Banqi Cave Group and Hot Springs

The site lies about 2,000 metres northwest of the Nanning-Kunming Railway, 45 kilometres south of the county seat. The cave stretches roughly 300 metres long and is gourd-shaped, covering an area of around 5,000 square metres. It consists of six interconnected chambers arranged in a straight line.

Inside the cave stand milky white translucent stalagmites and stone pillars resembling coral and sea coral flowers. Some grow upward from the ground, some hang down from the ceiling, some emerge from the water, and others form relief carvings. Composed mainly of silicon dioxide, these formations show vitreous and waxy luster under lamplight, presenting a gorgeous and colourful view.

Banqi Cold Spring Cave is approximately 800 metres below the railway station. The curved railway bridge of Banqi spans directly over the cave roof. The cave entrance is 20 metres high and 30 metres wide. Just 10 metres inside, the cave suddenly opens into a vast hall. In the centre stands a huge pillar rising straight up through the cave ceiling — it is one of the piers supporting the Banqi curved bridge. The cave is made up of thirteen interconnected large halls. The ground inside each hall is relatively flat, yet the passages linking them are rugged, narrow and precipitous. The total length of the cave reaches about 2,800 metres. The walls of every hall are lined with colourful stalactites, stone pillars, stalagmites and stone curtains. On the cave floor lie rock formations known as the Magic Needle Stabilizing the Sea, stone ganoderma lucidum and stone night-blooming cereus. With countless fantastic shapes like piled snow and jade blossoms, the scenery is magnificent and breathtaking.

In spring, flocks of swallows gather at the cave mouth, while bats dwell deep inside the cave. On the left side of the entrance, mountain spring water gushes out from rock cracks. The water is crystal clear, icy cold and refreshing even in the scorching summer heat, hence the name Cold Spring, and the cave is accordingly called Cold Spring Cave.

Only one hundred metres away from the Cold Spring Cave sits a hot spring with a constant water temperature of about 32℃ all year round. There are six spring outlets. The main spring feeds a natural pool measuring 8 metres long, 5 metres wide and 1 metre deep, with several additional seepages bubbling up from the bottom. Every winter, dense steam rises continuously from the spring vents.

Not far to the northwest of the Banqi Cave Group, a Buyi village nestles in a mountain hollow