Located in Lipu Town, 25 kilometers from Yangshuo County, Silver Cave is the largest karst cave in Guilin. Showing the full charm of the typical Karst landform, the Silver Cave is a kind of multilayer cave. Travelers could explore the 2000-meter path through 12 peaks at the geographic wonder.
There is a legend of the Silver Cave: in the Qing Dynasty, a general entrenched in the Guilin area. His rebel was defeated by the government army so that they had to take shelter at the Silver Cave and secretly stored the plundered treasure like gold or jewelry. Since then, countless treasure hunters came to the surroundings among high mountains and deep cliffs to seek the hidden treasure but without success. Thus there is a saying that “Opening the Silver Cave could feed the people of Guangxi and Hunan provinces.”
In the 1980s, probably due to the whiteness and purity, the stalactites suddenly become the popular decorations flavored by the rich families. Thus it was an increasing trend to mining the caves in Guilin that numerous caves were discovered and destroyed. Luckily since the entrance of Silver Cave is quite small and sheltered as well as the winding gully, the Silver Cave survived from the extraction remaining “Unknown Beauty”.
Open to the public since 1999, the Silver Cave contains three parts including Upper Cave, Ground Cave, and the main hall. From the bottom to the top of the cave, it reaches approximately 16-floor high with a collection of various types of stalactites forming in different geological ages. After hundreds of thousands of years’ water dripping in the cave, the stalactites formed in vivid shapes like towers, waterfalls, curtains, and animals.
The crystal-like stalactites in Silver Cave look like the silver, the diamond, or the Milky Way in the starry night. There are a dozen glamorous scenic spots in the cave. Travelers could not miss the most celebrated Three Wonders (Flying Waterfall from Snow Mountain, Musical Folding Screen, and Magic Fairyland) along with Three Treasures (Preaching Buddha, Pearl Umbrella, and Towering Pillar). Besides, an underground river meanders through the cave and stretches to the lake outside. Visitors can take a boat ride to enjoy the sightseeing.