Upon entering the Swallow Cave in Guiding County, Guizhou Province, the cell phone signal completely disappeared after about 100 meters. After half an hour of trudging along the cave walls using both hands and feet, the reporter from *Ban Yue Tan* finally reached a temporary rest stop. Sweat-soaked back pressed against the cool stone wall, strangely shaped stalactites above, and ancient fossils embedded in the rock face. Work news and social noise were completely shut out by the imposing mountain.

More and more young people are flocking to Guizhou specifically for this "secluded" experience. A popular video on a short video platform titled "Guizhou Cave Exploration" has garnered over 5 million likes, and related topics on social media have exceeded 100 million views. Young people are increasingly exploring the remote mountain caves of counties and townships. The photos and captions they share on social media are no longer the standard tourist pictures from famous scenic spots, but rather images of them wearing headlamps, "climbing walls" in caves, paddling on emerald underground rivers, and sitting and drinking coffee in deep caves, accompanied by captions like "lost from the earth's core" and "body and soul shaken."

It's not just about "looking at the stones," it's about buying the "experience."

“Every step inside is unknown, and I’m willing to pay for that thrill.” Chang Ting, a tourist from Xi’an, made a special trip to Guizhou after seeing an adventure video of Swallow Cave online. She spent two of her three-day trip to Guizhou in the cave.

The cultural tourism industry in Guizhou's karst caves has long since moved beyond the single model of "walking trails, watching lights, and taking pictures of stalactites," evolving into a multi-tiered and diverse experiential industry to cater to tourists with different needs.

"Hardcore" adventure was the first category to break through. Swallow Cave, which Chang Ting visited, is a typical example. Here, natural cave passages are used to create a multi-dimensional experience with ziplines, wire bridges, and via ferrata, balancing adventure with safety. In Guizhou, similar and even more advanced cave adventure projects have matured in Qiannan, Anshun, and the surrounding areas of Guiyang, with prices ranging from three or four hundred to over a thousand yuan.

The "water cave" experience, centered around underground rivers, has also developed into a branded phenomenon. The Zunyi Suiyang Twelve Backs Tourist Area, developed earlier, leverages the Shuanghe Cave (Asia's longest cave) and surrounding scenic areas to create businesses such as underground river rafting, underground hiking, and cliffside cafes. During the 2026 May Day holiday, it received over 60,000 visitors, an increase of approximately 33% year-on-year.

Shilong Cave in Qingzhen City, Guiyang, takes the "water" experience to the extreme. With its unique immersive experience of paddleboarding through an emerald-colored underground river, and equipped with photo services suitable for social media sharing, the underground river adventure project here has an average price of 1,280 yuan per person. However, in 2025, it received more than 13,000 visitors and generated more than 10 million yuan in revenue.

Leisure-oriented experiences cater to a wider range of public needs. A cave waterfall café in Xixiu District, Anshun City, utilizes five natural karst caves to create a scenic landscape. Waterfalls cascade down the rock walls, warm lighting accentuates the stalactites, and the aroma of coffee mingles with the steam. In just over three months since opening, its revenue has exceeded 3 million yuan.

A newly opened café in Xiuwen District, Guiyang, nestled inside a cave-like sinkhole, has recently become a social media sensation. Perched at the bottom of the natural sinkhole, it enjoys natural light overhead, with staggered stone steps and lush greenery beneath its feet, surrounded by rock walls that create a secluded valley. Many netizens who have visited have commented that it is "a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle, incredibly therapeutic."

Beyond simply drinking coffee in caves, the functional boundaries of caves continue to expand, from cave concerts to cave camping.

From enthusiast to entrepreneur

Behind these unique new ways of playing is a group of young people who have planted the seeds of entrepreneurship in the caves of Guizhou. Among them, some have transformed from seasoned outdoor enthusiasts into project developers, while others have given up their experience in big companies and returned from first-tier cities to start from scratch.

Song Yuanqiao and Zhao Fei were among the earliest caving enthusiasts in Guizhou, both with years of cave rescue experience. "When we started leading caving expeditions in 2018, nobody paid any attention. Who would have thought it would suddenly become so popular in the last two years?" Song Yuanqiao witnessed the explosive growth of "caving experiences" in Guizhou. "In 2023, inquiries skyrocketed. Many ordinary tourists who had never been outdoors before were asking where they could go caving."

Having keenly grasped the market demand, the two started the development of the Swallow Cave in Guiding three years ago. In order to turn their niche hobby into a commercially viable product with standardized operations, they made a special trip to countries with mature cave industries, such as Hungary and Spain, to learn about route design, industry standards, and safety regulations.

Song Yuanqiao and Zhao Fei turned their hobby into a career, while Peng Wei and his friends seized the opportunity presented by the "caving craze" in a different way. Peng Wei lived and worked in Shenzhen for over ten years, working for major internet companies and globally renowned creative marketing firms. "The longer I'm away from home, the more I miss the mountains and rivers of my hometown," he said.

Gao Shenghua, an old classmate who is passionate about outdoor adventures, traveled all over Guizhou and came up with the idea of opening a shop in a karst cave. Last year, they hit it off immediately, chose a location, and got to work, finally opening their coffee shop in a karst cave in the countryside of Xiuwen County, Guiyang City. During peak season, they sell more than 300 cups of coffee a day, and during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, they sell more than 600 cups of coffee a day on average. Beyond selling coffee, they are also exploring ways to collaborate with surrounding scenic spots.

The expansion of the industry has also opened up new career opportunities for local young people. Lei Yinggui, 23, is a coach leading a team at Yanzidong. He started in 2021 with no prior experience and has gradually grown into a professional coach capable of leading teams independently. "Before, most people who studied sports became basketball or football coaches after graduation. Now there are more career options," Lei Yinggui said.

Guarding the border amidst the fervor

The industry is experiencing explosive growth, but regulations are still catching up. Whether it's caving projects or opening cave cafes, these entrepreneurs hope for "legal guidance," but they've also witnessed "both those with and without ethical boundaries engaging in unethical practices." Lacking unified standards, these young people can only explore the boundaries on their own in their respective fields.

Peng Wei explained that during the initial design phase, a more eye-catching design was abandoned to avoid damaging the cave structure. All sewage pipelines inside and outside the mountain were also connected to the village and town's pipe network to prevent sewage from flowing into the land. He hopes for clear rules, "so that those who follow the rules don't suffer losses, and those who break the rules pay the price."

Faced with this "karst cave economy" sweeping across the mountains and fields, Guizhou did not follow the old path of developing first and then regulating, nor did it simply ban it. Zhang Zaijie, Dean of the Green Development Strategy Research Institute of Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, said: "Guizhou needs a key to unlock the depths of the earth and transform underground wonders into surface wealth, and the name of that key is karst cave resource management."

In late 2024, Guizhou began to "take stock of its resources." First, it issued the "Implementation Plan for Strengthening the Management and Ecological Protection of Karst Cave Resources in Guizhou Province," requiring the classification and filing of karst cave resources within the province, the delineation of red lines, the rational development and utilization, and the establishment of a regulatory system. In 2025, a special survey of karst caves led by the Guizhou Provincial Department of Natural Resources showed that the number of various karst cave entrances in Guizhou had increased from approximately 25,600 previously identified to 42,800. This year, the "Regulations on the Management of Karst Caves in Guizhou Province" has begun preliminary research and argumentation work for legislation.

Peng Wei's expectations are becoming a reality. He said that since the opening, several departments have come to conduct research, "not to find fault, but to sit in our rooms and ask about our actual difficulties, and discuss how to clearly define which boundaries." (Source: Banyuetan)