Back in 1992, a group of villagers in Longyou county, China stumbled upon an astonishing discovery. The area near the village of Shiyan Beicun was home to several ponds or rocky pools that were believed to be “bottomless” with depths that seemed to go on forever. Some of the ponds were even void of fish. In an effort to test the legend, the villagers drained one of the ponds using a hydraulic pump and were shocked to find that the “bottomless” ponds were actually ancient man-made caverns.
To date, at least 24 (with some sources stating 36) of these flooded caves have been found in the area, with no connections between them.
These remarkable caves were hand-carved out of siltstone rock and have walls that come as close as two feet to each other.
The caves also feature intricate relief carvings on the walls in vast rooms.
Although estimated to have been constructed around 2,000 years ago, it remains a mystery as to who constructed them and what they were used for.
These caves are now known as the Longyou Caves…