Snowflake Cave

Snowflake Cave

Snowflake Cave

Snowflake Cave On the Snowflake River at the border between Tangzhou and Sandong areas, there stands a magnificent Immortal Bridge and the stunning Snowflake Waterfall.

The bridge is about 20 meters long, roughly 6 meters wide, and approximately 10 meters high. The bridge surface is rugged with oddly shaped rocks, while stalactites hang from the arch, and the base of the bridge sits above a pool. The structure appears as if cast in stone, majestic and cohesive. From its southern end to the entrance of the submerged cave of the underground river, there is a stretch of twenty to thirty meters featuring a sheer cliff with a flat top. Due to dramatic geological changes caused by tectonic movements, the terrain is highly undulating, resulting in numerous waterfalls in the streams — this is the most typical karst landform in the region. The constant flow of water, the impact of waves, and the dissolution of calcium carbonate in the rocks by rainwater have created the spectacular and bridge-rich landscape around the Immortal Bridge area. The cliff face is riddled with cavities of varying sizes and depths. The caves within present peculiar sights — some resemble pavilions and towers built against the mountain, others look like Buddhist halls filled with glowing divine candles and rows of arhats, and some even resemble miniature rockery gardens scaled down by millions of times. In this area, stalactites shaped like suspended ice, hanging snakes, seahorses, or goat horns, along with stone drapes resembling fishing nets, fish scales, or curtains, are visible everywhere. Beyond these diverse karst formations, there are also oddly shaped small trees growing in the crevices, surrounded by lush grassy slopes, together forming a picturesque scene of green waters, blue mountains, wonder, and beautiful bridges. The dripping water echoes through the caves and rebounds off the cliffs, blending into a melodious and enchanting symphony.

The Snowflake Cave waters that flow beneath the Immortal Bridge gurgle down into a karst cave with a drop of about fifty meters. After flowing underground for sixty to seventy meters, the water bursts out from a vertical fissure on the southeastern side, forming the scenic Feihua (Flying Flower) Waterfall. The cascading river then flows down a steep rocky slope about twenty meters high onto the boulder-strewn valley floor. The flying spray and droplets resemble sparkling pearls and pure white flowers. The surging river crashes against the jagged rocks, sending up waves as high as three meters, with mist and water vapor spreading over three meters and shrouding the mountain valley. When the sun emerges, a vivid rainbow often arcs across the sky — rendering the local saying “Rainbow in the east means sunshine, rainbow in the west means rain” irrelevant here. Because the snow-white spray adds beauty to the landscape, the fissure from which the spray bursts forth is named the Snowflake Cave Waterfall, and the river is called the Snowflake River.

Legend has it that the fairy A Mi once tethered a flood dragon here, dammed the river to divert water for irrigating farmlands for the people, but the dragon’s friend, the hailstone spirit, sabotaged the effort. It blew up the base of the dam with explosive force, causing the dragon to flee in panic through the mountains and rocks. The river then flowed freely, forming the Snowflake Waterfall, while the remnants of the dam became the majestic Immortal Bridge.