Jinhua Shuanglong Scenic Area is located at the foot of Jinhua Mountain in the northern suburbs of Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, in Luodian Town, Wucheng District. It is a national 5A-level tourist attraction, a national scenic spot, and a national forest park. The total planned area of the scenic area is about 300 square kilometers, including 79.7 square kilometers of Shuanglong Scenic Area, 150 square kilometers of the Lanxi area on the northern slope of Jinhua Mountain, and 70 square kilometers of the southern slope foothills of Jinhua Mountain. The scenic area is characterized by rich karst landforms and large-scale cave groups. In the 25-kilometer-long belt of limestone, there are more than 50 karst caves, multiple underground rivers, and one underground lake. There are 226 tourism resource entities in the area, with over 1,000 species of animals and plants. Integrating natural and cultural landscapes, it is a famous tourist destination in central Zhejiang.
History and Culture
Jinhua Shuanglong Scenic Area carries profound and diverse historical cultures, including the 10,000-year-old Shangshan culture, 5,000-year-old Taoist culture, 2,000-year-old Confucian and Buddhist cultures, and a century of red culture. The "Wannian Shangshan Site", the birthplace of world rice cultivation civilization, is located at the northern foot of Jinhua Mountain, pushing China's rice cultivation history back to 10,000 years ago. This is the birthplace and cradle of Huang Daxian culture. There are important temples dedicated to Huang Daxian, such as Jinhua Guan, Huang Daxian Ancestral Temple, and Chisong Huang Daxian Temple. The legends of Huang Daxian's "punishing evil and promoting good, helping the world and saving people" have spread far and wide.
The thousand-year-old Zhizhe Temple in the scenic area is a royal temple built by Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty. It once unearthed a stele inscribed by Lu You, "Record of Reconstructing Zhizhe Guangfu Zen Temple", which is a national first-class cultural relic. Lutian Academy, as a provincial key cultural relics protection unit, is the birthplace of the "Jinhua School" of Song and Yuan Neo-Confucianism, witnessing the academic prosperity of the Eastern Zhejiang School. In history, 16 emperors and literati such as Li Bai, Wang Anshi, Su Dongpo, and Li Qingzhao visited and traveled here, leaving more than 2,000 cultural relics such as poems and inscriptions. Xu Xiake's "Travel Notes in Zhejiang" even described the scenery of Jinhua Mountain in more than 4,400 words. In addition, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and other revolutionary elders and national leaders once visited and inspected, leaving precious red cultural marks.
Main Attractions
Shuanglong Cave (Double Dragon Cave)
Shuanglong Cave is the core attraction of the scenic area. It gets its name from the two stalactites resembling dragon heads hanging on both sides of the cave entrance. Known as a "wonder of water and stone", it is listed as one of the "36 Grottoes and 72 Blessed Lands" of Chinese Taoism. The cave consists of an outer cave and an inner cave. The outer cave covers an area of about 1,200 square meters, which can accommodate thousands of people, commonly known as the "Dragon Hall"; the inner cave covers an area of about 2,000 square meters, with various stalactites, stone pillars, stone curtains, and stone columns. Attractions such as "Yellow Dragon Spitting Water" and "Hanging Bats" are vivid and lifelike. The passage connecting the inner and outer caves requires lying flat on a small boat and passing through a low stone crevice that can only accommodate one person. This unique experience of "lying in a boat to enter the cave" is a spectacle. The cave walls retain inscriptions by celebrities of past dynasties, with profound cultural heritage.
Binghu Cave (Ice Pot Cave)
Binghu Cave is about 500 meters away from Shuanglong Cave. It is famous for its "waterfall hanging in the air" and is the largest cave waterfall in China. The entrance of the cave is shaped like an ice pot. The vertical depth of the cave is about 120 meters. The waterfall in the cave has a drop of more than 20 meters and a width of about 3 meters. The water flows down from the stone crevices at the top of the cave, roaring like thunder, splashing water, and majestic. Xu Xiake once praised it, leaving the poem "The pearl curtain cannot be rolled up, and the flying stream hangs on the distant peak". The temperature inside the cave is always low, especially cool in summer, making it a good place to escape the heat.
Huang Daxian Ancestral Temple
Huang Daxian Ancestral Temple is located on the top of Jinhua Mountain, covering an area of about 79,000 square meters. It is currently the largest Huang Daxian cultural holy land in the world. The palace buildings are built along the mountain, adopting the style of Ming and Qing palaces, consisting of archways, screen walls, release pools, bell towers, drum towers, main halls, etc., with a magnificent momentum. The main hall enshrines the statue of Huang Daxian, and the left and right side halls worship his disciples respectively. The surrounding environment of the ancestral temple is quiet, with ancient trees towering. It is an important place for believers at home and abroad to worship and pray for blessings, attracting a large number of tourists every year.
