How to Visit Yellow Dragon Cave in Hangzhou

Are you going to visit Yellow Dragon Cave during your Hangzhou tour. There are two famous attractions in China in the same name of “Yellow Dragon Cave”. One is in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province; the other in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province.

The Yellow Dragon Cave in Zhangjiajie is a cave as its name suggests, a karst cave with 2 underground rivers and hundreds of thousands of stalagmites, columns and stalactites while the so called “Yellow Dragon Cave” in Hanghzou is now actually a typical Chinese traditional garden at the foot of Xixia Range of the Northern Hill in Hangzhou.

ABC of the Yellow Dragon Cave in Hangzhou

Historically the Yellow Dragon Cave in Hangzhou used to be a buddhist temple during the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. In 1922, the Yellow Dragon Cave turned into a taoist temple. After 1949, the Yellow Dragon Cave was taken over by Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Cultural Relics. Trees were planted, bridges and pavilions repaired, made into an important attraction of the Northern Hill in Hangzhou.

The name of Yellow Dragon Cave comes from the legend that one day Monk Huikai in Southern Song Dynasty suddenly heard a loud thunder with the coming of a Yellow Dragon who brought ceaseless water gushing from its month, hence the name of “Yellow Dragon Cave”.

Now Yellow Dragon Cave in Hangzhou has less religious atmosphere. It has become a unique Chinese garden as well as a theme park or garden focused on “Good Luck”, a folk and custom of Chinese traditional culture. It is now offcially known as Yellow Dragon Cave Dressed in Green ( 黄龙吐翠）.

Location of Yellow Dragon Cave Dressed in Green (Google)

So whether you are going to visit Yellow Dragon Cave during your Hangzhou tour largely depends on your person taste. Though it is not a must see sight in Hangzhou, if you are interestd in Chinese gardening or local folk and custom, it is advisable for you to visit this special attraction in Hangzhou.