Grottes et karsts de Chine
Sur les traces de Xu Xiake

Qian Dong

Qian Dong ("the cave in front") was first sighted from the exit of Bai-Mo Dong and is in fact simply the continuation of that cave across a doline. The first impression on approaching from the south is of an enormous entrance arch which dominates the scene (Figure 6). A track leads in and continues right through the cave - or cavern which might be a better description. Descending slightly from the entrance boulder pile (a consistent feature of all four major entrances) the path continues along an almost horizontal mud floor, a steep inclined bedding to the right (E) rising to a number of stalagamited roof bays. Not far inside the cave, the second entrance comes into view and daylight is sufficient to traverse the cave' The overall impression is of an airy, wide and high, perfectly arched tunnel which affords an easy stroll straight through the tower karst above.

Daylight in the second entrance streams in down a cliff-ringed shakehole or roof collapse. However a short (15m) cave passage in the western corner provides a means of escape into a nearby doline. Qian Dong is the nearby villagers' highway to the outside world.

Continuing northwards you immediately re-enter the main passage, with dimensions even larger than before. To the left at the base of the entrance slope is a shaft leading down to water 36m below. The lake at the bottom was swum to a climb out on the far side which led via a small but complex series of passages to a totally unexpected exit near the bottom of the collapse-doline which bisects the main passage of Qian Dong.

Beyond the shaft. the way on climbs a boulder slope, with an enormous bedding plane ramp continuing up at an angle of 30-40° to the right. The climb up the ramp reaches a separate passage level, some 80-90m above the 'main' cave. This high level 'goes' to entrances at the edge of the limestone block to the south-east and to the north. The south eastern section of passage is a kilometre long and is very large in places but the massive old calcite has effectively split the passage into a series of chambers and much smaller connections described by the survey team as a 'string of sausages'. The northern branch is not so large but is also much modified by calcite. The exit from the south eastern entrance is down a steep but negotiable hillside. At the northernmost extremity the cave splits into a mass of small openings through calcite which lead in two places to cliff-edges overlooking the village of Hao He. Perhaps the most remarkable discovery in this ancient passage was that it had been surveyed before and that pits had been dug to a depth of 6m or more at regular intervals, clearly with a scientific purpose in mind. Our hosts from the Karst Institute could throw no light on who might have done this research.

Following the main cave from the foot of the ramp, past huge stalagmites soon leads to the far end of the cave. A path descends to another dried mud floor, with vertical walls rising over 60m to the domed roof. The scramble up the entrance boulder-slope leads out to a view across another doline-valley and directly into the continuation of the cave another kilometre away, beyond the small village of Hao He.

Qian Dong, is one of the most impressive, pleasant and easy caves in the world. Members of our team used it on a regular basis simply to get through the mountain as quickly as possible.