Longyin Valley Swallow Hole

Longyin Valley Swallow Hole

The swallow hole is located within the Longyin Valley scenic area. Legend has it that after the Dragon Prince, in a fit of rage, flooded the Menglai Gorge with water, the water kept rising deeper and deeper until it reached this spot — but couldn’t flow any further. Then, this adorable and mischievous Dragon Prince decided to use this place as his own personal bathing and playing ground. Being so playful, one day he caught a cold and let out a tremendous sneeze that shook the heavens, and something completely unexpected happened — his sneeze actually punched a hole right through the ground. The floodwaters rushed into this newly formed hole. Startled, the Dragon Prince quickly hid in a cave about 100 meters ahead, where he dared not come out for seven whole days and nights. That cave came to be known as the Dragon-Hiding Cave. Later, when he saw that there seemed to be no further commotion around, he came back to the swallow hole to see what had happened. To his surprise, he discovered that his sneeze had actually created a seven-kilometer-long underground river (you can see the exit of this underground river if you walk seven kilometers along the road). Overjoyed, he returned to the hole to splash around and play some more. That’s why this swallow hole is also called the Dragon Palace, and the valley itself is known as Longyin Valley — the Valley Where the Dragon Hides — which is how the entire scenic area got its name.