Xueyu Cave (literally "Snow Jade Cave")
is a National Three Gorges Scenic Area and a National 4A Scenic
Area located in Fengdu, on the northern bank of the Yangtze
River, Snow Jade Cave is a fantastic underground cave where
stalactites of grotesque shapes are as white as snow. This natural
wonder has been considered as the 'white marble sculpture museum'
on the Yangtze River since it opened to the public in 2003.
The cave was discovered in the mid-1990's (the youngest cave
discovered in China) is over 1,022 miles long. Its uniqueness
has made it as a popular spot for cave studiers. More than 80%
of the stalactites in the cave are white and pure as jade, so
people call it Snow Jade Cave.
The cave has many spectacular karst formations. Tit often referred
to as the 'white marble sculpture museum'. These karst formations
are waterfall, stone hair, shields, coral and animal shapes.The
cave's interior is China's only pure-white, jade-like example
whilst it continues to expand due to erosion in the surrounding
karst landscape. 1,644 meters (5,394 ft) long, of which 1,161
meters (3,809 ft) have been explored, Xueyu Cave is spread over
three levels. Inside, both the 8 metres (26 ft) Stone King's
Flag and the 4 metres (13 ft) high Stone King's Shield features
are the largest of their type in the world. Stalactites in the
Snow Jade Cave grow more quickly than that of other places.
Stalactites here can grow 33 millimeters in 100 years. On the
contrary, stalactites in other such kind of caves only develop
one millimeter in the same period of time.
In fact, Snow Jade Cave is a labyrinth of tunnels and crevices
stretching hundreds of meters on different levels, and these
complicated passages are always changing and developing. Since
the cave has many levels, it has been divided into six separate
parts, namely Celebrity Gathering, Heaven on Earth, Update your
Life, Northland Scenery, Heavenly Mirage, and Bright Future.
You may get a map showing the entire cave complex and good walking
paths before entering the cave, so your visit to this labyrinth
of the snow world is sure to be an exciting and unforgettable
experience.