The titular reeds which once stood outside Reed Flute Cave - or Ludi Yan - are gone, but the stalactites and stalagmites which plunge and thrust through this extraordinary hollow aren’t going anywhere. Even better, they’re dolled up by kaleidoscopic lighting to create mesmerizing, dreamlike scenes, reflected in the cave’s still waters. The 787-ft (240m) site is navigated alternately on foot and in a boat and has been attracting admirers for centuries, as the Tang Dynasty graffiti will attest.
Different points along the cave bear names like Virgin Forest, Crystal Palace, Flower and Fruit Mountain, and naturally there are myths behind the formation of various rock-forms, but the vistas could just as easily have come from a distant planet. Come back to Earth with a stroll around the pavilions of nearby Ludi Park.
Reed Flute Cave is north-west of central Guilin and can be reached by the tourist bust 58.
