Once believed by locals to be a portal that would transport people to the dwelling of a mountain god, the Zhijin Cave in Guizhou Province is now an awe-inspiring natural wonder frequented by adventure seekers, according to a report by China Daily.
Designated as a World Geology Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in September last year, the Zhijin Cave is reported to be one of the largest karst caves in the world.
Prior to a visit by a local tourism resource prospecting team in 1980, villagers from Minzhai village revered the "holy holes" as supernatural objects.
A visit by the prospecting team led to the discovery of Zhijin Cave, which boasts a 5.5-million-cubic-meter chamber that spans 6.6 kilometers long. Meanwhile, some parts of the ceiling were recorded to be as high as 150 meters. The chamber's floors, wall-to-wall, spread up to 175 meters.
The Zhijin Cave is believed to be about half a million years old, and serves as an undisturbed habitat for a variety of boars, bats and serpents.
Further explorations of the subterranean wonder led to the discovery of over 40 types of karst formations, such as stalactites and stalagmites that measure more than a hundred meters. According to China Daily's report, water dropping from the ceiling lengthens the stalagmites' tips one millimeter per year.
Some of the formations have been assigned appellations to local folklore or religion. Some visitors say that the cave is "a museum of Chinese caves."
Aside from karst formations, Zhijin Cave is also home to an impressive watercourse which once was an underground river.
The adventure is not done once the cave exploration is finished. Visitors are highly encouraged to explore the area, which is home to ethnic groups such as the Yi, Maio and Bouyei.
Zhijin is approximately a two-hour bus ride from Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou. The whole cave trek lasts for about two hours.