Siyou Scenic Area

　　    Secluded pools and karst caves connect above and below ground, while stone forests and clear ponds cast reflections upon each other, collectively known as the “Four Wonders” of Siyou. The peculiar rocks here resemble city walls, houses, birds, beasts, maidens, and even arhats. Some stand alone on the plains, others tower atop hills—everywhere you look, the rocks form a veritable forest. The caves are just as remarkable: large and small caves dot the landscape, with notable ones available for tourism development including Drum God Cave, Grape Cave, Swallow Cave, and Resounding Water Cave. These caves twist and turn, with chambers within chambers, some as spacious as underground palaces, others as narrow as hallway passages. Stalagmites rise from the ground, and stalactites hang from the ceiling. The ponds, or pools, such as the Zhetang Pond, cover over a hundred acres and are unfathomably deep, with water that appears azure blue. Neither livestock nor ducks will drink from it or enter its waters, causing locals to call it the “Strange Pond.” The largest among them, Zhangjia Pond, is encircled by a stone forest and is picturesque, a naturally formed destination for sightseeing. Other ponds like Mugua Pond and Chengong Pond share the oddity of neither rising nor falling nor turning murky during prolonged heavy rains or extended droughts. As for the ponds, the more spectacular ones include Swallow Pond, Green Dragon Pond, and Maogong Pond.

　　    Swallow Pond is a pool that lies nearly one hundred meters below the surrounding flat land. Its waters constantly churn, bubbling like boiling soup. Locals call it the “Boiling Water Pond.” In summer and autumn, the water is murky and cold, but in spring and winter, it becomes clear and warm. After the water surges up, its drop in elevation is used to power a watermill before it flows into the underground river below. Surrounded by lush green trees and offering a climate that is warm in winter and cool in summer, this pond can rightly be called a wonder of the world.