Zhizhe Temple
Zhizhe Temple was built during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty. It is a royal temple and was once as famous as Hangzhou Lingyin Temple and Ningbo Tiantong Temple in history. The temple has gone through many ups and downs. The existing buildings were rebuilt on the original site in 2009, covering an area of about 300 mu. It consists of the mountain gate, Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, Sutra Library, etc. The buildings are magnificent and retain the Song Dynasty architectural style. The cultural relics such as the stele inscribed by Lu You collected in the temple have extremely high historical and artistic value. Zhizhe Temple is not only a place for Buddhist activities but also an important window to experience Buddhist culture in central Zhejiang.
Lutian Academy
Lutian Academy is located in Lutian Village, Jinhua Mountain. It was founded in the Southern Song Dynasty and is one of the important birthplaces of the "Jinhua School". It is now a provincial key cultural relics protection unit. The academy covers an area of about 2,000 square meters, consisting of a gate tower, lecture hall, dormitory, stele corridor, etc., with a simple and elegant architectural style. The academy preserves many inscriptions and plaques from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, recording the historical evolution and academic inheritance of the academy. It was once a place for scholars to give lectures and study. Scholars such as Zhu Xi and Lü Zuqian once activities here, which had a profound impact on the development of Eastern Zhejiang Neo-Confucianism.
Food
Jinhua Ham
Jinhua Ham is the most famous traditional food in Jinhua, with a history of more than 1,200 years, known as "the first leg in China". It uses high-quality hind legs of local "two-end black" pigs in Jinhua as raw materials, and is made through multiple processes such as pickling, fermentation, and drying. The finished product has thin skin, fine bones, tender meat, bright red color, and rich aroma, rich in protein and various vitamins. It can be bought and tasted in restaurants and specialty stores around the scenic area. It can be sliced and steamed, stewed in soup, or used as an ingredient in dishes, with a unique flavor.
Jinhua Crispy Cakes
Jinhua Crispy Cakes are local traditional snacks, originating from the Southern Song Dynasty, famous for being "crispy, fragrant, and crunchy". They use flour as the crust, with fillings mostly of dried plum vegetables and minced pork, supplemented with sesame seeds, chopped green onions and other seasonings, baked over charcoal fire. The finished product is round, golden on the surface, with distinct layers. It is crispy and delicious, moderately salty and fragrant, with an endless aftertaste. They are sold in streets and alleys around the scenic area and specialty stores, with various flavors such as sweet and salty. Easy to carry, they are good gifts for relatives and friends.
Lanxi Egg Pancakes
Lanxi Egg Pancakes are a specialty snack in Lanxi, Jinhua, and are common in Lanxi restaurants around the scenic area. They use flour as the crust, wrap fillings such as minced pork and chopped green onions, roll into thin pancakes, and fry in a pan. When half-cooked, crack an egg into it to integrate into the pancake, and fry until both sides are golden. The finished product is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the aroma of eggs and meat blending. It is more refreshing when eaten with vinegar, loved by tourists.
Yiwu Brown Sugar Fried Dough Twists
Yiwu Brown Sugar Fried Dough Twists are traditional famous snacks in Yiwu, Jinhua, sold in specialty stores around the scenic area. They are made by frying dough twists with high-quality flour and then coating them with thick Yiwu brown sugar syrup. They taste crispy, sweet but not greasy. Brown sugar is rich in nutrients, and the fried dough twists are crispy and delicious. They are snacks that combine deliciousness and nutrition, and are also common foods during local festivals.
Farmhouse Dishes Around the Scenic Area
There are many farmhouses in Luodian Town and villages around the scenic area, offering various local specialty farmhouse dishes, such as steamed grouper, native chicken soup, and stir-fried wild bamboo shoots. Steamed grouper is taken from local streams, with tender meat and delicious taste; native chicken soup is made by slow stewing free-range native chickens, with delicious soup; stir-fried wild bamboo shoots use fresh bamboo shoots from the mountains as raw materials, fresh and refreshing, showing the dietary characteristics of mountainous areas in central Zhejiang, allowing tourists to experience authentic farmhouse flavors.
Tickets
The combined ticket is 100 yuan per person.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "金华双龙风景旅游区" to get the latest updates or buy tickets online.
Opening Hours
The opening hours are 8:00-17:00 every day (admission stops at 16:30). In winter (November to February of the next year), the opening hours may be appropriately shortened to 8:30-16:30 (admission stops at 16:00); during holidays and peak tourist seasons, the opening hours may be extended. For details, please refer to the on-site notice of the scenic area or official announcements. The opening hours of Huang Daxian Ancestral Temple, Zhizhe Temple and other attractions are the same as the main scenic area, and may be adjusted during special religious activities.
