Grottes et karsts de Chine
Sur les traces de Xu Xiake

From Er Wang Dong head towards Houping along the road for approximately 250m (about 100m beyond Chahu Dong). Then turn off and follow a path past a couple of farmhouses. Feng Dong lies between Xinui Dong and the Houping road, near a cluster of trees.

Honey Glazed

A very strongly draughting flat-out entrance crawl (draught is outwards in the summer) leads after 2.5m to a low wide chamber. To the left there is a strongly draughting tube which has been pushed for about 20m through a few snug sections and awkward corners and is still ongoing [QM C]. Straight ahead is a blind alcove while to the right another short crawl leads to a slightly drippy chamber with a muddy slope down and back up to where a short dig in May 2004 gained easy access to the head of a 3m climb down into strongly draughting walking passage.

A left turn in the passage descends to the head of a 6m precipitous descent which can be rigged as an awkward 3m handline climb on the left hand side. Below the climb the draught is noticeable by its absence and a small inlet [QM C] joins the passage a few metres before it degenerates into a sharp, wet, body-sized thrutch [QM C].

The way on is back at the top of the climb, where the passage turns. Straight ahead, a climb up in an alcove gains a short crawl to the left into a bedding which overlooks the blind climb. Ahead there are a number of QMs [QM ], but the route onwards is to double-back up another crawl to a small chamber with several ways on, Purple Nipple Chamber [QM B].

From Purple Nipple Chamber another doubling back immediately enters a small walking passage (with a short crawl oxbow from Purple Nipple Chamber to the right.

The passage soon develops an 8m deep narrow floor trench [QM C], with traverses over wider sections (the second of which is bypassed by a crawl on the right), and a little later the roof-tube develops into a wide bedding, with a parallel floor-trench entering from the left [QM B].

The bedding and the floor trench finally part company, at which point left leads to another parallel trench, which is too tight downstream but open upstream [QM B], while straight ahead at roof level leads to a tight crawl which connects back to the main route, which is down an obvious chute at the end of the main floor trench. This leads to the head of an intimidating-looking climb down, which is bypassed by an unobvious crawl to the right which leads to a much easier 3m handline climb rigged from a large thread just above the top of the climb.

Throughout the trench section the rock is polished, presumably weathering from wind. There is a now-abandoned rat's nest lined with red plastic which marks one of the corners.

Where the floor trenches converge at the head of the climb down, there are a number of directional stalactites.

At the base of the climb a small stream enters from an aven and sinks in the floor. Horizontal passage heads back under the trench and has not been pushed [QM B]. Beyond the enlargement at the climb down, the rift continues with more calcite than before (some directional), and an unusual flaky golden brown crust on the walls and ceiling. The rift briefly narrows and lowers just before coming to a streamway which emerges from the bottom of the same rift. Several short climbs down which can be bypassed by following the watercourse lead to stooping height passage. After 20m the way on is blocked where calcite covers the mud and fills the passage. A flat-out squeeze past stals is preferable to a crawl in the stream to gain 50m of easy walking passage with sediment banks on each side. The ceiling rises steadily, and there is a section of breakdown where a small inlet enters from above [QM X] and a more major inlet enters from the left [QM A]. The breakdown continues with the stream below for a further 70m of increasingly large passage to an ascending rubble slope where the stream diverges to the right. [QM A]

Chocolate Coated

At the top of the boulder slope, a 10m wide passage continues north for 15m to a corner, where a low bedding goes off on the left [QM C] and a climb down reaches a dry stream bed [QM C]. The passage continues east for 25m to a junction, where to the south a stream enters from a slot 6m up [QM C], sinking [QM A] at the junction, with the main passage continuing up a slope to the north, where a boulder blockage is met after 40m. The blockage is easily passed on the right to enter a chamber, at the near end of which a hole in the floor enters a walking-sized passage. This can be followed for around 50m in small passage until a ledge is reached high above a moderately large stream. The stream is around 8m below the ledge but drops down rapidly to the south [QM A]. A short distance upstream an inlet comes in on the right which could probably be reached from the ledge using a handline [QM A]. Upslope in the chamber a large passage doubles back to the west at high level. This can easily be climbed up to and has some attractive helictites near the start, on the upper, northern area of the roof. The passage is very wide with a mud floor which soon develops a trench in the middle. This takes a small stream and is about 8m below the upper passage. The upper passage rapidly closes in to leave mud ledges on either side of the stream that cannot be followed for far. Back in the main passage, to the east there is a hole down [QM C]. The main passage continues to the north, splitting and rejoining after 50m in a boulder-floored chamber. A dry passage leads off to the east [QM B] while to the west, water can be heard down a hole. At the end of the chamber is a slope up, beyond which the passage continues 40m to a mud choke. The way on is to drop down through boulders to the east, where an undercut can be followed both south [QM C] and north, entering a walking passage which emerges into 20m wide passage after 60m. Here water enters from a large passage to the north, and sinks [QM B], while another large passage heads west. The large passage to the north rapidly closes down and the roof lowers until after 50m from the junction the passage is only 1m high and the water emerges from a splashy hole on the left. This can easily (though damply) be ascended into further large passage which slopes upwards and soon ends in a high, wet aven. The large passage to the west of the junction can be followed on the left mud bank for around 100m to a large boulder breakdown area. This can be climbed with care on the right side to reach a large final chamber with a boulder choke ahead. The choke can be penetrated for some way on the right side but there is no noticeable draught. On the left of the final chamber are two short passages which are extremely well decorated with brown and white stalactites and helictites.

The Dancing Passage

A short down hill squeeze to a small flat space (4m across) a short passage leads to another space mainly filled with a bolder, up and straight on are too tight. The main passage continues, as a body size tube, with one awkward bend. A number of too tight rifts entering and leaving on the both sides of the passage. After 20m a floor trench (3m deep) comes in from the left and turns off to the right after a further 3m. This can be entered but is very tight [QMC] The main passage continues straight ahead, but is partially blocked by mud (dig). [QMC]