Xiangshui Cave

　　 Xiangshui Cave, also known as Xiangshui Cave, is now located in Wushan Village, Chenyuan Town, Cheng County, approximately 12 kilometers west of the county seat.

　　 Xiangshui Cave is located in the Longmen Gorge downstream of the Huangjia River, surrounded by peaks that shield it on all sides, with cool flowing water beneath the cave entrance. The cave mouth faces west, is about 11 meters high, 15 meters wide, and approximately 12 meters deep. At the top of the cave entrance, clear water drips down, cascading like a waterfall during the rainy season and thin as a thread in dry seasons, with a continuous flow all year round. Inside the cave, the rocks are oddly shaped—some like axes, some like basins. There is also a rock resembling a coiled dragon, with patterns on it that look strikingly like dragon scales, hence called "Dragon Stone Retaining Form." Additionally, because water from the cave roof falls into the stone basin with a clear, melodious sound, it is also known as "Xiangshui Spring" (Sounding Water Spring). At the bottom of the cave, there is a stalactite in the shape of a seated Buddha, and on the stone table in front of the Buddha, stone flowers resembling tadpole script are clustered. Old records refer to it as "Ancient Buddha Chanting Scriptures." To the left of the cave, there is a stalactite shaped like a lion, from whose mouth water beads drip and flow along a small groove in the stone into a stalactite basin, neither overflowing nor drying up. When the water is scooped to drink, an extraordinarily fragrant taste fills the mouth, lingering for a long time—this is the origin of the name Xiangshui Cave (Fragrant Water Cave). Ming Dynasty county magistrate Xie Yong wrote a poem titled "Fragrant Water Immortal Cave": “Riding to explore wonders, we fear no peril; the immortal path is like a mountain pass. Layer upon layer of clouded barriers resemble caves; hundred-foot flying springs become streams. A thousand years of fairy herbs remain ever green; myriad coiled dragons and steeds all find their hiding. Why do the withered local lords come here? Inquiring about the customs brings tears to my eyes.”

　　 Xiangshui Cave is nestled within a bamboo grove halfway up the mountain, with an elegant environment and unique scenery. Since the Ming Dynasty, it has been a fine destination for those seeking secluded beauty, and was recorded in historical records as “Fragrant Cave Flowing Spring” as early as the Ming Dynasty.