gondola goes into operation.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ 芙蓉洞 [Furong Cave] (in Simplified Chinese). Xinhua. October 12, 2005. Archived from the original on June 19, 2006. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ a b "Furong Cave". Retrieved February 14, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ 神秘梦境 芙蓉洞 [Mysterious Dreamscape - Furong Cave] (in Simplified Chinese). Xinhua. December 6, 2005. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
- ^ "中国武隆芙蓉洞携手法国美国打造世界岩溶洞品牌_中华人民共和国国务院新闻办公室". www.scio.gov.cn. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ 芙蓉洞 [Furong Cave] (in Simplified Chinese). June 4, 2006. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
- ^ "经典景点_芙蓉洞景区_重庆市武隆区人民政府". cqwl.gov.cn. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "Furong Cave". Karst Dynamics Laboratory, Guangxi Normal University, PRC. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- ^ "重庆武隆"芙蓉江缆车"全新升级 即将投入运营-新华网重庆频道". www.cq.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
External links
[edit]- (in English)—China Radio International: "Furong Cave, Chongqing"
- Cam111.com: Furong Cave — photos gallery
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