Scenic Area Layout: Caves Within Caves, Land and Water Connected
The Benxi Water Cave Scenic Area consists of the Water Cave, Dry Cave, Geological Museum, Taizi River Rafting, and the Petrified Wood Kingdom, with the core attractions being the Water Cave and Dry Cave.
Dry Cave: The Prelude to Exploring the Cave
The Dry Cave is located to the left of the Water Cave entrance, with a total length of about 300 meters. It is dry with undulating terrain. The entrance of the Dry Cave is a huge dome-shaped hall, about 20 meters high and 50 meters wide, called the 'Reception Hall'. Inside, stalactites, stalagmites, and stone pillars are well developed with various shapes. The end of the Dry Cave connects to the underground river, serving as the only way to enter the Water Cave. Visitors must walk through the Dry Cave to the dock and transfer to a boat to enter the underground river of the Water Cave.
Water Cave: A Fantastic Drift on the Underground River
The Water Cave is the core of Benxi Water Cave and the world's longest underground water-filled cave. Visitors take a boat tour that lasts about 40 minutes. The underground river winds and twists, and can be divided into scenic areas such as 'Three Gorges', 'Nine Bends', and 'Ten Scenes'.
- Three Gorges: Refers to three gorges formed by the underground river: 'Furong Gorge', 'Yuxiang Gorge', and 'Longmen Gorge'. Each gorge has its unique features, such as the draperies in Furong Gorge resembling blooming hibiscus, and a huge stalactite in Yuxiang Gorge shaped like an elephant drinking water.
- Nine Bends: Refers to nine major turns in the river channel, causing the boat to constantly change direction and offering changing views.
- Ten Scenes: Refers to the ten most representative landscapes in the cave, including 'Baolien Lantern', 'Yuhuang Peak', 'Milky Way', 'Jiange Pass', 'Dripping Sword', 'Guanyin Hall', 'White Elephant Playing in Water', 'Snow Mountain', 'Arctic Palace', and 'Peach Banquet'. These landscapes are naturally formed by stalactites, stalagmites, and draperies, and are brought to life by artificial lighting.
The tour route in the Water Cave is about 3,000 meters long, with the underground river channel about 2,800 meters. The water surface width is generally 15-30 meters, with the widest point reaching 70 meters. The cave ceiling height varies greatly, with the lowest point only about 2 meters and the highest reaching 38 meters. The water depth averages about 1.5 meters, with the deepest point reaching 7 meters.
Geological Museum: Decoding the Secrets of Karst
The scenic area houses the Benxi Geological Museum, with a building area of about 3,000 square meters. The museum displays a large collection of minerals, rocks, and paleontological fossils from the Benxi area, as well as panels and models explaining the formation of Benxi Water Cave, the evolution of karst landforms, and earth science knowledge. The most notable exhibits include the 'Liaoning Ancient Fruit' fossil (one of the world's earliest angiosperm fossils) and various dinosaur egg fossils.
Taizi River Rafting and Petrified Wood Kingdom
Outside the scenic area, there is a rafting project on the Taizi River, about 3 kilometers long, offering views of the landscape on both banks. The Petrified Wood Kingdom is a park dedicated to displaying petrified wood (fossilized wood), with hundreds of specimens from around the world. The largest specimen is 14 meters long, 1.2 meters in diameter, and weighs about 20 tons.
