Ancient
Alu Caves
This scenic region is situated
200 kilometers away from Kunming, the provincial
capital of Yunnan Province. The scenic region
covers an area of 54 square kilomerers, consisting
of three parts: the Ancient Alu Caves, Dailu
Waterfall and Banqiaohe Reservoir.
The Ancient Alu Caves, known
as "the First Caves in Yunnan", is
a large underground karst cave group. "Alu"
is a Yi word, the name of a tribe during the
Nanzhao Period. The Ancient Alu Caves used to
be the cave dwelling of the Alu Tribe. The Ancient
Alu Caves have a total length of 3 kilometers,
composed of three dry caves and a water cave
-the Luyuan Cave, the Yuzhu Cave, the Biyu Cave
and the Yusun Steam. The Luyuan Cave is 760
meters long, made up of more than 10 hall-like
caves connected by narrow paths. The biggest
cave can hold 4.000 people. The stalactites
in the cave are in different shapes, some looking
flowers or pearls, some like waterfalls or peaks
and others like pillars or bamboo shoots.
The Yuzhu Cave has a length
of over 800 meters. It is named "Yuzhu
Cave" because the cave is mostly occupied
by stalactites and stalagmites. The most typical
scenic point is "the Jade Pillar Supporting
the Sky ", with a height of 8 meters and
a diameter of about 30 centimeters. There are
many other stone pillars in the cave. Near the
entrance of the cave there is a large stone
pillar, which is round and smooth as if it were
carved by man. Other scenic are "the Natural
Fresco", "the Axi Dance" and
so on.
The Yusun Stream flows under
the Yuzhu Cave. It is an underground river,
where tourists can so some sightseeing by boat.
The stream is over 800 meters long and the stream
bottom is clearly visible. Illuminated with
lights, the blue ripples look as clear as crystal;
boating on the stream, you will have a wonderful
and peculiar feeling. In the stream there is
a rare fish species, named "the blind fish",
which is transparent and whose bones are visible.
The last cave, the Biyu Cave
has a length of 780 meters and is a typical
valley karst cave. There are natural scenic
points such as a stone shield, rock crystals
and different stone models. "The Ancient
Chime" is a sow of stalactites hanging
from the roof of the cave. If you strike them
with a stone,they sound as loudly as a huge
bell. The Ancient Alu Caves attracts visitors
from home and abroad with beautiful scenery
and wonderful legends. Outside the caves such
facilities as cable cars, parks and restaurants
are available to tourists.
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