Chongqing Wulong Karst

Wulong county is a hidden gem in South-central China’s Chongqing Municipality, featuring scenic landmarks comprised of limestone rock formations, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as in important part of South China Karst in 2007. With such a tranquil, dreamlike setting, this magical land is, unsurprisingly, a great spot to venture into and compress, and one of the major film locations of Transformers 4: Age of Extinction.  

Wulong Karst landform 

Wulong Karst forms a range of massive stone archways, jagged bridges, deep mountain valleys, caves, eroded dolines, etc. It mainly consists of three parts: Lotus Cave (Furong Cave), Three Natural Bridges and Houping Tiankeng (Houping Giant Doline). 

The Three Natural Bridges (天生三桥) 

20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of Chongqing City in Xiannushan Town, Wulong County, Three Natural Bridges scenic area is of typical karst landform and a real geological wonder. The three Karst bridges are Tianlong Bridge, Qinglong Bridge and Heilong Bridge, each reaching over 200 meters (656 feet) high, and spanning over 200 meters (656 feet) wide. A sightseeing elevator will lead you into the massive valley, and then the three Bridges, which constitute the largest natural bridge cluster in Asia.  

Lotus Cave (芙蓉洞) 

Located in Jiangkou Town, Wulong County, Lotus Cave is 2,846 m (9,337 ft) long and covering an area of 37,000 sq meters (44,251 sq yards). This large limestone cave was formed in the carbonate rocks of Cambrian-Ordovician Period, and has long been a cave adventure’s delight. Lotus Cave boasts dozens of species of sediment from carbonate to stalactites, and is named ‘Cave science museum’ by national geologists. Lotus Cave was celebrated as one 'The World’s Three Greatest Caves', along with Graemes Cave in France, and Mammoth Cave in the US.  

Houping Tiankeng Cluster (后坪天坑群) 

Houping Tiankeng Cluster is located around Houping Town, 88 kilometers (55 miles) to Wulong County. It is the only currently known sinkhole (karst doline) cluster type formed by water erosion in the world. This 150,000-square-meter karst doline cluster is mainly composed of five smaller tiankengs developed in the soluble limestone of Ordovician Period, among which, Qingkou Tiankeng is known as the most beautiful one. Showcased in gorges, dolines, shafts and underground caves, the tiankengs constitute an integrated karst ecosystem, ideal for sightseeing, adventure and scientific study of the geological evolution.  

Apart from the karst topography, Wulong also boasts many other attractive scenic spots, such as Longshui Gorge Geosuture, Fairy Mountain National Forest Park, ancient Tianfu Post Station, Furong River, etc.