Located to the north of West Lake and opposite the Huanglong Sports Center, the Huanglong Cave Scenic Area, also known as ‘Huanglong Cave Yuanyuan Folk Park,’ is a well-established attraction in Hangzhou. It serves not only as a pleasant urban park but also as a popular spot for locals and tourists seeking marital destinies. Additionally, the ‘Huanglong Spouting Jade’ within the scenic area is one of the New Ten Scenes of West Lake. Upon entering the scenic area, a stone inscribed with the large character ‘Yuan’ (meaning destiny) greets visitors, highlighting the theme of Huanglong Cave. Almost all the landscapes within the area are related to ‘dragon’ and ‘destiny’. On the left of the walkway, there is a sculpture of ‘Liu Hai Playing with the Toad’, and on the right, in the ‘Tou Yuan Pool’, there are six child statues representing wealth, love, marriage, literature, official career, and progeny, carrying ancient copper coins. Straight ahead lies the Matchmaker Temple, and adjacent to it, the Fang Bamboo Garden features many robust and upright square bamboos. Their uniqueness lies in the fact that some bamboo poles appear round when seen but feel square when touched, a rarity in the Hangzhou area and a distinctive feature of Huanglong Cave. Exiting the Fang Bamboo Garden, one is faced with the traditional main attraction of Huanglong Cave and one of the New Ten Scenes of West Lake, ‘Huanglong Spouting Jade’. However, this man-made dragon head spouting water into a small pond after cascading down several meters of stone steps may appear underwhelming to some. Further inside, after passing by Huang Da Xian Cave, turning left along the path leads to the Yuanyuan Terrace, which features a massive concentric lock symbolizing ‘golden jade good fortune’. Couples or friends who visit can hang their locks on the red thread nearby, and revisiting to find them later adds a special touch. Additionally, there is a stage within the scenic area where traditional opera performances are often held for free viewing. Sitting down for a cup of tea and enjoying the opera is quite a delightful experience. The scenic area is open all year round from 07:30 to 17:00.
Preferential policies include free admission for children under 6 years old or under 1.2 meters in height, half-price for children aged 6 to 18 years old, half-price for students with valid identification who are enrolled in full-time undergraduate or lower-level education, half-price for seniors aged 60 to 69 with valid identification, free for those aged 70 and above with valid identification, free for active-duty military personnel, retired cadres, disabled veterans, and retired officers with valid identification, free for dependents of martyrs, dependents of military personnel who died in the line of duty, and dependents of deceased military personnel with valid identification, free for firefighting and rescue personnel with valid identification, free for on-duty public security police with valid identification, free for people with disabilities with valid identification, free for teachers with more than 30 years of teaching experience with valid identification, and free for blood donors with ‘Zhejiang Province Voluntary Blood Donation Honor Certificate’ and their ID. Hangzhou main urban area talent code A-E category: free for those with Hangzhou main urban area talent code A-E category. Q category Qinghe code: a supplementary fee of 4 yuan is required for Q category Qinghe code at the scenic area ticket window. Supplementary fee of 4 yuan for users with a park annual card or a Hangzhou Citizen Card with an activated park annual card for that year, payable at the scenic area ticket window. Additional note: Adolescents and students must present valid identification such as a resident ID or student card when entering the park.For inbound teenagers from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, with valid identification such as Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao Residents, Exit-Entry Permit for Taiwan Residents to and from Mainland China or student certificates, they can all enjoy preferential policies. If you do not meet the above free ticket or preferential conditions, please do not purchase half-price tickets and preferential tickets! If you have purchased, please apply for a refund by yourself and re-book tickets.
