Deep Earth Exploration Fun Guide
Deep Earth Exploration: A Time Drifting Journey through Baise Liming Tongtian River
The tour boat glides across the calm water, the dragon's back (rock formation) dimly visible in the darkness, and from where the stone curtains hang low, whispers from ten thousand years ago seem to drift.
At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the dense mountain forests of Liming Township, Pingguo City, Baise, Guangxi, I stood before the entrance of "Ganmo Rock." This place now bears a more poetic name – Liming Tongtian River Scenic Area.
Awarded National AAAA-level Scenic Area status in 2013, this karst wonder hidden deep within the karst landscape awaits visitors to uncover its secrets accumulated over hundreds of millions of years.
The moment I stepped through the scenic area's gate, a sudden drop in temperature brought a refreshing coolness. This is a typical cave and underground river scenic area, where outside, mountains, seas of forests, and competing peaks and cliffs abound, while inside is another world entirely.
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01 First Exploration of the Cave
The first sight upon entering the cave is an astonishingly vast "Heaven on Earth." This enormous cave hall, covering an area of 33,000 square meters, features the "Jiujiu Dongtian" dome, towering 99 meters high.
The design with six natural ventilation openings allowed me to feel fresh air circulating even deep within the cave.
Light danced among the stalactites, casting ever-changing shadows. The land tour route is approximately 1680 meters long, taking about 50 minutes to walk. Each step felt like treading on the rings of geological history.
The "Magical Dragon's Back" on the land route stretches over 60 meters, like a giant dragon sleeping deep within the earth. The "Golden and Silver Twin Pagodas," each over 30 meters tall, glow with solemn and mysterious luster under the illumination, recognized as the cave's most precious treasures.
02 Boating on the Underground River
When the land tour leaves you wanting more, you can head to the pier to board a small boat and embark on a 1600-meter, approximately 40-minute underground river cruise.
The boatman pushed off the wooden boat, and it slowly glided into the waterway. Stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling were reflected in the water. Stalagmites, stone curtains, stone waterfalls, stone shields, stone terraces, and stalactites in various forms, illuminated by colorful lights, created dreamlike reflections that rippled with the water.
The boat journeyed through the underground river, which is about 3 to 10 meters wide with calm currents, offering an ideal combined land and water touring experience.
At one point, the boatman pointed to a rock on the cave wall resembling a human figure: "This is the statue of Buluotuo." He explained, "Buluotuo is a Zhuang word meaning 'headman in the mountains' or 'elder who knows everything,' and in Zhuang mythology, he is the creator god, moral god, and ancestral god."
The light happened to shine on that rock, and its silhouette indeed resembled a wise elder looking down at the passing boats and visitors.
03 Red Memory
This scenic area also has another name – "Red Army Rock." In 1931, the Red Seventh Army, led by Wei Baqun, was besieged here by the enemy. After holding out for 36 days, they miraculously survived. This history has made the Tongtian River Scenic Area one of Pingguo City's patriotic education bases.
Inside the cave, there are still remnants of the Red Seventh Army's activities, such as stone benches and large stone slabs used for living and working.
As I walked deeper into the cave, at an inconspicuous platform, the guide stopped and softly recounted that period of history. The red lights on the cave walls seemed to tell a story, and history and reality intertwined at that moment.
04 Natural Gallery
The alternating land and water tour methods kept my eyes constantly refreshed. Within the total cave area of over 100,000 square meters, there are 26 giant stone pillars exceeding 20 meters in height. These stalagmites, stone pillars, and stone curtains shimmer under the lights, resembling a natural art palace.
Official data indicates that the entire scenic area tour takes approximately 1.5 hours, covering a route of about 3 kilometers. However, I felt as if time was stretched here. Every landscape required a careful stop, and every rock seemed to tell its story of hundreds of millions of years.
Key Data for Tongtian River Scenic Area
· Geographical Location: Next to S215 Provincial Road, Liming Township, Pingguo City, Baise, Guangxi
· Scenic Area Name: Liming Tongtian River Scenic Area, formerly known as "Ganmo Rock" and "Red Army Rock"
· Scenic Area Rating: National AAAA-level Scenic Area
· Opening Hours: 09:00-17:00
· Ticket Price Reference: Adult ticket approximately 100 RMB/person
· Land Tour: Approximately 1680 meters long, walking time about 50-80 minutes
· Water Tour: Underground river approximately 1600 meters long, boating time about 40 minutes
· Total Tour Duration: Approximately 1.5-2 hours
· Total Cave Area: Over 100,000 square meters
· Iconic Landscapes: "Heaven on Earth" (33,000 sq m), "Jiujiu Dongtian" (99 m high), "Magical Dragon's Back" (over 60 m long), "Golden and Silver Twin Pagodas" (each over 30 m high)
· Special Activities: Local Zhuang ethnic cuisine tasting available
05 Flavors of the Zhuang Countryside
Stepping out of the cave, the sun was just right. The scenic area features a restaurant that can accommodate 300 diners, offering authentic Zhuang ethnic cuisine.
Here, I tasted genuine Zhuang specialty dishes, and that unique flavor infused with the essence of the mountains was the perfect culinary complement to the deep earth journey I had just completed.
In addition, the scenic area also provides convenient services such as a visitor service center, shopping center, Ganmo Rock Revolutionary History Theme Museum, nursery room, and medical room.
Regarding transportation, both S215 Provincial Road and the Liming and Bangwei exits of the G7522 Gui-Bei Expressway (Baping section) lead directly to the scenic area, making it easily accessible from Baise city, Nanning, and other places.
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As the tour boat slowly returned to the pier, sunlight streamed diagonally from the cave entrance, spreading a golden waterway across the underground water. I emerged from darkness back into light, clutching a stalactite souvenir purchased at the scenic area. It wasn't as magnificent as the Golden and Silver Twin Pagodas, but it recorded the memory of this journey deep into the earth's hundreds of millions of years.
The Tongtian River not only offers diverse karst landscapes and echoes of red history but also provides a space for dialogue with nature and history.
Pingguo Liming Tongtian River, a place once named "Ganmo Rock" and "Red Army Rock," now welcomes every traveler seeking a spiritual return with its beauty accumulated over hundreds of millions of years. Tongtian Underground River Scenic Area