Chongqing — Deep in Qingshui Tujia Ethnic Township in southeastern Yunyang County, Chongqing Municipality, lies Yunyang Longgang, a natural landscape shaped by hundreds of millions of years of geological evolution.
A National 5A-level Tourist Attraction and part of Yunyang Longgang National Geopark, the scenic area covers 17.22 square kilometers. Its distinctive setting combines mountains, water, karst formations, wildlife and Tujia cultural heritage. The area has been praised as the “last Shangri-La of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River” and likened by outdoor enthusiasts to Chongqing’s “Little Huashan.”
The Cloudy Lounge Bridge in Yunyang Longgang National Geopark in Yunyang County, Chongqing. (Photo/Publicity Department of the Yunyang County Party Committee)
Karst formations, including Longgang Tiankeng and large caves, are the defining features of the landscape. Sheer cliffs and great depth mark Longgang Tiankeng, while Dragon Cave contains extensive stalactites and other formations. Moon Cave is secluded and tranquil, with moonlight passing through the cave to create a distinctive natural scene. A glass walkway suspended over a cliff offers visitors views of the surrounding landscape from above.
The karst landscape developed mainly in Triassic carbonate rocks in the mountain ranges south of the area. Unusual caves, underground rivers and rugged gorges together form a distinctive karst system.
Longgang is a karst collapse sinkhole shaped like a large vat. A local legend associates it with a dragon pool, giving rise to its name. Its distinctive form and the legend have contributed to its reputation as one of the area's most remarkable natural formations.
Longgang Tiankeng has an irregular oval opening and reaches a maximum depth of 335 meters. Its walls are almost vertical. At Yingzuiyan on the southeastern side, the rock wall is only 2 to 3 meters thick, making it exceptionally thin.
The formation reflects approximately 252 million years of geological evolution. Crustal uplift, groundwater dissolution and rock collapse have contributed to the development of an extensive karst system. Surface features include dissolution grooves, limestone pinnacles, solution channels, clustered peaks and sinkholes. Underground, three cave levels form a connected geological system. Moon Cave is on the upper level, while the middle and lower levels contain additional cave formations, with an underground river at the lowest level flowing into the Shisun River.
Together, the three cave levels record the geological processes that shaped the sinkhole.
Nearby, Dragon Cave offers another example of the region’s karst landscape. Located in limestone strata of the Triassic Jialingjiang Formation, the cave was named after a local legend that a dragon lived inside. Its interior contains stalactites, stalagmites, stone columns, flowstone curtains and stone waterfalls.
Dragon Cave consists of two chambers. The front chamber is circular, measuring 200 meters in length and 20 meters in height, with an area of 4,800 square meters. The rear chamber is pentagonal, reaches 30 meters in height and covers nearly 6,000 square meters.
Like Longgang Tiankeng, the limestone in Dragon Cave formed in a shallow marine environment about 252 million years ago. Beginning around 66 million years ago, groundwater seeped through cracks in the limestone and gradually dissolved the rock. Over time, the fissures widened into cave passages, while the collapse of rock from above helped form the underground chambers.
Inside, white stalactites create formations resembling a golden rooster heralding dawn, a sea-calming needle, a wandering dragon and a waterfall.
Yunyang Longgang was designated a national geopark in 2005 and became a National 5A-level Tourist Attraction in 2017. Over time, the karst landscape has gained wider recognition while retaining its natural and cultural character.
Today, Yunyang Longgang offers a glimpse into the geological history of southeastern Chongqing, where cliffs, caves, underground rivers and other karst formations reveal the forces that have shaped the landscape over hundreds of millions of years.