Reed Flute Cave (lú dí yán 芦笛岩) is located in the northwest part of Guilin City (guì lín shì 桂林市), 5 kilometers away from the city center. It got its name because near the entrance of the cave, there are the reeds growing, which can be made into flute. Reed Flute Cave is on Guangming Mountain (guāng míng shān 光明山), which was originally called Maomaotou Moutain (máo máo tóu shān 毛毛头山). It is crowned as the Palace of Natural Arts (dà zì rán yì shù zhī gōng 大自然艺术之宫). As early as in the Tang Dynasty (táng cháo 唐朝), Reed Flute Cave was visited by tourists. Since it was developed by the government in 1959, the cave has been a famous tourist attraction.

Reed Flute Cave was formed more than 700 thousand years ago. It is shaped like a bag, the entrance and the exit are close to each other. The highest point of the cave is up to 18 meters, the widest part is up to 93 meters. The length of the Reed Flute Cave is 240 meters and offers a majestic fairyland of karst caves with landscape and rural scenery. There are the stalactites hanging on the roof, the stalagmites growing on the ground, and the stone pillars formed by the stalactite and the stalagmite. And there are large quantities of the stone curtain, flower and waterfall. Some of the stalactites are hollow. They will make dulcet sound when you knock on them. With the colorful light and the changeable stalactites, you will feel like you are in fairyland.

Besides the stalactites, there are more than 70 pieces of wall paintings in the cave. The oldest of them originated from the eighth year of Yuanzhen (yuán zhēn 元贞) in the Tang Dynasty. Most of these calligraphy paintings are directly painted on the wall with brushes. The content of the paintings are about their journey to Reed Flute Cave.

Out of the cave, there is the Fanglian Pool at the foot of Guangming Mountain. You can take a boat on the pool and enjoy the beautiful scene of the rural area.

Reed Flute Cave
Location: No. 1, Ludi Road, Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Admission fee: CNY 60
Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Transportation: you take bus No. 3, 58 or free bus, and get off at Ludiyan Stop
Attractions nearby: Seven Stars Park, Yinziyan Scenic Area, Elephant Trunk Hill