The name “Xianren” means “Fairy Cave” in Chinese. It is also known as “Cave of the Silhouettes”. And, it is refered to, as in the legendary Chinese enlightened people. The ‘Xian immortals’.

The cave is famous for its prehistoric rock art that dates back to the Neolithic period, around 8,000 years ago. The rock art features human and animal figures, hunting scenes, and geometric patterns, all of which provide important information about the life and culture of the people who lived in the area at that time.

It is 7m or 23 feet high; 11m 36 feet wide; and 14m or 46 feet deep.

A 2012 publication in the Science journal, announced that the earliest pottery yet known anywhere in the world was found at this site. Radiocarbon dating between 20,000 and 19,000 years before present, at the end of the Last Glacial Period has been claimed to be found.

Xianren Cave is considered one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in China. It is open to visitors as a cultural and historical site. Check it out with some more neolithic architecture today.

Bibliography: Wu, X., Zhang, C., Goldberg, P., Cohen, D., Pan, Y., Arpin, T., & Bar-Yosef, O. (2012). Early Pottery at 20,000 Years Ago in Xianrendong Cave, China. Science, 336(6089), 1696–1700. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1218643

Wikipedia contributors. Xianren Cave. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xianren_Cave