Sōng Shān Ancient Cave Dwellings 古崖居
延庆县, 离德胜门102公里. 走八达岭高速, S102 到延庆, G110 到松山
Part of A Better Guide to Běijīng’s coverage of Běijīng Suburbs and Beyond
Chinese sources are spectacularly vague on the history of the caves, but are for once at least frank about it since there’s no political angle. The caves may be Wèi, Táng, or Yuán, and may have been hiding places for bandits, an army camp, or simply developed by canny villagers as a place of refuge during military invasion — they certainly served the last purpose during the Japanese occupation. They number more than 130 and may have originally been cut by a minority called the Xī (奚).
A path leading away from the ticket office climbs gently round in a curve, giving you your first view of the caves, which have been carefully cut to be invisible from outside the range of low hills in which they are found. You pass stairs roughly hewn in the soft rock to your right. Don’t take these, because you’ll need to perform a tricky scramble over a barrier at the top, but if you do you’ll see the rock is like Swiss cheese, pitted with numerous small caves of different sizes. The three main groups are very formal and angular, however, as if produced by a building developer. Many have several rooms with different purposes, and some are arranged one above the other with narrow stairs cut in the rock to make them accessible.
The most densely packed and interesting collection of caves is the Hòu Shān group, which you come to first. The upper storeys can be reached only by a vertical scramble for the most agile, and that’s probably why there’s a ¥1 insurance fee at the entrance.
This gives on to several galleries of square caves carved in soft pebbly rock, which crumbles easily and suggests that the caves might not have taken too long to cut; they now require buttressing in places. The interiors are often elaborately moulded into sleeping and washing areas. A side track takes you down to the Western King’s Palace, the most spectacular cave — a two-storeyed affair with wings.
This unusual site makes a pleasant day trip. The climbing isn’t too strenuous, although the more intrepid can scale the Hòu Shān itself for higher-level walking. The area buzzes with red-winged crickets and has a lot of butterfly-attracting buddleia bushes.
▶ Sōng Shān Gǔ Yá Jū, in Yánqìng County, just over 100km NW of Běijīng, t 6911 0333, 8am–4pm. ¥40. b 919快车 from 德胜门 (m Jī Shuǐ Tán, Line 2, and walk E on N side of road) to 延庆电信局 (9 stops), then walk on 100m to stop for 920 to 东门营 (29 stops). taxi Up Bā Dá Lǐng Expressway, then right on the S216 to Yánqìng, and G110 to signposted turning.
If you take a taxi make it clear you want Sōng Shān Gǔ Yá Jū, not the Sōng Shān scenic area (Fēngjǐng Qū). If you arrive by bus, farm vehicles can be hired for ¥5 for the final 3km (although the first asking price can be five times that). The road runs through fields of maize and small orchards.
There are plenty of restaurants in Yánqìng, quickly reached by buses passing the turning to the caves, including the 920. Bā Dá Lǐng Great Wall is easily reached by taxi (29km), and there are several options back to Běijīng from there.
Next in Museums and Other Sights: China Aviation Museum
Previously: Wǎnpíng Chéng
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For discussion of China travel, see The Oriental-List.
