Check-in Strategy | The most northern ancient cliff cave group in China by latitude

The Wanhua Cave in Yixian County is the last stop on the trip. Although Fengguo Temple is famous, it is not the oldest historical site in Yixian County. The Wanhua Cave, which was excavated in the 23rd year of Taihe of the Northern Wei Dynasty, is the more ancient Buddhist holy land. It is also the only cliff cave group in the northeast region and is known as the most northern cave in China by latitude. Upon first seeing the Wanhua Cave, one feels a sense of desolation. Due to natural weathering and lack of repairs over the years, there is little left of the collapsed caves. The remaining Buddha statues, carvings, and murals in the caves are also mostly damaged, which is heartbreaking. Although these Buddha statues, reliefs, and murals that have weathered the elements are not intact, they possess a flawed beauty that does not obscure their virtues. In comparison, the newly repaired caves nearby seem to have lost not only the old shadows of the caves due to the wind and sand but also the exquisite craftsmanship of the ancient artisans. The Wanhua Cave is built on the cliffs on the north bank of the Daling River, divided into eastern and western areas due to different excavation times, with the western area being earlier and the eastern area slightly later. 🔸Eastern area highlights: 1. There are 7 existing caves, severely weathered, with the 4th cave being the largest. In the middle, a sculpture of the Thousand-Handed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin is worshipped, flanked by Manjushri and Samantabhadra. The Thousand-Handed Guanyin is a clay sculpture with a golden body, and each hand has an eye carved on it, symbolizing the unity of hand and eye. 2. A Bodhi tree over 500 years old, under which water droplets fall from the cliff all year round, is regarded as sacred Bodhi water by locals. Now, one can scoop and taste the water in the cave under the Bodhi tree. 🔸Western area highlights: 1. There are 9 existing caves divided into two levels, with the first and sixth caves being relatively well-preserved. 2. The first cave is the largest central square-column cave from the Northern Wei Dynasty, with a rich collection of statues and murals inside. 3. The sixth cave houses the largest statue in the Wanhua Cave – a cross-legged Maitreya Buddha statue, standing 3.5 meters tall, which is different from the commonly seen pot-bellied Maitreya Buddha. This statue is a typical Northern Wei representation of a lean and ascetic figure. 4. The fifth cave contains a national treasure-level Wei stele – the Yuanjing Sculpture Stele, the last Wei stele in the northern cave temples. Zhou Enlai once used this stele to refute the Russian fallacy that 'territory beyond the Great Wall has never been part of China since ancient times.' 5. On the mountain connecting the eastern and western areas, there is a uniquely shaped barrel-style pagoda, built by the Ming Dynasty general Wang Kai to celebrate his mother's birthday. Practical information for Wanhua Cave 🕑Opening hours: 8:00-16:30 🎫Ticket price: 40 yuan 🚗Transportation: The straight-line distance from the cave to the county town is only 8.3 kilometers, which is not far, but the road is tough. 1. Self-driving is definitely the most convenient, but the road up the mountain is quite narrow, and traffic jams may occur during peak periods. 2. Taking a taxi is more expensive with a fixed price of 50 yuan without using the meter. Taking a taxi from the county town to the cave is even more outrageous, costing 100 yuan for a round trip, so it might as well be a 100 yuan chartered round trip. 3. At the passenger transport station, you can take the northwest loop line to the cave. There is a departure timetable when going, but no fixed time for return, so you need to call the driver to arrange.