Tao Gong Cave

Tao Gong Cave

Tao Gong Cave is a cultural relic protection unit of Yongjia County.

Tao Gong Cave is located in the Daruoyan Scenic Area at the foot of Daruoyan Mountain. The cave is 56 meters high, 76 meters wide, and 79 meters deep, making it the largest karst chamber in southern Zhejiang.

"The light inside the cave shifts with the clouds—growing dim when the clouds gather and brightening when they disperse." The cave is divided into upper and lower levels, with three Guanyin Pavilions built on the lower level and a lecture platform in front of the pavilions that can accommodate hundreds of people.

Outside the cave, there are nine-bay front halls, bell and drum towers, side rooms, and monks' kitchens. A 56-step stone staircase on the southern side of the cave leads up to the upper level, known as the "Heavenly Terrace." Behind the Heavenly Terrace stands the Hu Gong Hall, which houses a seated statue of Hu Gong the Great, with the Wenchang Pavilion in front. To the right below the shrine in the Hu Gong Hall is a jar-shaped "Red Water Well," which never dries up or overflows throughout the year.

On the southern rock wall inside the cave, there are two long cavities called the Rice Flowing Cave and the Dried Fish Cave. At night, when illuminated by lamps and candles, the white rocks on the cave walls resemble drifting clouds or fish scales, appearing different in shape depending on the light and distance. From the cliff edge at the cave entrance, water droplets fall into a pool like "fairy flowers scattering."

Tao Gong Cave is backed by mountains and faces water. In front of the cave stands a huge rock about 20 meters high, known as the "Immortal Ascension Rock." About 200 meters north of the cave, three cliffs stand like a barrier, collectively called the "Three Lions Sleeping Together." At the cliff tops grows a "Guest-Greeting Pine." Nearby Tao Gong Cave, there are also attractions such as Liuluo Mountain, Baiyun Ridge, Dragon Head Cave, Morning-Heaven Turtle, and Chishui Pavilion.

Tao Gong Cave is revered by Taoism as the "Twelfth Blessed Land under Heaven." During the Three Kingdoms period, the Taoist priest Wang Xuanzhen practiced here. In the ninth year of the Tianjian era (510) during the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, Tao Hongjing, known as the "Prime Minister in the Mountains," secluded himself here to write the book "Zhen Gao," hence the cave is also called Zhen Gao Rock.

The temple structures inside the cave were first built in the seventh year of the Xiantong era (866) during the reign of Emperor Yizong of the Tang Dynasty, and were subsequently renovated during the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The site enjoys thriving incense offerings, with the peak pilgrimage season lasting from early lunar August to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month each year.