Longyou Caves: Difference between revisions

The '''Longyou Caves''' ({{zh|s=龙游石窟}}), also called the '''Xiaonanhai Stone Chambers''' ({{zh|s=小南海石室}}), are a group of 24 artificial [[sandstone]] caverns located at [[Fenghuang]] Hill, near the village of Shiyan Beicun on the Qu River in [[Longyou County]], [[Quzhou]] prefecture, [[Zhejiang]] province, [[China]].<ref Createdname="heritagedaily">{{Cite moreweb than|last=Milligan 2,000|first=Markus years|date=2020-08-28 ago,|title=The theyMystery of the Longyou Caves |url=https://www.heritagedaily.com/2020/08/the-mystery-of-the-longyou-caves/134874 |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=HeritageDaily - Archaeology News |language=en-US}}</ref> It is unknown when the caves were notcreated; recordedthey are mentioned in anya historical17th documentscentury poem by the Yu Xun, and wereclay rediscoveredfrom bypots farmersdated to between 206BC and 23 AD was found in 1992silt within the caves.<ref name="heritagedaily"/>

In June 1992, four farmers in Longyou discoveredfound the caves by accident when they drained the water of five small ponds in their village. The ponds turned out to be five large artificial undergroundmanmade caverns.<ref name=":0Li et al 2009">{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=L.H. |last2=Yang |first2=Z.F. |last3=Yue |first3=Z.Q. |last4=Zhang |first4=L.Q. |date=March 2009 |title=Engineering geological characteristics, failure modes and protective measures of Longyou rock caverns of 2000 years old |journal=Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=190–207 |doi=10.1016/j.tust.2008.08.003|bibcode=2009TUSTI..24..190L }}</ref> Further investigation revealed 19 more caverns nearby.<ref name{{cn|date=":0"April />2024}} They have been determined to be more than 2000 years old, and their construction is not recorded in any historical documents.<ref name=":0"Li et al 2009"/>

* The caves are very large consideringfor their manhuman-made originexcavations: theThe average floor area of each cave is over a {{convertcvt|1000|sqm}}, with ceiling heights of up to {{convertcvt|30|m}}, and the total area covered{{explain|date=September 2024|reason=How is the "area covered" different from the "floor area"?}} in excess of {{convertcvt|30000|sqm}}.

* The ceiling, wall, and pillar surfaces are all finished in the same manner,: as aA series of parallel bands or courses, about {{cvt|60&nbsp;|cm}} wide, containing parallel chiselling marks set at an angle of about 60° to the axis of the course.

{{reflist|25em}}