Cave sights in Guìlín
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Returned Pearl Cave
On the southern slope of the hill is Returned Pearl Cave . The story goes that the cave was illuminated by a single pearl and inhabited by a dragon; one day a fisherman stole the pearl but he was overcome by shame and returned it. A 1000-year-old Buddha image is etched into the wall somewhere in the cave, along with more than 200 other images of the Buddha, most dating from the Song and Tang dynasties.
Somewhere, too, is a portrait and autograph by Mi Fu, a famous calligrapher of the Song dynasty. A sad sight is the Sword Testing Stones, which are remnants of stalactites hacked off by soldiers of the warlord showing off their metal and mettle.
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Reed Flute Cave
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger described the cave as 'poetic', although chances are he didn't have the dulcet tones of a Chinese tour guide ringing in his ears when the thought came to him. The huge Reed Flute Cave is a garish but nonetheless impressive grotto housing multicoloured lighting and fantastic stalactites and stalagmites. The entrance was once distinguished by clumps of reeds used to fashion musical instruments, hence the name, and the enormous Crystal Palace of the Dragon King was used as an air-raid shelter during wars. It's tempting to slip away from the tour groups, but bring a torch, as the illuminations are often turned off as the crowds wal…
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Seven Star Cave
Seven Stars Park's two highlights are Seven Star Cave - its stalagmites and stalactites coloured by floodlights - and Dark Dragon Cave (Lóngyīn Dòng), with inscribed steles that date back more than 1500 years.
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Thousand Buddha Cave
Nearby is Thousand Buddha Cave, though the name's an exaggeration - there seem to be a couple of dozen statues at most, dating from the Tang and Song dynasties.
Bus 2 runs past the hill.
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