#Nielong Cave Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Jul)
#1 of Summer Outings in Shangli
Caves
Address:
Shangli, Pingxiang, Jiangxi, China
Opening times:
Opens at 08:30-16:30(Tickets available until 16:00)Open
Recommended sightseeing time:
2-3 hour
Phone:
0799-3611080,0799-3681283
A Glimpse of a Billion Years - A Travelogue of the Nie Long Cave in Pingxiang, Jiangxi
The first stop of the Dragon Boat Festival mini-holiday - Nie Long Cave Scenic Area in Pingxiang, Jiangxi, to experience a glimpse of a billion years.
⏳Tour Route and Duration: Visitor Center → Jiangxi Yangqi Mountain Geological Museum (15 minutes) → Enter the cave, walk inside the cave (2 hours) → Exit the cave, walk up the mountain path (15 minutes) → Reach the free sightseeing car stop, take the car to the Visitor Center parking lot. Total duration of the visit is about 4 hours
💰Ticket Price: Adult ticket is 62 RMB (price found on Ctrip). Since it is included in the Jiangxi Cultural Tourism Card, there is no need to exchange a ticket, just scan the code to enter. Free sightseeing car service is available at the cave exit.
🌟Highlights:
👍1. Suitable for walking. There are very few steps inside the cave, mostly flat ground, the ground is a bit wet but won't wet your shoes, but be careful of slipping. Especially in summer, it's very cool to tour the cave. Both the elderly and children can walk easily inside the cave without feeling tired.
👍2. Beautiful cave scenery. It's one of the longer caves I've visited (normally takes one and a half hours to walk through), and it's quite large (looking up, the cave feels very deep). There are especially many stalactites inside the cave, you can see them all the way, and it feels like there are too many to take in at once, a real feast for the eyes. It truly deserves the title of "the number one cave in the world".
👍3. River inside the cave. There is a river running from the exit to the entrance inside the cave, and you can see this river almost all the way. When passing through a flat area, the water droplets falling on the rocks and dripping into the river make a pleasant 'ding dong' sound, which is particularly delightful to hear.
👍4. Jiangxi Yangqi Mountain Geological Museum. This is located at the Visitor Center, and you can visit it before entering the cave. It has two floors. The first floor has various minerals and an earthquake model that you can experience, while the second floor introduces Zen culture and Nuo culture, and there's also a fun Nie Long dragon-fighting motion-sensing game.
✅Finally, here are some travel TIPS:
📍1. The cave is cool, so if you are afraid of the cold, you can wear a thin coat, and it is recommended to wear non-slip sports shoes.
📍2. Take the free sightseeing car. There is a fork in the road from the cave exit, one way leads to the farmhouses, and the other goes up the mountain to the sightseeing car stop, with clear signs, so be sure to look carefully and not go the wrong way. In short, just follow the mountain path.
📍3. The mountain path from the cave exit to the sightseeing car stop is mostly stairs, which may be a bit challenging for the elderly. We took it slow, and it took about 15 minutes.
📍4. At the free sightseeing car stop, the car runs every half hour or when there are 30 passengers. There are plenty of vehicles, but because there are few visitors to the site, it takes some time to wait for 30 people. The waiting area is in a pavilion with ceiling fans.
📍5. There are no toilets after entering the cave, so if you need to use the restroom, make sure to go before entering. Our little one had an accident in their pants.
📍6. Bring some filling snacks (there is a snack stall inside the cave). We entered the cave after 10:30 am, and regretted not buying the 3 RMB tea eggs at the entrance. Even worse, when looking for a place to eat at noon, since it was after 14:00, several restaurants were no longer serving, and we ended up eating at KFC.
It is only when one travels alone that one can hear one's own voice, which tells you that the world is wider than you imagine (from 'Kiki's Delivery Service'). The first stop of the Dragon Boat trip ends with a flourish. 🌸🌸🌸
JAXSON DUNCAN
Pingxiang Nie Long Cave, a masterpiece of nature's craftsmanship
Nie Long Cave is located in Qingxi Village, Futian Town, Shangli County, Pingxiang City, Jiangxi Province. It is situated within the Yangqi Mountain Scenic Area and is directly accessible via National Highway 319, 13 kilometers from the center of Pingxiang City. The cave is a natural landscape dominated by natural karst formations, formed 180 million years ago. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a malevolent dragon in Poyang Lake that attempted to turn Jiangxi into a marshland, causing havoc and harming the people. Later, it was subdued by the Taoist immortal Xu Zhenjun and confined in a cave under Yangqi Mountain in Pingxiang, hence the name Nie Long Cave. The cave stretches for 4 kilometers, winding and turning with a stream flowing alongside. The water moves with the cave, and the cave comes alive with the water. The interconnected halls within the cave include the largest hall that reaches up to 30 meters in height and can accommodate nearly a thousand people. The main attractions inside the cave include the 'Thousand People Hall', 'Rain Hitting Banana Leaves', 'Child Kneeling to Guanyin', and especially the 'Cave Heaven Waterfall', which resembles the Milky Way pouring down. It plunges into a pool below, a rare spectacle among domestic caves.