Water-Moon Cave

Water-Moon Cave

Located between the trunk and legs of the Elephant Trunk Hill. About 12,000 years ago, crustal uplift and the shrinking of the Li River accelerated the formation of the Water-Moon Cave, creating an east-west oriented round cave. It is 17 meters long, 9.5 meters wide, 12 meters high, and covers an area of approximately 150 square meters. The Record of Elephant Hill states, “There is a stone cave where one can see through to the other side, shaped round and elongated, with half of it submerged in the waters of the Li River. As the water level rises and falls, so does the size of the cave.”

The cave mouth faces the sunrise, hence it is also called Chaoyang (Sunrise) Cave. But as the cave appears to float on the water like a bright moon, the name Water-Moon Cave has been used ever since. "The Moon over Elephant Hill" is one of Guilin’s most spectacular landscapes. A poem by Song dynasty hermit Ji Bei reads: “There is a moon beneath the water, / And a moon floating on the stream. / The moon flows on as waters run, / And waters flow as the moon gleams.” The Water-Moon Cave of Elephant Hill and the Moon Cave of Chuanshan Mountain across the river form a unique scene known as the “Twin Moons of the Li River” — one hanging in the sky, the other floating on the water.

In the Song dynasty, the Chaoyang Pavilion was built inside the cave, later renamed the Moon-Viewing Tower in the Qing dynasty, which no longer exists. Inside the cave, there are over 50 cliff inscriptions including Zhang Xiaoxiang’s "Poem and Preface of Chaoyang Pavilion," Fan Chengda’s "Inscription on the Revival of Water-Moon Cave," and handwritten letters by Lu You.

Address:

Inside Elephant Hill Park, Xiufeng District, Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Phone:

0773-2235151

Official Website: http://www.glxbs.com/

Opening Hours:

Low Season: 7:00–18:30 (November to March)

Peak Season: 6:30–19:00 (April to October)

Ticket

Ticket Price

Adults: 70 RMB

Discount Policy

1. Active-duty military personnel, retired military personnel, disabled military personnel, families of martyrs, and retired cadres may enter free of charge upon presenting valid credentials;

2. Persons with disabilities may enter free of charge upon presenting a disability certificate;

3. Seniors aged 70 and above in Guangxi may enter free of charge upon presenting the red edition of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Senior Citizen Preferential Certificate;

4. Seniors aged 60 and above in Guangxi may enjoy a 50% discount on the cave ticket upon presenting the green edition of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Senior Citizen Preferential Certificate;

6. On Chongyang Festival (Double Ninth Festival), the site offers free admission to seniors aged 60 and above from Guangxi (with senior citizen certificate);

7. Children under 1.2 meters enter free of charge; minors aged 6 (exclusive) to 18 (inclusive) and full-time university undergraduates and below may enjoy a 50% discount on the ticket price upon presenting valid ID or student ID;

8. Residents of Guilin City may enter free of charge upon presenting valid ID; residents of Guilin’s 12 counties and 5 urban districts may enter free of charge with valid personal ID; local students may enter free of charge with valid student ID;

9. Other discounts are subject to on-site signage.