Taogong Cave

Taogong Cave in Yongjia County, Zhejiang Province is praised by Taoists as the "12th Blessed Place in the World". It is located at the foot of Daluoyan Mountain and is a large natural cave. The cave is 56 meters high, 76 meters wide and 79 meters deep. It is the largest stone chamber in southern Zhejiang. The cave is divided into two floors, with three Guanyin pavilions built on the lower floor and a lecture platform that can accommodate hundreds of people. Behind the Tiantai is the Hu Gong Hall, which enshrines the statue of Emperor Hu Gong, and in front of it is the Wenchang Pavilion. Taogong Cave has a long history. Two thousand years ago, during the Ganlu period of the Later Han Dynasty, Taoist Fu Yinyao lived in seclusion here; during the Three Kingdoms period, Taoist Wang Xuanzhen practiced here; during the Southern Dynasties of Qi and Liang, the famous Taoist thinker Tao Hongjing, who was known as the "Prime Minister in the Mountains", lived in seclusion here and wrote the book "Zhen Gao". The palace in the cave was first built in the seventh year of Emperor Yizong of the Tang Dynasty (866), and was subsequently renovated during the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties.