A joint exploration team of Chinese and French cave experts has recently launched an expedition to study the Shuanghe Cave System in Suiyang County, Guizhou Province, continuing to measure the length of this “longest cave in China” and to investigate its rock formations and cave-dwelling organisms.
According to the Publicity Department of the Suiyang County Committee, the current site of the China-France joint scientific expedition is the Longtangzi Water Cave, the youngest and still-developing section of the Shuanghe Cave System. The cave entrance is hidden at the bottom of a sinkhole surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides. The main goals of the scientific team include seeking new discoveries—such as identifying unknown cave-dwelling species—and verifying whether the Longtangzi Water Cave connects to other known caves.
The Shuanghe Cave is located in Wenquan Town, Suiyang County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, and was first unveiled to the public in 1988. In 2003, it was successfully designated as a national geopark. The cave holds significant academic research and tourism value.
It is reported that the currently surveyed length of the Shuanghe Cave is 138 kilometers, consisting of 118 branch passages of varying sizes and four underground rivers. It is divided into four levels vertically and has 33 entrances.
Experts believe that such a complex structure is formed by rainwater continuously seeping down from the mountain and dissolving the rock. The cave features composite formations such as stalagmites, stalactites, stone curtains, and stone flags, as well as a rich variety of cave-dwelling organisms including blind fish, tadpoles, centipedes, bats, and cave shrimp. This expedition is of great significance for future research on karst landform structures.