Call it the treasure of Guilin or the underground fairyland, the Reed Flute Cave is a spectacular natural cave carved out of the karst Limestone Mountains over millions of years, and has been one of Guilin’s most famous attractions for over 1200 years.
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Call it the treasure of Guilin or the underground fairyland, the Reed Flute Cave is a spectacular natural cave carved out of the karst Limestone Mountains over millions of years, and has been one of Guilin’s most famous attractions for over 1200 years. The cave got its name from the verdant reeds growing outside, which can be made into melodious flutes. Inside this water-eroded cave is a stunning world of various stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars and rock formations created by carbonate deposition and illuminated by multi-colored lighting to create a surreal experience.
Photo Credit: Howard Ignatius
This 240-meter-long cave is lined with interesting rock shapes and formations resembling all kinds of abstracted things. Many of the formations have taken on recognizable shapes of mythological creatures, or natural images. There are formations that look like vegetables and one even looks like the Statue of Liberty.
Photo Credit: Howard Ignatius
Inside, there are more than 70 inscriptions written in ink, which can be dated back as far as 792 AD in the Tang Dynasty. There are travelogues and beautiful poems writing by Tang Dynasty literati who once visited the cave. These aged inscriptions suggest that it has been a place of attraction in Guilin since ancient times. The cave was almost forgotten for a thousand years, before it was rediscovered in the 1940s by a group of refugees fleeing the Japanese troops.
Visitors to Guilin definitely do not want to miss Reed Flute Cave. It is a magical place with so much to see that always makes visitors feel like there was something they missed.
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