Grottes et karsts de Chine
Sur les traces de Xu Xiake

This report documents exploration carried out by two Hong Meigui cave exploration expeditions to Yunnan Province, China during 2004. Following up the work of the Yunnan 2003 expedition, the expeditions returned to the Zhongdian region to continue exploration in a promising mountain range that has a 2,300m depth potential.

Yunnan Resurgences 2004 was a a 25-day, 4-person winter expedition (January-February), to explore resurgences in the Yangtze valley during the dry season. The expedition explored one known resurgence cave (C3-1, Shui Lian Dong) for 1.3km to sumps. Following geological predictions, they also found a second large resurgence (C3-96/97, Lucky Benevolent Water) up a nearby tributary.

Yunnan 2004 was a 7-week, 17-person summer caving expedition (July- August) to explore known entrances and to search for new entrances on the mountain tops 2,300m higher, between the Yangtze valley and the town of Zhongdian. The expedition covered a large area and logged 240 new entrances. The deepest, C3-294 (Dawa Dong), was explored to a depth of 130m. Explo- ration at the limit was slowed significantly by a tight rift requiring hammering, but no termination was reached.