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The First Experience to Yongfu Cave, the Tour Guide for a Happy and Long Life

2009-12-03Life in Guilin

Yongfu county is one of the newly developed scenic areas in Guilin, we were lucky to be invited to have a short day experience in this place. As the scenic areas is going to be open to public in the coming 1st, Jan, 2010. I guess my colleagues and I were one of the first groups who will have the chance to see here.

Unlike the world famous Guilin counties of Yangshuo and Longsheng, Yongfu has a spectacular sightseeing of karst topography caves like in Guilin. The main sights there are Jin zhong Hill (Golden Bell Hill 金钟山), there are two caves around the Jinzhong Hill, the Yongfu Cave and the Tiankeng ( the Heaven Cave ). In Chinese, Yong means forever, Fu means lucky, while the full name of this place Yongfu, named by the local people to show their wishes that everybody will enjoy a long life and the luck will always with us.

Day 1 2nd December, 2009     Guilin-Yongfu-Guilin
   
We started our tour from our office sites at the Jiatianxia Square, as it is not the weekend today, we needed to work for some hours first and the whole group left at 10:35 am. We had 15 people in the group, and spent 70 minutes drive to the Jinzhong Hill scenic areas. All along the time, we chatted and laughed while enjoy the beautiful rural vies outside the windows.
 
We arrived at the scenic area at 11:50 am, it is 52 kms from Guilin to Yongfu Cave (Yongfu Yan), there are two small villages between the two places called Huixian and Luojin. The whole outer sites were shown to us when we went out of the bus. The scenic area is well built, the hotels, the restaurant, the office building, the plants and lakes...We took pictures in order to better show this place to the world. 

           

The first place we visit was its restaurant, the Water Restaurant. It is built besides the hills and rivers, with a comfortable environment and a large room capable for 600 people having dinner at the same time; the main hall is of 400 square meters, it is suitable for 40 tables while the balcony（private dining rooms）are well equipped with air-conditioner and the view outside the windows are splendid.

After lunch, we were led by local tour guide and began the tour to see the Yongfu Yan (Yongfu Cave永福岩) and the Heaven Cave (天坑).The tour in Yongfu cave cost us about 1 hour. As the special karst topography rocks are too much in the cave, I will try to introduce the highlight sightseeing in the cave together with pictures.  
 


The General's Helmet:

It is said that the people who have seen this rock helmet will be very lucky in their lives and will be protected by the ancient general ancestor.                                         
            

 
 
The Rest Place for the Long Life Old Celestial Man:
 
Although the whole rock looks like the old celestial man, I thought it is more like our world famous Elephant Trunk Hill in Guilin, while it is more diaphanous and of more imagination.
 
 
 
The Natural Caving of the 'Luck' and 'Longevity'
 
It is the most famous place in the Yongfu Yan, actually all the sights and places here shows the local people's purpose of being a lucky and long life man. Although the two letters were rusted by water for thousands of years, the shape remains very clearly.
 
 


The Leaning Tower of Pisa:

Everybody knows this place but here it is the Chinese version, in our karst topography cave, in the Yongfu Cave. Is it more vivid than other rocks? 
 
 
 
The Great Wall:
 
Look at the long but small wall down there, it is not man-made, it is created by the god, do you want to see it by yourself?

 
 
 
 The Hall of Gods and Mortals:
 
It is extraordinary of all the small sights and halls, it just like a haven full of special shaped rocks. Your camera will be hungry for it, I promise!
                                                                                                                                                                                             
 
Other highlight sights include the Small Stone Forest, the Sacred Mushrooms, etc. Too much place worth to see, feel it by our pictures and view it by yourself in our Yongfu and heaven city of Guilin.

After a short rest, we continue our tour to the Qianlong Heaven Cave ( Qianlong Tianken 乾隆天坑). Actually the Heaven Cave is on the way to the Yongfu Yan/Jinzhong Hill scenic area, it is only about 5 minutes' drive from Jinzhong Hill area. It is an other karst topography cave in Yongfu.

On the wall at the entrance gate, you can see 101 characters in different ancient Chinese calligraphy, all the 101 characters shares the same meaning of 'Life', or it is better to say, in Chinese, the 'Life' stands for a long life, everybody can draw cuts to have their own special Character of 'Life', after the tour, we can change the bamboo-made cuts into a souvenir.
 
The Heaven Cave is smaller of only 200 meters long but the sightseeing in it is even better.

After taking the elevator down to the bottom of the cave, we finally reached the highlight place of the Qianlong Heaven Cave where it is said the air is more flesh and the oxygen intensity here is much higher. The most famous long life man in Yongfu county died at his 158 years old, his name is Liaofu, the local people are confident here to have longer life as they can enjoy the Qianlong Heaven Cave more easily. And the secrets to enjoy a longer life are also carved into rocks on the back hills of the Heaven Cave, wild goats were everywhere on the hills, perhaps they also love this place very much and hold a firm believe that every man and creature here will have more luck and long life.

The whole Jin zhong shan ( Golden Clock Hill ) areas is a integrated place with a theme of heath and leisure, the well-built golf fields, the place for horse riding, the ATV off-road vehicles prepared for real men, the hot springs and 3 star hotel of Baishou ju and Qianxi ju for visitors, the bars, it has everything. It is no doubt that no matter when you come, you will fall in love with it.

Our tour was finished at about 4:00 pm, we drove back to the office and shared pictures and information to other colleagues we had gained today. December the 2nd, 2009, will always be our memorable day.
 

--- By Robert (VisitOurChina)

Tags: Yongfu Cave Jinzhong shan Golden Bell Hill Yongfu yan Qianlong tianken Heaven Cave Yongfu Guilin

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