With Beijing hikers we went on a trip towards Tang Dynasty Cave dwellings.

Nobody is certain exactly who it was that established the cave dwellings, some say that they were made during the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD) and inhabited for approximately 200 years, the others date the caves to later and some to earlier period. The exact time of the original excavation, history and use of these caves remains an enigma. The uncertain origin and various interesting stories add to the mysterious charm of the this caves – and I know that the title Tang Dynasty Caves could be wrong.

The cave dwellings were carved from the sandstone cliff and are extensive and well-designed, connected by tunnels and stairways, and featuring heated “kang” beds, temples and meeting rooms, and animal shelters on the lower levels. Most of the rooms are three to four cubic meters in size, and some are high up on the cliff face.

It was hard for the cave-dwellers to survive on the produce of the valley, and they would often raid the nearby villages for food (and sometimes women). This annoyed the villagers, and after a while it became known that the hidden valley was inhabited by rebels and bandits. By this time, the Tang Dynasty had fallen to the Khitans who established the Liao Dynasty (907-1125AD). The valley was besieged by the army of the Liao, and all of the inhabitants (approximately 1,000) were killed.

Local legend has it that the caves were built in the body of a dragon, and that a curious rock on one of the paths is a meteorite fallen from the sky. In the 1960s some of the caves at the foot of the valley were used to store weapons and ammunition. In 1976 the caves were damaged by an earthquake. As a result, some of outer rooms are visible in cross-section.

More info on the cave and trip with Beijing hikers