Meishan Longgong Cave 梅山龙宫

About Meishan Longgong Cave

The cave is arranged in nine stacked levels, and the site as a whole brings together several karst forms: cave passages, gorges, peak forest, cliffs, streams, dolines and an underground river. Explored passage runs to more than 2,870 metres, of which 1,896 metres has been opened as a visitor route, so what is walked is a selected part of a much larger system. Within that route is a 466-metre stretch of underground river, and the cave interior stays between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius through the summer.

The visitor circuit is divided into six named sections, Longgong Yingbin, Bishui Liangong, Yuhuang Tiangong, Longgong Xianyuan, Longgong Fengqing and Longfeng Chengxiang, each with its own groups of flowstone, stalagmites and stalactites. The site was recognised as a Hunan provincial scenic area in 2004 and raised to national key scenic area status at the end of 2005. The name ties the cave to Meishan, the old name for the Xinhua district, which later generations attached to the cavern itself.

What to look for

• The 466-metre underground river inside the developed route, the water section of the cave
• The Ping'an Bell stalactite in the Yuhuang Tiangong section, about 8 metres across, 12 metres high and 33.6 metres round the base
• The nine stacked cave levels that give the system its layered structure
• The six named sections of the visitor route, from Longgong Yingbin through to Longfeng Chengxiang
• The flowstone, stalagmite and stalactite groups along the dry part of the route

Location & getting there

Getting to Meishan Longgong Cave

Use an authorised visitor route. Cave sections, geological sites and access roads can close independently, so confirm the area that your ticket covers.

• Search for 梅山龙宫 with 娄底市 and 新化县.