Luobi Cave
| Luobi Cave | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lizhigou Town ( quả vải mương trấn ),HainanProvince, People's Republic of China |
18°19′49″N109°32′52″E/ 18.3304°N 109.5478°E
Luobi Cave(simplified Chinese:Đặt bút động;traditional Chinese:Đặt bút động;pinyin:Luòbǐ Dòng;lit.'hanging pen cave') is akarstcave under the west face of Yin Ridge (Ấn lĩnh) located 7 km (4.3 mi) north east of Lizhigou Town (Quả vải mương trấn), 15 km (9.3 mi) fromSanyaCity,HainanProvince, People's Republic of China.
Features[edit]
The entrance to the cave is approximately 12 m (39 ft) high and 9 m (30 ft) wide. Inside the apex reaches a height of 18 m (59 ft) with a floor area of about 140 m2(1,500 sq ft)[1]Two largestalactiteshang down from the roof like large pens, hence the cave's name.
History[edit]
A number of inscriptions carved into the walls of the cave are believed to date to theYuan Dynasty(1271–1368). One of these refers to the precise date of 1283 CE.[2]Luobi Cave is later mentioned inMing Dynastyrecords for Hainan (Quỳnh đài chí) compiled at the time of theZhengde Emperor(r. 1505–1525 CE) which note the cave's stalactites and their unending flow of water.[3]
Archaeological finds[edit]
Between 1992 and 1993, archaeologists carried out a comprehensive excavation and survey of the Luobi Cave over an area of 70 m2(750 sq ft).[4]They discovered eight fossilised human teeth, stone and bone tools, as well as several hundred fossilised animal bones, more than 70,000 sea shells and evidence of ancient fires.Radiocarbon datingtechniques show that the finds are from the lateUpper Paleolithicera around 10,000 years ago and represent the earliest evidence of human activity in Hainan as well as the southernmost occurrence of stone tools from this period.[4][5]Very few fossilised fish bones were discovered at the Luobi site, indicating that the inhabitants of the cave had yet to master the skill of fishing. The few fish they did obtain were probably found in rocky pools along the coast having been swept ashore.[4]
Since 2001 the Luobi Cave has been a national protected cultural site.[5]
Folklore[edit]
According to legend, anyone coming into contact with water dripping from Luobi Cave's stalactites will become a talented writer whilst a number of large flat rocks scattered across the floor of the cave are said to beinkstonesonce used byTaoistImmortals.The smaller Xianlang Cave (Tiên lãng động) nearby is claimed to have been the home of female immortal who descended from heaven and married a man from the localLi minority.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^"Sanya's Luobi Cave - Hainan's silent tourism resource ( Tam Á đặt bút động di chỉ —— Hải Nam không ứng trầm mặc du lịch tài nguyên )"(in Chinese). China News. September 15, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 11,2011.
- ^"Sanya's Luobi Cave - a cultural bridge between the past and present ( Tam Á đặt bút động: Văn hóa du lịch thừa trước khải sau )"(in Chinese). People's Daily, Hainan. July 3, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 11,2011.
- ^ab"Luobi Cave ( đặt bút động )"(in Chinese).Xinhua.November 6, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon March 2, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 11,2011.
- ^abc"Traces of ancient man at Luobi Cave, Sanya ( Tam Á quả vải mương đặt bút động cổ nhân loại di chỉ )"(in Chinese). September 30, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon July 12, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 11,2011.
- ^ab"The Sanya Luobi Cave Site ( Tam Á đặt bút động di chỉ )"(in Chinese). China Paleontology Association, Nanjing Paleoanthropology Research Institute,Chinese Academy of Sciences( Trung Quốc viện khoa học Nam Kinh địa chất cổ sinh vật viện nghiên cứu Trung Quốc cổ sinh vật học sẽ ). January 13, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon July 7, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 11,2011.
