The Three Travellers' Cave

The Three Travellers' Cave

The Three Travellers' Cave is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The cliff inscriptions of the Three Travellers' Cave, referred to as the Three Travellers' Cave, are located on a cliff by the Yangtze River, about 7 kilometers northwest of Yichang City in Hubei Province, at the entrance of the Xiling Gorge. On May 25, 2006, the cliff inscriptions of the Three Travellers' Cave in Yichang were included in the sixth batch of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites.

The Three Travellers' Cave is located 7 kilometers northwest of Yichang, a massive cave on the cliffs of the northern peak of Xiling Mountain. It backs onto the mouth of the Xiling Gorge in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze and faces the Xiayalou Stream. With its unique caves and spectacular scenery, along with beautiful landscapes, it is a famous historical site in Hubei Province. On May 25, 2006, the Three Travellers' Cave in Yichang was included in the sixth batch of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites.

Legend has it that in the 14th year of the Yuanhe era during the Tang Dynasty (819), Bai Juyi, Bai Xingjian, and Yuan Zhen gathered in Yiling (now Yichang, Hubei), visited the cave together, each composed a poem, and Bai Juyi wrote the “Preface to the Three Travellers’ Cave” on the cave wall. This is how the cave got its name and is known as the “First Three Travellers.” Later, during the Song Dynasty, the renowned literary figures Su Xun, Su Shi (also known as Su Dongpo), and Su Zhe—father and sons—also visited the cave and each inscribed a poem on the cave walls, hence called the “Later Three Travellers.”

The Three Travellers' Cave is situated in a precipitous terrain, shaped like an inverted umbrella, warm in winter and cool in summer. The cave chamber is spacious and forms an irregular rectangular solid, approximately 30 meters deep, 23 meters wide, and 9 meters high. It is a limestone karst cave formed through the continuous dissolution of ancient groundwater along rock layers and subsequent collapses. Its strata date back to the Cambrian period, approximately 500 to 600 million years ago. The rocks inside the cave feature undulating folds and crisscrossing fractures in various shapes. There are three stalactite pillars resembling round or square columns that are vertically and horizontally aligned, dividing the cave into two interconnected chambers: the front chamber is bright and spacious, with poetry and inscriptions covering the walls; the rear chamber is secluded and deep, with a side ear chamber that connects to the outside. The ceiling of the rear chamber is round and hollow like a suspended bell—when stones are thrown at it, the sound resembles that of a bell, and when they land, the sound is like a drum. Hence, there is a saying “Heavenly Bell and Earthly Drum.”

The scenery of the Three Travellers' Cave is extraordinarily beautiful and has been likened by ancient people to a “fantasy realm.” Over the centuries, most travelers passing through Yiling (Yichang) have visited this spot, expressing their sentiments and depicting the scenery in various scripts such as regular, clerical, running, and cursive styles, as well as through poetry, prose, murals, and inscriptions carved on the stone walls. To this day, over 40 wall carvings and steles remain both inside and outside the cave, including inscriptions by Ouyang Xiu from the Song Dynasty and a later re-carving of the “Preface to the Three Travellers’ Cave” from the Ming Dynasty, all preserving valuable cultural and historical records.

In front of the Three Travellers' Cave lies the clear and pristine Xiayalou Stream, where water strikes rocks, sending up showers of sparkling droplets. Along the small path beside the cave and up to the top of the mountain stands Zhixi Pavilion. From here, looking westward, one can see the majestic appearance of the great river. Amid the overlapping peaks, the Yangtze River cuts through like a sharp axe, forging a narrow passage straight down to the mouth of the Xiling Gorge. The turbulent waters roar as they burst forth, but as they flow past the Three Travellers' Cave, the current calms, and the river widens dramatically, presenting a spectacular alternation between danger and serenity.

The Three Travellers' Cave is not only a renowned historical site but also an important revolutionary landmark. During the Agrarian Revolutionary period, it served as an underground communication hub for the 0 Hubei-West Special Committee and the Yichang County Committee. At the time, some of the “Taoist priests” in the temple were actually underground operatives of our Party. After liberation, on March 1, 1958, in order to realize Mao Zedong’s grand vision of “a calm lake emerging from the high gorges” for the benefit of future generations, - personally visited the Three Travellers' Cave along a steep and slippery path to inspect the rock strata and gave extremely important instructions.

Descending along a steep and perilous path with a railing, at the foot of the mountainside cliff lies a small pool where a thin stream of spring water flows continuously throughout the year. The area around the pool is lush with grass and green bamboo, and this is a scenic site in Yichang—the Lu You Spring. The Song Dynasty poet Lu You came to the Three Travellers' Cave on October 8, in the fifth year of the Qiandao era (1169 AD), and drew water from this pool to brew tea. He also composed a poem and inscribed it on the stone wall. Later generations named it the “Lu You Spring.”

Address: No. 8 Nanjin Pass Road, Xiling District, Yichang City

Type: Cave, geology, landform, historical site

Rating: AAAA

Recommended visiting time: 2–3 hours

Phone: 0717-8862161

Opening hours:

Peak season: 8:00–18:30; Off-season: 8:30–17:30