Immortal Cave Ancient Mining Site

Immortal Cave Ancient Mining Site

Immortal Cave Ancient Mining Site is a cultural tourism attraction.

Address: Wanshan Special District, Guizhou Province

Immortal Cave gets its name from the Fairy Stone and is a romantic ancient mining site. It sits on the cliffs northeast of Wanshan urban area, presenting a grand sight. In 2006, it was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

On the mountain ridge leading to Immortal Cave, there is a small temple that combines Buddhism and Taoism—Weiling Temple. Legend has it that during the Qin and Han dynasties, a group of Taoist priests who sought to make "immortality elixirs" came here because of its reputation. Originally, they aimed to extract the "elixir of immortality" from cinnabar to offer to the imperial court and fulfill the emperor’s desire for eternal life. Though they failed to produce the elixir, they inadvertently advanced the local mining and smelting of mercury. Weiling Temple was where a long-bearded Taoist priest preached and made elixirs. Over time, through the blending of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, a temple was formed here. It became a place that miners had to worship before entering the cave, and it still attracts worshippers today.

About a hundred meters down from Weiling Temple stands a solitary Fairy Stone, which legend says is the incarnation of the Seventh Fairy from heaven. The Seventh Fairy, yearning for Dong Lang, eloped to the mortal world and brought countless treasures, hiding them in the Seventy-two Warehouses and Thirty-six Vaults among these mountains to help relieve the suffering of the people. After being captured by heavenly soldiers, the Seventh Fairy turned into this rock, guarding day and night. It is said that those who wish to mine the precious cinnabar must first pay their respects to her. Even today, people come here to pray for wealth, peace, business success, or everlasting love, and visitors continue to flock here nonstop.

Inside Immortal Cave, the main hall, which can accommodate a thousand people, is roughly divided into upper, middle, and lower levels. The hall's walls feature crisscrossing tunnels and branching passages, forming a massive underground network that connects with the Black Cave site. Many markings can be found on the cave walls, used by ancient miners to indicate ore deposits and excavation directions, helping them navigate the pitch-dark, deep caverns without getting lost. The large scars on the cave ceiling are marks left by the "fire-setting" technique, a true record of the technological state of the "Great Wanshan Mercury Bureau" during the Ming Dynasty.

On the eastern cliff of Immortal Cave stands a huge rock believed to be the incarnation of Dong Lang. After his head was cut off by heavenly soldiers, Dong Lang, still devoted, turned into stone to guard and accompany the Seventh Fairy. Together with the miners coming and going, he witnessed the timeless changes of the Mercury Capital, adding a touch of romance to the solemn mining site.

Source: Tongren Municipal People's Government Website