Taiping Rock Cave

Taiping Rock Cave

Taiping Rock Cave. Located in Meikao Town, just over 200 meters from National Highway 319. The cave entrance still features ancient stacked walls, indicating that it was once a military stronghold. Its history as a strategic pass can be traced back to General Yue Fei of the Southern Song Dynasty. In the third year of the Shaoxing era (1133), Yue Fei successfully suppressed bandits in the cave area, and later established a fort here due to its location at the junction of Ningdu, Xingguo, and three other counties, making it a key military post. The third year of Shaoxing corresponds to 1134 AD, meaning Yue Fei's stronghold here dates back 868 years. Two of the seven major battles in Xingguo’s history took place inside this cave. During the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, successive peasant uprisings against the army were defeated here, resulting in thousands of casualties. As people grew weary of war, the cave in Meikao came to be known as “Taiping Rock” (meaning “Peaceful Rock”). Taiping Rock is a medium-sized labyrinthine limestone cave, covering an area of over 10,000 square meters. It features massive chambers, complex structures, and has been explored to at least three levels. The upper level is dry, the middle level is damp, and the lower level contains multiple underground rivers. Dozens of branching passages crisscross in all directions, extending beyond sight. Among the 30-plus caves, some are hundreds of square meters in size, while others are just a few square meters. The cave twists and turns in a maze-like fashion, with passages interweaving like a labyrinth. Inside, the stalactites take on a myriad of shapes — lifelike statues of Buddha and human figures, vividly rendered stone lotuses, stone banyans, and stone peaches, as well as tower clusters resembling mirages in the sky. There’s also a winding “Great Wall,” groups of playful stone monkeys, serene stone deer, clumsy stone penguins, and fierce stone eagles, all exquisitely formed. Under the lights, they shimmer in dazzling hues of green and red, presenting a breathtaking spectacle that leaves visitors in awe.