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Stone Flower Cave (Shihua Cave)

Stone Flower Cave (Shihua Cave)

Write: Randell [2011-05-20]

Stone Flower Cave is located in Fangshan District in Beijing. It is a national famous scenic spot and geological park which is noted for the unique Karst cave sightseeing and a valuable informational bank of geological research.

Originally the cave was called QianzhenCave, or ShifoCave, names given to it by the wanderer monk Yuan Guang during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The cave became famous from then on. Covering an area of about 1.8 Hectares, Stone Flower Cave is a multilayer Karst cave with seven clearly distributed layers. The first to sixth layers are the cave scenery area and the seventh layer is the underground river. There are twelve huge "cave halls" which are interconnected with countless narrow passages, sixteen "cave chambers" and 71 "branch caves" in many sizes and shapes.

The interior is a fairyland on earth. You will be amazed at nature's creativity. All of the features are made of stone: fantastic stalactites, stalagmites, and flowers. Everywhere is full of the sound of water dripping "Di Di Da," which is composed into delightful music. Stalactites and stalagmites grow until one day they meet. The milk white stone "Yue Nai Shi" is a wonder of the cave and a national treasure. It comes in many shapes, such as stone lotus and mushroom.

The SilverFoxCave is also worth visiting. It was discovered and developed in 1991. Composed of eight cave halls and over 40 scenic sights, it is an amazing gallery presenting changeable scenery. There is a rare stone regarded as national treasure. It is in the shape of snow leopard's head and silver fox's body. The whole body of it 'grows' snow-white sharp hairs, crystal clear and glittering. The miniature landscapes in the cave are full of variety.

The cave maintains a constant temperature of 55.4F in all four seasons. The cool and gentle breeze in the cave bring fresh air to visitors. It is a great place for sightseeing and refreshing the mind.

Admission: CNY 70

Open Hours: 10: am- 4:00 pm

Bus Routes: 1. Tourism Bus at Arrow Tower East (Qianmen Tourism Hub)-StoneFlowerCave (available at weekends and holidays from April to October)

2. Bus 917 at Beijing Tianqiao Long-distance Bus Station and find its Stone Flower Cave special branch line. If you fail to find the direct special line, take the 917 to Hebeizhuang, getting off at Shihuadong Daokou Station. Then change to Fangshan Bus 43 to Shihuadong Station.