The Reed Flute Cave of Guilin

The Reed Flute Cave is a natural cave carved out of karst limestone mountains over millions of years, and has been one of Guilin’s most famous attractions for over 1200 years. The cave got its name from the verdant reeds growing outside, which can be made into melodious flutes. Inside this water-eroded cave is a spectacular world of various stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars and rock formations created by carbonate deposition and illuminated by multi-coloured lighting to create a surreal experience.

The 240 m long cave is lined with interesting rock shapes and formations resembling all kinds of strange things. Many of the formations have taken recognisable shapes of mythological creatures or natural images. There are formations that look like vegetables and one even looks like the Statue of Liberty.

Inside, there are more than 70 inscriptions written in ink, which date back as far as 792 AD of the Tang Dynasty. They are travelogues and poems written by Tang Dynasty literati who visited the cave. These aged inscriptions validate that it has been an attraction of Guilin since ancient times. The cave was almost forgotten for a thousand years, before a group of refugees fleeing the Japanese troops rediscovered it in the 1940s. The Reed Flute Cave is now marked on almost all travel itineraries of Guilin.