Qingxu Cave

Qingxu Cave

Qingxu Cave

Qingxu Cave, originally named Chuandong, also known as Dacave or Qianxu Cave, is located south of Dafang County in Longgong, Yangchang Town, about 10 kilometers from the county seat and 1.5 kilometers from the Qingbi Highway. The cave consists of several sandbanks and lawns, covering an area of approximately 5,000 square meters. Its entrance connects to the Longgong farmland, through which a stream runs, and there is an expanse of open land of over 10,000 square meters both inside and outside the cave. In the 32nd year of the Kangxi reign (1693), Liu Yuquan, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations from Dading and styled Yuanguang,

wrote a poem:

An ancient cave lies hidden west of the town,

A wonder so rare, beyond all description.

It draws you in, never tiring,

Winding, secluded, yet vast.

Choose a spot, sit a while — the name “Qingxu” is no misnomer.

High above, there’s another sky,

Reached by winding stairs.

Blossoms thrive by the cave’s mouth,

Rocks stand like a screen.

A refreshing breeze fills the heart,

As worldly cares melt away.

Qingxu Cave is a massive karst cave, featuring karst landscapes such as a natural bridge, skylight cave, and cavern. In 1998, a joint survey team from the US Cave Research Foundation and the Geography Department of Guizhou Normal University conducted on-site measurements. The cave bridge is 178.25 meters high, with a span height of 105.25 meters. The maximum span of the arch is 127.35 meters, and the minimum is 77.69 meters. The bridge is 400 meters long and 200 meters wide.

According to existing data on similar caves worldwide, this cave is larger than the previously reported Guizhou Liping Gaotun Natural Bridge, which had surpassed the Guinness World Record. In 1966, experts measured the Gaotun Natural Bridge in Liping, finding it to be 78.5 meters high, with a maximum arch span of 118.92 meters and a minimum of 88.5 meters. The bridge ridge is 350 meters long and 138 meters at its widest. Claims that its size surpassed the Guinness World Record were made, but compared to the natural bridges in Utah, USA, and Gaotun, Liping, the Qingxu Cave Natural Bridge appears even larger. In 2001, Qingxu Cave Natural Bridge applied for recognition as the world’s largest by the Shanghai branch of the Guinness World Records, and the application was accepted.

Qingxu Cave Natural Bridge, Dafang

Qingxu Cave Natural Bridge, Dafang