Grottes et karsts de Chine
Sur les traces de Xu Xiake

120m south of Er Wang Dong village.

10m wide entrance descends steeply over rubble + mud, immediately opening out to 30-50m wide, 50m high with a gentle slope down. The cave has been heavily worked, with dozens of nitrate pits of varying sizes. After 80m there is a climb up calcite on the left which has not been pushed to a conclusion. After a futher 150m, the passage flattens out and in an alcove to the right there is another climb up (looks blind). A further 150m of large open passage ends with considerable narrowing where a small inlet enters and the passage turns sharply to the left. A crawl + climb down leads to a chamber with small poolon the right. The way on is up and to the left through boulders to another chamber. To the south, a low crawl ends in a mud-floored chamber with various small crawls going off, all unpromising.

Erin Lynch

Claire McElwain