Jiulaodong Cave

Jiulaodong Cave

Guide    Jiulaodong Cave stretches over 1,500 meters in length. It was once an underground river with surging waves. Hundreds of millions of years ago, as the Mount Emei landmass rose, the water receded and the cave remained. Coupled with erosion from water and weathering, it eventually formed the largest underground palace on Mount Emei. The cave is divided into three sections: the first allows people to walk upright, the second begins to feature branching tunnels where one has to crawl, and the third consists of fissure-type caves so narrow that even squeezing through sideways is difficult. Deep inside the cave, you can see a variety of spectacular stalactites, stalagmites, stone flowers, stone curtains, and stone pillars, as well as hear the gurgling sound of an underground river. Beneath Jiulaodong Cave lies Heilongtan (Black Dragon Pool), which, according to legend, is where Qing’er — who accompanied Lady White Snake down the mountain to West Lake in Hangzhou to search for Xu Xian — cultivated herself. The Black Dragon River flows from there, passing Hongchunping and Baiyun Gorge, before joining the White Dragon River in front of Qingyin Pavilion and exiting the mountain.

Introduction    The name “Jiulaodong” (Nine Elders Cave) originates from a magical legend. It is said that Xuanyuan Huangdi, the ancestor of the Chinese nation, traveled from the banks of the Yellow River to Mount Emei to seek enlightenment from the Celestial Human. On his journey, he happened upon nine elderly men living in this cave, known as “Tianying, Tianren, Tianzhu, Tianxin, Tianqin, Tianfu, Tianchong, Tianrui, and Tianpeng.” When asked about their age, the nine immortals could not recall exactly but remembered that in their youth, they had gathered stones for the Goddess Nüwa to mend the sky. Hence, the cave was named Jiulaodong. The cave entrance is triangular, and when viewed from inside the cave, the outline of the opening resembles the statue of an old Taoist — a truly marvelous sight.

Sichuan Meishan