Guanghai Grottoes

　　To view the Grottoes Poetry Grove, first read<台山佳处石窟口>:

　　Exit the west gate of Guanghai Town, follow the highway from Guanghai to Haiyan for seven kilometers to reach Zhongxing. Zhongxing, formerly known as Zhongxing Fort, was established after the annihilation of over 700 bandits from the gangs of Chen Zhusan and Ye Lanchu in 1926 (the 15th year of the Republic of China). More than ten villages—including Shuangmen, Lintian, and Dayang—that had suffered greatly from bandit raids united to form a joint defense team and set up their headquarters here, naming it Zhongxing Fort. Over the seventy-plus years since then, it has never developed into a market town and still only has several shops. Looking north from here, less than one kilometer away, is the mountain pass that leads to the Grottoes Entrance.

　　The Grottoes Entrance is where the waters of Kangdong stream pour out onto the Guanghai Plain. It is covered with massive rocks, forming grotto-like formations. Towering high on both sides, the mountains squeeze tightly together at this point. This junction between high mountains and flat plains features rapid currents, slippery stones, and a spectacular landscape. On the left mountain stands the Stone Man Groom, while at the base sits the Stone Woman Bride—tall and short respectively—as if awaiting the return of ships from the South Sea, creating a poetic scene. It is here that abundant water conservancy and hydroelectric resources are hidden.

　　The development of water conservancy at the Grottoes Entrance began in 1937, the sixth year of the Republic of China. At that time, the Zhongxing Water Conservancy Cooperative was formed to raise funds for the construction of the Shikoutou Weir. Built from spring to summer, it was immediately washed away by a mountain flood. In 1955, members of the newly organized agricultural production cooperatives dug a 470-meter canal at the upper left of the Grottoes Entrance to divert water for irrigating over 3,000 acres of coastal farmland. These rice fields yielded a bountiful harvest in 1956, doubling their production. Between 1958 and 1959, commune members built the Kangdong Reservoir eight li upstream—a reservoir with a catchment area of nine square kilometers and a capacity of six million cubic meters. This vast amount of water, channeled through the Grottoes Entrance system, could irrigate over 7,000 acres of farmland on the coastal plain.

　　The development of hydropower at the Grottoes Entrance began after the irrigation canal was completed in 1955. At that time, on the left side of the Grottoes, a rice mill was established using the canal’s drop in elevation to serve nearby rural areas. In 1960, overseas Chinese invested in building the Grottoes Entrance Hydropower Station. In February 1961, the water conveyance stone channel and pressure pipeline were completed, but the project was halted due to the national economic adjustment. Construction resumed ten years later, and the station was completed in 1973, beginning power generation in the spring of 1974. Subsequently, the Grottoes Road was constructed, and work started on the second-level hydropower station, which was completed in 1975 and began generating power in the spring of 1976. Thus, a pair of “power stars” emerged at the Grottoes Entrance, illuminating the towns and countryside of Guanghai. The powerhouse of the first-level station is located on the plain at the foot of the Stone Woman Bride. Its four 250-kilowatt turbine generator units were manufactured by the Taishan Agricultural Machinery Factory. Walking 80 meters uphill along the pressure pipeline behind the plant leads to the water conveyance channel. The channel, built of granite, is one meter wide at the base and two meters high. It winds along the mountainside, passes through the stone forest, crosses deep valleys, and connects with the Kangdong water at Beitou Pond, stretching a total of one kilometer. From Beitou Pond, it turns west and then north; not far along is the second-level power station, with an installed capacity of 500 kilowatts.

　　Continuing north from the second-level power station, you’ll come to a relatively flat valley—this is Middle Buddha, situated between the Grottoes Entrance and Kangdong Reservoir. Going a little further north, in a narrow section of the mountain, lies the Flying Rainbow Waterfall. Several zhang (a traditional unit of length, roughly 3.3 meters) below the waterfall, water droplets scatter among crimson cliffs. Under the midday sun, rainbows appear, floating unpredictably and creating a stunning sight. Here, you realize the splashes are not just white—they also shimmer in hues of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, as if colorful ribbons are dancing across the sky.

　　From the Flying Rainbow Waterfall north to Xiangshuitan (Echoing Water Pool), the entire mountain stream surges with rapid flow. The earthen dam of the Kangdong Reservoir winds along the hills above Xiangshuitan. Climbing the dam and looking north, you see the expansive water surface stretching out before you, backed by rows of towering mountains—a truly magnificent sight.

　　In 1961, as the chief editor of the Taishan County Annals, I visited Guanghai to gather historical materials and toured the Grottoes Entrance area, writing a travelogue<石窟口>, which was later included<台山佳处>and published. In 1973, as a teacher at Guanghai Middle School, I led students in the construction of the second-level hydropower station at the Grottoes Entrance and supplemented the original article. Now, placing it before<石窟诗林创造记>, I’d like to add the following:

　　In 1988, a new factory—the Xinning Dyeing and Washing Mill—was added south of the first-level hydropower plant at the Grottoes Entrance. It utilized the plant’s tailwater to wash and dye 100,000 pairs of jeans annually but also caused pollution downstream in the Grottoes River. In 1993, the Kangdong Waterworks was built on the western hill of the Grottoes Entrance, supplying drinking and industrial water to residents of Guanghai, with a daily output of 10,000 cubic meters; it was expanded in 2004, doubling its supply. In 1995, a swimming pool was built between the power plant and the dyeing mill using tailwater. In 1996, a 70-acre soft-shelled turtle farm was established on the plain at the foot of the waterworks. All these developments relied on the water resources of the Grottoes Entrance. In 1999, the Kangdong Reservoir underwent reinforcement and expansion, reaching a dam height of 117 meters, a length of 513 meters, a crest width of 8 meters, and a storage capacity of 7.8 million cubic meters—further enriching the water resources at the Grottoes Entrance. Today, the Grottoes Entrance has become the source of water and electricity for Guanghai and an industrial hub of the region.

　　In 2004, Huake Leisure Farm was built on Turtle Hill beneath the eastern hill of the Grottoes Entrance. It features villas, a swimming pool, sports fields, a fitness room, and a performance venue, becoming a recreational destination for urban and rural residents on holidays. Since then, the transportation between the recreational spot at the Grottoes Entrance and Zhongxing has improved. Looking ahead, as urbanization progresses, the commerce of Zhongxing—with its population of 3,000—is bound to thrive. Together with the industrial zone at the Grottoes Entrance and the nearby villages of Lintian, Shuangmen, Gangzui, and Shigang, it will form a major residential area west of Guanghai Town.