May Day Travel | Fangshan Shihua Cave: This World Treasure, I Don’t Allow You to Not Know It!

Number of days: 2 days
Time: April
Average cost: 1,000 yuan
With whom: and friends
Tour kinds: Self-driving
The author went to these places: Shihua Cave Beijing Overpass
Updated: 2021.04.21

Shihua Cave is a household name among Beijingers. Almost every one of my friends born in the 1980s visited here during their elementary school spring outings. With spring in Beijing and flowers blooming, I'm eager to experience this place, a place that has captivated countless visitors, once again.

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Just how famous is Shihua Cave in Fangshan District, Beijing?

Shihua Cave is a member of the Shihua International Tourist Caves and one of our national scenic spots. It covers an area of 84.66 square meters and has extremely rich and outstanding cave landscapes and scientific research value. As a scenic resource with karst cave landforms as its core, it is large in scale, full in type, and beautiful in shape. It can be said to be our super precious cave resource. The scenic area is full of mountains and the Dashi River winds through it. Shihua Cave is a shining pearl among the beautiful peaks. Friends who travel here for the first time will be shocked by its beauty. This magnificence is simply a perfect display of nature's works of art.

Stone Waterfall

Located at the deepest part of the west branch cave on the second level, it is a stone waterfall formed by water deposition. The upper water rich in calcium carbonate gushes down along the cracks in the cave wall. During the gust, the calcium carbonate in the water gradually settles with the water flow, forming a stone waterfall 10 meters high and more than 20 meters wide. What tourists can see now is only one-third of the waterfall. The other two-thirds extend inside the cave. This is the largest stone waterfall in the cave, named "Tengliu Waterfall" because of its shape resembling tumbling water. Located in the central hall on the second floor, this is the cave's largest stalactite. Formed by dripping and flowing water, it grows downward from the cave's ceiling. Standing 18 meters tall and 3 meters wide, it resembles an inverted, blazing torch, earning the name "Inverted Torch." Located at the base of the second layer, a magnificent stone curtain forms the largest formation within the cave. Formed by dripping, linear, and sheet-like water deposited along the cave walls, the curtain stands 10 meters high and 18 meters wide, comprising 540 pieces. Known as the "Dragon Palace Harp" or "Dragon Palace Curtain," it is located at the base of the second layer.

Stone Pillars

Located at the junction of the second and third levels, the landscape consists of two majestic stone pillars of uniform thickness. The stone pillars are formed by stalagmites and stalactites connected together. With a height of 12.6 meters, they are the tallest stone pillars in the cave. They have similar shapes, the same origin and are of similar age, so they are collectively called "Sky-supporting Mandarin Duck Pillars".

Stone Shield

Located at the entrance to the third level, this stone shield, named "Dragon Girl Embroidery Platform," is the largest stone shield in the cave, standing 1.2 meters tall and 2.6 meters in diameter. Stone shields are formed by pressurized water deposited within the fissures of the cave wall. There are 630 stone shields of all sizes in Shihua Cave, making it a kingdom of shields.

Stone Flowers

Located at the entrance to the fourth level, this stone flower, named "Fire Trees and Silver Flowers," is formed by the synergistic action of water seeping through the cave wall and capillary water. This patch of stone flowers, spread over an area over 30 meters long and 3 meters wide, consists almost entirely of stone flowers, stone hairs, stone branches, and stone chrysanthemums hanging from the cave wall, creating a diverse and varied stone flower landscape. The Cloud Basin is located in the middle of the fourth layer, within a sunken pond within the cave. It was formed by the combined action of dripping, splashing, and stagnant water. Floating on the surface are thin, ice-like flakes a few millimeters thick, known as "hydrocalcium films or cave rafts." Below the waterline, calcite crystals form various forms, including cave beads, cave cakes, and pool crystal flowers, forming underwater calcite clusters and underwater rock grapes. The Stalagmite, located at the exit of Shihua Cave, is formed by dripping water. At its top, there are three distinct dripping points: those with less impurities and slower crystallization are transparent, while those with more impurities and faster crystallization are opaque. Thus, a single stone gives rise to three distinct creatures, each a unique and beautiful sight.

How beautiful is Shihua Cave in Fangshan, Beijing?

Beauty is truly a matter of personal perception, with different interpretations held in different minds. Everyone can interpret the cave's forms according to their own interpretation, and some scenes can even tell an interesting story. I think this is the natural, unadorned, and ideal beauty that Shihua Cave offers us.

How many floors does Shihua Cave in Fangshan District, Beijing actually have?

The tour guide said that Shihua Cave has a total of seven floors, but only floors 1-4 are open to the public. You can see the entrance to the fifth floor at the end of the fourth floor, but it is very small and currently closed to the public. The deepest of the first four levels reaches around 160-170 meters underground. However, thanks to the naturally formed vents and gaps throughout the cave, staying down there wasn't uncomfortable at all. It's hard not to admire nature; it always offers a sense of wonder. Of course, I also heard that the earliest scientists who entered the cave to explore it were lowered by ropes. Given the pitch-blackness of the cave at the time, I truly admire their courage.

Shihua Cave Travel Tips:

1. Ticket: 70 yuan (student ticket half price): Take the Beijing-Shijiazhuang Expressway from Fangshan (Yancun) Exit, pass through Tuoli to reach Shihua Cave; take the Beijing-Shijiazhuang Expressway from Fangshan Liangxiang Airport Exit, pass through Qinglong Lake and Beicheying to reach Shihua Cave.

2. Address: Nancheying Village, Hebei Town, Fangshan District

3. By Bus: From the overpass, take Bus 836 or 835 to Liangxiang West Gate, then transfer to Bus 833 (or Fang 13) to the Shihua Cave crossing.

4. The scenic area also provides thoughtful service facilities for those over 60 and with limited mobility.

Moon Mountain Scenic Area

Next to Shihua Cave is a hidden gem, perfect for a visit after visiting the cave.

Not only are there many animals here, you can also climb mountains. The most important thing is that there is a glass plank road hidden here, which is something I didn’t expect. Babies who like to play on the glass plank road must come here. At the same time, there is also Fangshan's famous wild vegetable banquet, where you can enjoy the local healthy wild vegetables. The delicious and refreshing wild vegetables seem to have been given magical vitality by the chef, and each one has its own unique flavor. It is very delicious and the restaurant is very cost-effective. It can also be used for wedding banquets and team building.