Karst wonderland in Southwest China

A stalactite grows from the side of the cave. [Photo by Liu Wei/chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhijindong Cave National Geopark, located 152km from Guiyang city, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, boasts the tallest and thinnest stalactite and the most densely distributed cave chambers in the world.

With the tallest stalactite trumping other stalactites by more than 150 meters and the maximum width at 175 meters, the geopark in Zhijin county covers an area of more than 700,000 square meters, which makes it two or three times larger than the world famous karst caves in European countries, including the ones in France.

The highest deposit among the 40 more kinds of deposits in the geopark is reported to be at least seven meters higher than the highest stalagmite in Cuba's Martin Hills Cave, which claims to be the world's highest.