In June 1992, in the west of Longyou, west of Zhejiang Province, farmers discovered mysterious grottoes under the square ponds. They got pumps and emptied some of the ponds, of which dozens exist in the region. In fact, the farmers hoped to get fish easily by pumping the water out and selling them to the market at a profit. When they entered the Longyou caves, they were amazed because they revealed two dozen artificially created caves with a total area of 3.8 hectares. This discovery also prompted the scientists who estimated the Longyou caves to be 2000 years old. As with the Cheops pyramid, the caves have remarkable smooth walls with grooves.
Who built the Longyou caves
During their reign, the Chinese emperors recorded every building in writing, but the Longyou grottoes are not mentioned in a single document. Based on their research, the scientists found that the caves were most likely used by the military as a camp or the like. The exact purpose of the Longyou grottoes could not be determined exactly because of the few traces, so the underground structures will remain a mystery for now. The walls in the grottoes are decorated with fish tails, which were often only used before the Han Dynasty.
To date, only seven of the 24 Longyou caves, which are a popular destination for tourists, have been opened to the public. The largest cave has an area of around 3,000 square meters, the average grotto is around 30 meters high. Each cave has three to four pillars decorated with fish tails. The first grotto is also the smallest of the Longyou grottoes, on the walls of which you can see a horse, fish and bird. The Qin Dynasty, which was in power from 221 to 202 BC, is believed to have been the builder of the caves.
Researchers showed how the Longyou caves could have been created. According to this, it would have taken a hundred workers around 390 days to build a 1,000 square meter underground structure using the tools at that time. The construction time of all 24 caves would have taken decades, if not centuries, and with the technology of that time such smooth walls would hardly have been possible.
Did the Longyou caves made by machines
The origin of the Longyou grottoes remains a mystery like the Cheops pyramid, but based on the findings and that no tools were found, the caves could have been built with machines. The grooves indicate the use of machine tools such as milling. An intensive analysis would be necessary to research the construction method in detail. According to official historiography, no such machines existed in Egypt, China, South America or other countries 2000 years ago. Evidence of mechanical use in the Longyou caves is lacking and will never be found unless they have been discovered in one of the caves but kept secret from the public.
Behind the gigantic underground structures of Longyou could hide a high culture unknown to us, which is responsible for the construction of the grottoes. As a builder of the Longyou caves, aliens do not necessarily have to be considered, the explanation could one day turn out to be very earthly if a hall with milling machines or comparable machines is located in a part of the caves that is perhaps difficult to access. However, this is only speculation.
If you should visit Zhejiang Province, you can visit seven Longyou grottoes and admire the architecture of the enigmatic builders. Around Longyou, a cozy bamboo forest, centuries-old houses and the Zhaoqing temple invite you to visit. Longyou can be reached from the provincial capital of Hangzhou in less than three hours by car or coach. Spring, summer or autumn are ideal travel times to explore the Longyou caves. Since the caves are very extensive, you should never be alone, but always with a group for your own safety.
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