Fengqi Cave

　　Fengqi Cave is located at the southwestern foot of Xiaobao Tuo Mountain (also known as Xiaqin Mountain), at the northern end of the Fushui Reservoir Dam. It gets its name from a rock on the cliff that resembles a phoenix perched atop. In the seventh year of the Chenghua reign during the Ming Dynasty (1472), imperial censor Wang Bin visited the cave and believed that “a phoenix may perch in bamboo, but never on a cliff.” He also observed that “white clouds emerge and vanish here regardless of dawn or dusk,” so he inscribed the three characters “白云洞” (White Cloud Cave) and hung them above the cave entrance. Upon hearing this, the locals, fearing the stone phoenix might fly away, planted black bamboo all over the mountain and continued to call it “Fengqi Cave.”

　　Fengqi Cave is a limestone karst cave, exceptionally deep and mysterious, with its full extent still unexplored. The first four sections that have been surveyed stretch approximately 200 meters in length, cover an area of about 2,000 square meters, and enclose a volume of roughly 16,000 cubic meters. Inside the cave, stalactites take on various forms resembling humans and objects, displaying a myriad of shapes and vibrant colors. Visitors often describe the cave as a unique “fairy grotto” or a true “Penglai paradise.”

　　Standing before the cave entrance and looking around, one is enchanted by the picturesque landscape of strange mountains and beautiful waters. Ten meters to the left of the cave entrance stands a temple named Fengqi Temple after the cave. Though modest in size, the temple is exquisitely designed, tranquil in atmosphere. It flourished most during the Ming and Qing dynasties, when it attracted a constant stream of visitors and pilgrims. Aside from offering vegetarian meals and tea to guests, the temple also provided writing materials such as brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, allowing literati to compose poems inspired by the scenery. The cave entrance resembles an ancient city gate; looking up at the cave ceiling, one sees formations such as “A Vermilion Phoenix Facing the Sun,” “The Moon Palace’s Jade Rabbit,” “The Golden Rabbit Announcing Dawn,” and “A Sea Turtle Basking Its Back,” all suspended dramatically overhead. A closer look at the cave walls reveals carvings like “Primitive Tribes,” “Two Horses Racing,” “A Golden Cat Catching a Mouse,” “A Mother Cow Nursing Her Calf,” and “A Bear and Lion Playing,” all remarkably lifelike.

　　Descending the steps, you enter the second section. Inside, flickering lights dot the space, shining like stars, and the ethereal glow creates a mystical ambiance, making you feel as though you’ve entered a fairyland. Here, “Three Stars Embracing the Moon” glows softly like water; “A Rhinoceros Gazing at the Moon” is vividly expressive; and “Li Bai the Poet Asleep Under the Moon” lies on a stone pillow.

　　Entering the third chamber, the space suddenly opens up into a grand, circular hall with impressive dimensions. The hall has a diameter of 24 meters and a height of 40 meters, with a domed ceiling and flat floor, capable of holding a thousand people. At the center of the hall stands an enormous screen-like rock, 8 meters wide and 10 meters tall, known as the “Immortal Screen.”

　　“The deeper you go, the harder the passage becomes, yet the sights grow more extraordinary.” The fourth section is a labyrinthine network of passages, with winding paths and ever-changing cave scenes, making it feel like a maze. Towering stone pillars, hanging stone flowers, bizarre rocks intertwined in complex patterns all vie for attention in a dazzling display of natural artistry. Truly, there is a new wonder at every step, overwhelming the senses.

　　Fengqi Cave is indeed one of the great wonders of the world. The heavens, earth, sun, moon, the four seasons, human stories, buildings, tools, birds, beasts, and fish—all are contained within this single cave. No wonder Xiang Xianxun of the Qing Dynasty inscribed the bold characters “Xiao You Tian” (Little Heaven) and hung them above the cave entrance.

　　Fengqi Cave houses numerous historical inscriptions and carvings on its stones, including those from the first month of the first year of the Yuanfeng era during the Northern Song Dynasty (the name of the person who inscribed it is unrecognizable due to damage).

　　There is also an inscription by Daerhan Buhua, an imperial counselor from the fifth year of the Zhizheng era during the Yuan Dynasty. As for the Ming and Qing dynasties, the number of stone carvings is too numerous to count. Many inscriptions on the cave walls are faint and difficult to trace, but they can be confirmed to date back at least to the Song Dynasty or earlier. These carvings exhibit various script styles—including regular, running, cursive, clerical, and seal scripts—some bold and vigorous, some delicate and charming, some solemn, others free-spirited. Though diverse in style, all display remarkable calligraphic skill, with some even considered masterpieces. There are also many ancient and modern poems and verses composed in homage to Fengqi Cave, many of which are exquisite. Examples include the Qing poet Huang Zhen’s “Visiting Fengqi Cave,” Ming imperial censor Wang Bin’s “Inscription on White Cloud Cave,” Ming poet Qin Ao’s “Visiting Fengqi Cave,” and Qing scholar Chen Zhice’s “Visiting Fengqi Cave”—all fine literary works.

　　Both Fengqi Cave and Fengqi Temple, with their serene surroundings and miraculous cave scenery, have attracted many eminent monks and scholars to meditate and live in seclusion here.

　　Today, Fengqi Cave has been renovated and refurbished, with pavilions and terraces added in front of the entrance, drawing a continuous stream of visitors.