Linggu Cave - A Natural Wonder of Yixing

Linggu Cave, named after the legendary Ling Gu Niang, who symbolizes a bountiful harvest and is said to have lived in seclusion here, is one of the ‘Three Wonders of Yixing’, alongside Shanjuan Cave and Zhanggong Cave. Compared to the other two caves, Linggu Cave is renowned for its ‘mountain within a cave’ feature and retains more of its original appearance with less human development.

Located at the southern foot of Shiniu Mountain, southwest of Yixing city, the scenic area is not large, and the cave contains seven halls that require a full walk-through tour, without any boat rides. However, visitors should be cautious as the paths within the cave are winding and complex, with stalactites dripping water, making the ground slippery.

The entrance to Linggu Cave is hidden deep within lush bamboo groves. As you venture deeper, the cave becomes more spacious. The first hall, named ‘Linggu Literature Garden’, is relatively small but features numerous small caves on its walls, interconnected and commonly known as ‘Crab Caves’. At the end of the hall’s passage, there is a stone seam only about forty centimeters high, which visitors used to crawl through to reach the second hall; for safety, an alternative path has been created.

The second hall has a balanced mix of width and narrowness, with neatly arranged and layered stalactites, and vibrant colors, featuring landscapes such as ‘Ten Thousand Valleys Lingzhi’ and ‘Peacock Stone Spring’. The cave walls also display miniature scenes like flowing water, waves, snow-capped mountains, and flying clouds, adding to the interest. The unique shapes of the formations here seem artificially arranged, hence the name ‘Linggu Stage’.

The third hall is situated at the bottom of the entire cave. It features large hanging rocks, five converging water streams on the cave ceiling, and seven underground flows intersecting at the bottom, all leading to a clear pool at the base of the cave wall, known as ‘Baichuan Huihai’, with the pool referred to as ‘Tianfu Lingquan’. It is said that this pool was where ‘Linggu Fairy’ bathed in ancient times.

The fourth hall, ‘Crystal Palace’, is the essence of the entire cave, offering beautiful scenery. Visitors will see a large white stone curtain at the bottom of the valley, standing 17 meters high and over 5 meters wide, resembling a waterfall cascading from the dome, with a majestic posture. There is also a karst waterfall shooting from the dome, a white ribbon like a rainbow falling to the ground, accompanied by a thunderous roar.

The fifth hall, ‘Treasure Gathering Hall’, is also quite wondrous, filled with various stone stalagmites, flowers, pillars, and curtains of different lengths and thicknesses, full of vitality. There are also beautiful stalactites resembling brocade, which are very pleasing to the eye.

The sixth hall is adorned with hanging stalactites and filled with stone stalagmites, some resembling Guanyin holding a vase, others like Maitreya Buddha with a broad smile, or the God of Wealth riding a tiger with a whip. The vivid and lifelike statues of various deities and Buddhas have earned it the nickname ‘Thousand Buddha Mountain’.
The stalactites on the dome wall of the seventh hall are unpredictable, especially under the illumination of lights, they appear more dreamlike and diverse. They seem to resemble corals, swimming fish, or turtles and snakes, like a ‘Dragon Palace and Phoenix Mansion’ within the cave.

Additionally, Zhanggong Cave, one of the ‘Three Wonders of Yixing’, is located six kilometers to the northeast of Linggu Cave. If interested, one can continue to visit.

The cave is open all year round from 08:00 to 16:00.

Preferential policies for children: Free for those under 1.4 meters (inclusive); discounted for those aged 6 (exclusive) to 18 (inclusive).

Elderly: Free for those aged 70 (inclusive) and above; discounted for those aged 60 (inclusive) to 69 (inclusive).

Disabled: Free with a disability certificate.

Military personnel: Free for active-duty soldiers with a military officer’s certificate.

Others: Free for retired cadres with a retirement certificate; tour guides with a guide certificate and tour group order.

Students: Discounted for full-time undergraduate students and below with a student certificate.

Additional notes: The above information is for reference only. Please refer to the information disclosed by the scenic spot on the day.

Service facilities: Parking lot – [Linggu Cave Parking Lot], reference price: ¥10 per time; Address: Yangxian Villa, 24 kilometers southwest of Yixing City, Jiangsu; Number of spaces: 200.

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