Tour Route
Tourists can enter from the scenic area entrance, first go to Shuanglong Cave, experience the unique way of "lying in a boat to enter the cave", visit the wonders and inscriptions of past dynasties in the inner and outer caves, and the playing time is about 1 hour. Then walk to Binghu Cave, about 500 meters away, to watch the waterfall wonders in the cave, feel the shock of "waterfalls and flowing springs", which takes about 40 minutes. Then go to Jinhua Guan to learn about Taoist culture, and then go to Huang Daxian Ancestral Temple along the mountain road to visit the magnificent palace buildings and pray for blessings, which takes about 1.5 hours. At noon, you can eat at restaurants near the ancestral temple or return to Luodian Town. In the afternoon, go to Zhizhe Temple to feel the tranquility and solemnity of Buddhist culture, and visit for about 1 hour; if time permits, you can go to Lutian Academy to explore the historical origin of the "Jinhua School", and play for about 1 hour. The total length of the tour route is about 10 kilometers, combining walking with the scenic area sightseeing bus (10 yuan for a single trip), with a total time of about 6-7 hours. Tourists can flexibly adjust according to their interests and physical strength.
Transportation
- Bus: You can take bus No. 318 from downtown Jinhua to Shuanglong Cave Scenic Area directly. The starting point is Jinhua Railway Station South Square, and the end point is Shuanglong Cave Station. The journey is about 1 hour, the fare is 3 yuan per person, and the frequency is about once every 30 minutes.
- Tourist special line: Jinhua Tourist Distribution Center has a tourist special line to Shuanglong Scenic Area, departing at 8:00 and 9:00 every day, and returning from the scenic area at 15:00 and 16:00. The journey is about 40 minutes, and the round-trip fare is 20 yuan per person. Reservations can be made in advance.
- Self-driving: Starting from downtown Jinhua, drive along Beishan Road towards Luodian Town, via Jinhua Mountain Tourism Highway to the scenic area. The total distance is about 15 kilometers, and the driving time is about 30 minutes. There are multiple parking lots in the scenic area, and the charging standard is 10 yuan per day for small cars and 20 yuan per day for large cars.
- Taxi: Taking a taxi from downtown Jinhua to the scenic area costs about 30-50 yuan, with a journey of about 30 minutes, which can directly reach the entrance of the scenic area.
Must-visit Attractions
- Shuanglong Cave: As a core attraction, it is famous for "lying in a boat to enter the cave" and "water and stone wonders". The outer cave covers an area of 1,200 square meters, and the inner cave covers 2,000 square meters. It has rich stalactite landscapes and many inscriptions of past dynasties, and is a must-visit place to experience cave wonders and historical culture.
- Binghu Cave: Featuring a cave waterfall with a drop of more than 20 meters, the vertical depth of the cave is 120 meters. The waterfall is majestic and is a rare cave waterfall landscape in China, cool and pleasant in summer.
- Huang Daxian Ancestral Temple: The largest Huang Daxian cultural holy land in the world, covering an area of 79,000 square meters, with magnificent buildings. It is an important attraction to learn about Huang Daxian culture and for praying and sightseeing.
Travel Suggestions
- Best travel season: Spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November) have suitable climates and beautiful scenery, which are the best seasons for traveling; summer can avoid the heat, and there are fewer tourists in winter, each with its own characteristics.
- Transportation: The attractions in the scenic area are scattered. It is recommended to take the scenic area sightseeing bus (30 yuan per person for a pass, unlimited times) to save energy; if self-driving, the itinerary can be arranged flexibly, but attention should be paid to the many curves on the mountain road.
- Catering arrangement: The catering price in the scenic area is relatively high. It is recommended to return to Luodian Town for lunch, with various choices and affordable prices. You can taste Jinhua crispy cakes, ham and other specialty foods.
- Tour time: It is recommended to arrange 1-2 days. One day can visit the main attractions, and two days can deeply experience each attraction and the surrounding village culture, with a more comprehensive feeling.
- Cultural experience: You can participate in the prayer activities of Huang Daxian Ancestral Temple, or experience meditation in Zhizhe Temple to deeply understand the local religious culture; when visiting Lutian Academy, you can combine the historical background of the "Jinhua School" to enhance the tour experience.
Matters Needing Attention
- The inside of the karst caves is slippery, and some sections are relatively dark. It is necessary to wear non-slip shoes, pay attention to safety while walking, and follow the guidance of the scenic area's signposts.
- When "lying in a boat to enter the cave", you need to lie flat, never lift your head or move around randomly, and follow the instructions of the staff to ensure safety.
- The weather in mountainous areas is changeable, so it is recommended to bring rain gear; the temperature difference inside the caves is relatively large in summer, so you can prepare a thin coat.
- Respect religious beliefs and customs. When entering temples or Taoist temples, you need to dress appropriately, not make noise, and not touch statues or offerings at will.
- Take good care of the scenic area's environment, do not litter randomly, do not damage vegetation or cultural relics and historic sites, and abide by the scenic area's regulations.
- There are many tourists during holidays. It is recommended to buy tickets in advance through the official WeChat public account and travel during off-peak hours to avoid long waiting times in queues.
- Self-driving tourists need to pay attention to driving safety on mountain roads, abide by traffic rules, and do not park randomly; smoking is prohibited in the scenic area, and the use of open flames is strictly forbidden.