Tao Gong Cave is located at the foot of Daruoyan Mountain within the Daruoyan Scenic Area. Standing at a height of 56 meters, width of 76 meters, and depth of 79 meters, it is considered the largest stone chamber in Southern Zhejiang. The interior of the cave is characterized by its varying light and darkness, which changes with the clouds: when the clouds gather, the cave darkens, and when they disperse, it brightens.
The cave is divided into upper and lower levels. The lower level features a three-room Guanyin Pavilion, in front of which is a lecture platform that can accommodate hundreds of people. Outside the cave, there are nine eaves in the front hall, bell and drum towers, side rooms, and monks’ kitchens. On the southern side of the cave, a 56-step stone ladder leads to the upper level known as the ‘Heavenly Terrace’. Behind the Heavenly Terrace, there is the Hu Gong Hall, which houses the seated statue of Emperor Hu Gong, and in front of it is the Wenchang Pavilion. To the right and below the Hu Gong Hall’s shrine, there is a pot-shaped ‘Red Water Well’, which remains neither dry nor overflowing throughout the year. On the southern rock wall inside the cave, there are two elongated holes known as the Rice Flowing Cave and the White Dried Fish Cave. At night, with the reflection of candles and lamps, the white stones on the cave walls resemble either wandering clouds or scales, taking on different shapes and colors depending on the light and distance.
Above the cave’s entrance, on the sheer cliff, mountain streams drip pearls of water into a pool, resembling ‘Heavenly Maidens Scattering Flowers’. The Tao Gong Cave faces a mountain and a body of water, with a giant rock in front of the cave, approximately 20 meters high, known as the ‘Ascension Rock’. About 200 meters to the north of the cave, three cliffs stand like a barrier, called ‘Three Lions Sleeping Together’, with a ‘Welcoming Guest Pine’ on the cliff top. In the vicinity of Tao Gong Cave, there are also attractions such as Liuluo Mountain, Baiyun Ridge, Longtou Cave, Heavenward Turtle, and Red Water Pavilion. Tao Gong Cave is revered by Taoists as the ‘Twelfth Blessed Land under Heaven’. During the Three Kingdoms period, Taoist Wang Xuanzhen practiced here; in the ninth year of the Tianjian era of the Southern Dynasties’ Liang Emperor (510), Tao Hongjing, known as the ‘Prime Minister of the Mountains’, secluded himself here to write the book ‘True Decree’, hence it is also called the True Decree Rock. The construction of the temple buildings within the cave began in the seventh year of Xiantong during the reign of Emperor Yi of Tang (866), and subsequent constructions took place during the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The site is known for its thriving incense, with the annual period of worship from the beginning of the eighth lunar month to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month.
The cave is open all year round, with full-day access.
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