Dule Rock

　　The Dule Rock Scenic Area is located in the mountainside near Dule Village, 12 kilometers south of Liuzhou City, Guangxi, hence the name “Dule.” Dule Rock is not a single cave, but the collective name for the karst cave cluster here. Covering an area of twenty square kilometers, it consists of twelve peaks, forty-six caves, twenty-one hundred acres of green space, a clear stream over three thousand meters long, four man-made lakes, and a modern calligraphy stele forest.

　　The Dule Rock Scenic Area is located in the mountainside near Dule Village, 12 kilometers south of Liuzhou City, Guangxi, hence the name “Dule.” Dule Rock is not a single cave, but the collective name for the karst cave cluster here. Covering an area of twenty square kilometers, it consists of twelve peaks, forty-six caves, twenty-one hundred acres of green space, a clear stream over three thousand meters long, four man-made lakes, and a modern calligraphy stele forest.

　　Historical Changes

　　In 1973, Dule Rock Cave was discovered. The Liuzhou Municipal People’s Government attached great importance to it and allocated funds for the development and construction of the cave, officially opening it to visitors in 1974. In 1976, scientists conducted a detailed survey of Dule Rock and discovered fossils of Homo sapiens femurs, deciduous teeth, as well as fossils of porcupines, bears, wolves, horses, and deer inside the cave. These findings proved that ancient humans or wild animals once inhabited the cave. Authenticated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, these fossils originated from species still existing 50,000 years ago, providing valuable material for the study of ancient human activities. These are now displayed in the exhibition hall outside the cave. Under the attention and investment of the Liuzhou Municipal People’s Government, the Dule Rock Scenic Area has been gradually improved, successively opening Panlong Cave, Tongtian Cave, Shuiyun Cave, Leshou Rock, and Guanyin Cave to the public. Scenic spots such as Lan Cui Pavilion, Yongshi Studio, Yibin Building, Huguang Mountain Villa, Longzhu Lake, Moxiang Studio, and Shushan Stele Forest have also been built.

　　In 1990, the Dule Rock Scenic Area was designated as an autonomous region-level scenic spot. In 1995, the Liuzhou Garden Bureau invested over 2 million yuan to build a new gate scenic area and a subtropical plant landscape area. The scenic area raised funds on its own to create a shade-tolerant plant landscape area and built the Dule Memorial Forest in 1998. The scenic area includes the Yibin Building Restaurant and Huguang Mountain Villa Restaurant, which can accommodate 60 and 150 diners respectively, along with 13 shops scattered throughout the area for convenient shopping. In 1973, a rare cluster of caves was discovered in the southern suburbs of Liuzhou City. The individual caves range in size from 1,000–2,000 square meters to 3,000–4,000 square meters. The stalactites inside are uniquely shaped, with pure and intact rock quality, and feature abundant stalagmites, stone pillars, draperies, and flowers. Some are majestic, others delicate and translucent, resembling birds, beasts, flowers, or plants, or looking like beaded curtains and palace halls.

　　Attraction Introduction

　　By the late 1990s, a total of 46 large and small caves had been discovered at Dule Rock. In 1974, the Liuzhou Municipal People’s Government organized experts to focus on developing three caves on Panlong Mountain—Panlong Cave, Tongtian Cave, and Shuiyun Cave. With colorful lighting, the cave landscapes display a magnificent and magical brilliance. Their scenery rivals that of Guilin’s Reed Flute Cave and Nanning’s Yiling Cave, yet with distinctive features, earning them the title “Palace of Nature’s Fantastic Art,” with extremely high ornamental value. In the same year, these three caves were opened to the public and collectively named “Dule Rock.” The total touring distance through the caves is 768 meters, covering an area of 6,400 square meters. The caves are interconnected by mountain paths. Notable attractions include “Li River Rafting,” “Torch Welcoming Guests,” “South Sea Scenery,” “Mountain Village Dawn,” “Third Sister Singing Duets,” “Fish Leaping Through Skylight,” “Beasts Frolicking in the Forest,” “Dule Waterfall,” and “Silk Shop.” Among them, Panlong Cave spans over 300 meters with 22 scenic spots, including famous ones such as “Torch Welcoming Guests,” “South Sea Scenery,” and “Third Sister Passing on Songs.” Tongtian Cave covers a touring distance of over 100 meters with 14 scenes, featuring the rare natural masterpiece “Mountain Village Dawn,” which was once made into a three-dimensional display and exhibited at the 1983 China International Exhibition in Beijing, captivating many visitors. Shuiyun Cave is long and deep, stretching over 300 meters with 17 scenes, among which the “Rhinoceros Playing in Water” scene is the largest among the three caves, spanning 20 meters in width and 200 meters in length.

　　Stone Inscriptions

　　On the stone wall under the banyan tree by the road in front of the mountain, the striking and meaningful characters “Tian Xia Du Le” (“Joy Under Heaven”) were inscribed in 1978 by the renowned artist Mr. Zhao Dan during his visit to Dule Rock in Guangxi.

　　Time Needed

　　2–3 hours

　　Transportation

　　Take bus No. 9 in the city area to get there.

　　Admission

　　5 RMB for park entry, 30 RMB for the caves

　　Opening Hours

　　8:30–16:30

　　Location

　　Dule Village, southern suburbs, Liunan District, Liuzhou City