Fairy Cave of the Anha Yi Village

Fairy Cave of the Anha Yi Village

The Fairy Cave of the Anha Yi Village is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Anha Yi Ethnic Tourism Area is located in the heart of the Luoji Mountain, a national scenic area, and is a national 4A-level tourist attraction. It boasts a superior geographical location, excellent natural environment, and abundant forest resources. It is 35 kilometers from Xichang City and just two kilometers from the Anha Town government. As a settlement area for Yi ethnic villagers, it is rich in Yi cultural elements. Since the establishment of the town, the Anha Town Party Committee and government have leveraged the area’s advantageous location and vibrant folk customs to actively develop eco-rural tourism. The original ecological folk tourism themed “Luo Ling Yi Style” has become one of the eight rural scenic highlights of Xichang. After nearly a decade of development, Anha has gradually grown into another key destination for folk tourism in Liangshan Prefecture. The Anha Yi Ethnic Tourism Area is divided into three types of experiences: exploring the million-year-old Fairy Cave, staying at a self-drive campsite, and visiting the Changbanqiao Yi New Village.

The Fairy Cave features a winding and undulating passage with varying widths. In narrow sections, only one person can pass through; in wider areas, there are spacious chambers that can accommodate hundreds or even thousands of people. The cave is filled with a dazzling array of karst formations—some dynamic, some static, some resembling birds or beasts—all lifelike and exquisitely crafted by nature. Some formations look like palaces and courtyards, others like mountains and rivers, flowers and trees, or humans and animals. Some are bright red as if dripping with color, while others are jade-green and translucent. The cave shimmers with a kaleidoscope of hues, creating a mesmerizing, fairy-tale-like atmosphere. A subterranean river flows quietly along the cave wall to the north, and the sound of trickling water can often be heard, like the rhythm of music, refreshing the mind and lifting the spirit.

Next to a vertical shaft tens of meters deep inside the Fairy Cave stands a stone tablet engraved in the spring of the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty. The tablet bears the inscription “Deep, Mysterious, Bizarre, and Treacherous,” which is why the cave is called the “Fairy Cave.”

The cuisine and entertainment of the Anha Yi people retain their traditional character. Dishes are served in wooden bowls, soup is drunk from “mashizi” (a traditional vessel), and drinks are sipped through bamboo tubes. Here, you can savor tender yet non-greasy tuotuo meat and sweet, heat-clearing buckwheat cakes, enjoy authentic Yi songs and dances, watch thrilling Yi folk competitions, and join in the lively “Datiao Dance” around the bonfire at night. You can also experience the “red, yellow, and black” color scheme of Yi culture, which is reflected in every corner of Yi life.

Over the years, an experiential tourism framework has been preliminarily established, integrating fitness and adventure, eco-tourism, and folk culture.

Anha Town has integrated its resource advantages to launch experiential tourism, including climbing — the majestic Luoji peaks, exploring — thousand-year-old caves, staying — in Yi villages, and savoring — mountain wilderness flavors. It has developed hiking routes along the Xixi River to the Yandagang group in Qiankuang Village, fitness and adventure trails from the Baibaiding group to the core area of Luoji Mountain, and tours to experience original Yi villages. Leveraging the profound Yi ethnic cultural heritage and highlighting the simple Yi charm, the town has also formed Yi song and dance performance teams and archery teams to offer visitors performances of Yi customs, showcasing Yi cultural traditions and distinctive Yi cuisine.