Jiuxiang

Overview

The Jiuxiang caves

The Jiuxiang scenic area in Jiuxiang Yi and Hui township, Yiliang County, Yunnan, 47 km from the county seat, is known for its caves, gorges and ethnic customs. The caves formed in the Sinian period 600 million years ago and number over a hundred. Jiuxiang lies between Kunming and the Stone Forest: “the Stone Forest above ground, Jiuxiang below”. The climate is cool, the surface 1,750 to 1,900 m above sea level.

Its special sights are the 30 m twin waterfalls inside the cave, the underground terraces, the 15,000 m² underground hall and the inverted stone forest.

It is in the third batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 1994.

Travel tips

Getting there: the park is at Jiuxiang Yi and Hui township, Yiliang County, Kunming, about 90 km from the city. Tourist coaches run from Kunming, and coaches go to Yiliang for a connection; driving takes about an hour and a half on the expressway.

Inside the caves: you walk on boardwalks past the Diehong bridge, the twin waterfalls, the cave terraces and the underground hall; part of the route is by boat.

Yinci Gorge: outside the caves, a gorge for walking, damp and cool.

Time: about two to three hours for the cave loop, half a day with the gorge.

With the Stone Forest: Jiuxiang and Shilin are on the same route and are often seen on the same day or on two days - one underground, one above ground.

Season: open all year; cave temperatures are low and steady, so it is cool in summer; the rainy season is June to October, when mountain roads need care.

Nearby: Yiliang has Yanquan Temple, Yangzong Lake and the Little White Dragon forest park; Yiliang roast duck is the local dish.

Where to stay: there is little lodging at Jiuxiang, so most visitors stay in Yiliang town or Kunming.

Xiaobailong Forest Park

Xiaobailong Forest Park, 10 km west of the county seat and over 40 km from Kunming, has over 40,000 mu of evergreen forest with houses in the styles of China’s 56 ethnic groups.

Yangzong Lake

Yangzong Lake west of the county seat is a plateau freshwater lake of 32 km², clear and transparent, 20 °C all year, with 70 °C hot springs nearby.

Wanjia Gardens

The Wanjia Gardens 1 km south of the county seat are more than ten gardens over 700 mu with centuries-old plums, thousands of century-old camellias and osmanthus, hundreds of 70-year magnolias, and orchids, rhododendrons, crape myrtle, magnolia and hibiscus.

Food

Yiliang roast duck; edible fungi such as jizong, ganbajun and porcini.

Photo credits: Jiuxiang Caves, Yiliang: Zhangzhugang (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

Nearby

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