of caves is a typical karst formation, and you know that water plays an extremely important role in its development. Flowing into the fissures of the karst layer,  water constantly dis- solves the limestone rock, thereby widening the crevice. This pro- cess continues year after year and thus the caves are created.  The Yellow Dragon Cave system covers a proven area o

than the outside world.

     "Day or night, without fear of rain or wind, all year long, you can delight in its wonderful scenery.   The cave is of good beneficial air circulation, and is cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

     Yellow Dragon Cave is one of the foremost scenic areas in Zhangjiajie,  and was rated as one of the first 4A National Tourist Attractions in China.  Also it has been honored as "magical karst cave both in China and in the world".

     This systemf 48 hectares.  It is 15 kilometers long and has a vertical rise of 140 meters. The in- ner recess is divided into four layers, two dry ones and two possess- ing waterways.  The tally of natural wonders includes:  one natural reservoir,  2 underground rivers,  3 pools,  4 waterfalls,  13 grand halls,  96 passageways and hundreds of thousands of stalagmites,columns and stalactites. The Yellow Dragon Cave is so complex and unfathomable, possessing such a multitude of geological features, that it's impossible for us to take them all in at one time.  This"magical place" abounds with all the sceneries that we can enjoy in the karst caves and the stalagmites are in all different shapes. Many famous scenic spots have been developed: the Dragon Dance Hall, Sounding River, Immortal Waterfall, Heaven Pillar Street, and the Dragon Palace.Except for a short distance near the entrance, we won't have to do any backtracking in the cave. The entire tour takes about two hours--2400 meters by land and an additional 800 meters by water.      Chatting  In the eyes of the locals of Zhangjiajie,  Yellow Dragon Cave is always a "mysterious place". The waterway within the cave is called Yellow Dragon Spring and it keeps flowing year around. It is said that long, long ago this region suffered a severe drought, so a wizard named He Junru, accompanied by his disci- ples, entered the cave and beseeched the dragon to send water. The dragon king was touched by their plea and released several drops of water from his mouth, and this produced a deluge outside the cave. At that moment, the wizard was unaware of the refreshing rain out- side; instead, he assumed that the dragon king had somehow reject- ed his appeal. Unfortunately, he stabbed the dragon with his knife. The beast became enraged by this foolish response and spewed out a torrent of water. In a short while the flood inundated the whole re- gion, both inside and outside the cave. The wizard was seriously in- jured and escaped,  and all of his fellow villagers were washed away. Of course, he deeply regretted his blunder, and engraved a few lines of warning on his deathbed at the entrance to the cave so that people would not further offend the dragon:  "You must never fetch water from Yellow Dragon Cave, even if you are suffering des- perately from a severe drought.

 It is just a story anyhow. But how was this cave actually dis- covered? In the Spring of 1983, Mao Jinchu, a local veteran andmilitary battalion commander, led about ten companies of soldiers into the cave for exploration. After many setbacks and much hard- ship, they were finally able to present to the world the true face of this mysterious "kingdom". In the recesses of the cave, they en- countered swarms of rats (about 2 ~ 2.5 kilograms each) and name- less creatures possessing piercing blue eyes and enormous feet. But don't be afraid! These terrifying "monsters" have been driven away long ago.

     In February of 1984, the local authorities started to develop the cave as a tourist attraction, and set up the Administrative De- partment of the Yellow Dragon Cave in June of that year.  At the end of that year, it was formally opened to outside tourists. And

since that time,  this "underground pearl" has emitted its

dazzling

light and received more and more attention. After their field investi- gation into this cave system, officials of UNESCO gave these lavish words of praise, "Yellow Dragon Cave is the most beautiful cave we' ve ever seen--anywhere in the world! And it is especially in- triguing that there is such a long river inside, and it is really in- credible. " Including Zhou Guangzhao, the president of the Chinese Science Academy,  15 senior scientists proclaimed, "We have trav- eled around the world and this cave is the largest, most comprehen- sive cave we' ve seen. " More than 70 experts from the Ministry of Geology have drawn a similar conclusion, "Taking into consideration nearly all of the studies of karsts caves, Yellow Dragon Cave is the all round champion