Yellow Dragon Cave in Hangzhou

Hidden among the lush forests and bamboo groves at the northern foot of Qixia Ridge (栖霞岭), just beside West Lake, lies a garden with a character completely different from Hangzhou's better-known lakeside attractions—Huanglong Cave (黄龙洞).

It is not one of the largest scenic spots in Hangzhou, nor is it usually crowded with tourists. Yet it is the setting of “Yellow Dragon Spitting Greenery” (黄龙吐翠), one of the New Ten Scenes of West Lake, and one of the city's most unusual cultural destinations, bringing together Buddhist and Taoist traditions, folk customs, classical gardens, and traditional opera.

If you want to experience a different side of Hangzhou, Huanglong Cave offers an especially charming combination: listen to Yue Opera, make a wish at the Matchmaker Shrine, and stroll through a peaceful garden filled with bamboo, springs, pavilions, and old legends.

The Yellow Dragon Legend from the Southern Song Dynasty

The story of Huanglong Cave dates back more than 700 years to the Southern Song Dynasty.

In 1247, during a severe drought in Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Lizong called upon Master Huikai (慧开禅师), a respected Buddhist monk from the Hangzhou area, to pray for rain.

According to local legend, Huikai sat in meditation and recited Buddhist scriptures. Before long, heavy rain began to fall.

The story becomes even more mythical from there. After the rain ceremony, Huikai reportedly walked to a cave in the mountains and planted his Buddhist staff into the ground. Suddenly, thunder echoed through the mountains, a clear spring burst from a crack in the rocks, and the shape of a dragon's head appeared.

People believed that the legendary Yellow Dragon from Huanglong Mountain in Jiangxi had followed Huikai to Hangzhou.

The emperor was delighted. Huikai was honored with the title “Foyan Chan Master”, while the site was granted the name Huguo Long Shrine.

From that point onward, Huanglong Cave became a famous place for praying for rain.

The site was associated with Buddhism throughout the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, before being converted into a Taoist temple in the early Republican period.

Few places in Hangzhou so vividly preserve the intertwining of Buddhist traditions, Taoist culture, folk beliefs, and local legends.

“Yellow Dragon Spitting Greenery”: A Garden Built Around “Yuan”

Today, Huanglong Cave forms part of Huanglong Cave Yuanyuan Folk Culture Park (黄龙洞圆缘民俗园), a traditional-style garden built around the idea of “yuan” (缘)—the invisible connections and relationships that bring people together.

The centerpiece is “Yellow Dragon Spitting Greenery” (黄龙吐翠).

A huge dragon head carved into the rocky hillside appears to pour a clear mountain spring continuously into a pool below. Water cascades from the dragon's mouth, splashing into the pool like strings of pearls.

A large stone stands in the water, engraved on one side with “Water Need Not Be Deep” (水不在深) and on the other with “Where There Is a Dragon, There Is Spiritual Power” (有龙则灵), echoing the famous opening lines of Liu Yuxi's Inscription of the Humble House.

The garden itself is filled with pine trees, bamboo, rockeries, winding paths, pavilions, and covered corridors. More than a dozen varieties of bamboo, including square bamboo, purple bamboo, and fiddle-string bamboo, create a lush green landscape throughout the year.

But what makes Huanglong Cave particularly unusual is its pervasive culture of “yuan”—the idea of destined connections between people.

Matchmaker Shrine: A Place to Pray for Love

The Matchmaker Shrine (月老祠) is one of the most popular attractions in the garden.

According to traditional Chinese folklore, Yue Lao, the Old Man Under the Moon, is the deity responsible for bringing people together in love and marriage. Inside the shrine, his statue holds a symbolic marriage document, representing his role as the heavenly matchmaker.

Visitors traditionally wash their hands, calm their minds, and pray for good fortune in love. Many come to draw a love fortune slip or tie a red ribbon as a symbolic wish for romance and happiness.

The custom attracts both young people hoping to meet a future partner and married couples wishing for a harmonious relationship.

The garden also features what is described as China's largest bronze “Heart-Locking” sculpture, measuring around 5 meters in diameter.

Couples can place their own wishes on the enormous lock at Yuanyuan Terrace (圆缘台), symbolically locking their relationship into a traditional Chinese image of a perfect match.

Whether you believe in fate or simply enjoy Chinese folk culture, the Matchmaker Shrine offers an entertaining glimpse into a very different side of traditional Chinese customs.

A Traditional Opera Haven: Experience Old Hangzhou Life

For many longtime Hangzhou residents, Huanglong Cave is also known for something much more down-to-earth: traditional opera.

The Xiyuan Grand Stage (禧园大舞台) hosts professional performances by the Huanglong Yue Opera Troupe throughout the year.

Performances include Yue Opera (越剧) and Hang Opera (杭剧), with around six performances a day, generally running from approximately 9:30 AM to 3:45 PM.

Classic stories such as The Butterfly Lovers and The Legend of the White Snake are performed with the distinctive singing style of Yue Opera, accompanied by the gentle sounds of traditional Jiangnan musical instruments.

For the price of a single entrance ticket, visitors can spend hours listening to traditional Chinese opera in the middle of a peaceful garden.

Hang Opera was included in Zhejiang Province's first batch of intangible cultural heritage, while Huanglong Cave's traditional opera study and cultural experience has also been included among Hangzhou's early intangible cultural heritage study-tour routes.

Just outside the garden, visitors can also find one of Hangzhou's well-known matchmaking corners, where local residents gather to help introduce potential partners.

From traditional beliefs and matchmaking customs to opera and everyday social life, Huanglong Cave offers an unusually authentic glimpse into the “old Hangzhou” way of life.

Travel Tips for Huanglong Cave

Best Time to Visit:
Huanglong Cave is suitable for visiting throughout the year.

• Spring: Fresh bamboo and greenery
• Summer: Cool mountain springs and shaded paths
• Autumn: Red leaves and pleasant weather
• Winter: Quiet gardens and fewer visitors

For the most peaceful experience, arrive around 7:30 AM, shortly after opening, when the garden is at its quietest.

Opening Hours:
7:30 AM–5:30 PM daily, with last admission at 5:15 PM.

Admission:

• Adult: approximately RMB 15
• Students and visitors aged 60–69: 50% discount
• Visitors under 18 and aged 70 or above: free
• Hangzhou Park Pass: accepted

Advance reservations and ticket purchases may be available through the West Lake Tourism official WeChat account, generally up to three days ahead.

Recommended Visiting Time:
Allow around 2–3 hours for the garden. If you want to stay for a traditional opera performance, consider allowing half a day.

How to Get There

By Metro — Recommended:
Take Metro Line 3 to Huanglongdong Station and leave through Exit C. The entrance is only about a 100-meter walk away.

By Bus:
Routes including 16, 28, 87, 103, 282, 318, and 505 stop at Huanglongdong.

By Car:
Navigate to Huanglong Cave Scenic Area Parking Lot. Parking can be difficult on weekends, so public transportation is recommended.

Suggested Route

Entrance → “Yuan” Character Stele → Yellow Dragon Spring → Square Bamboo Garden → Matchmaker Shrine → Xiyuan Grand Stage → Yuanyuan Terrace and Heart-Locking Sculpture → Exit

This route covers the garden's main natural, cultural, and entertainment highlights without requiring a long hike.

Best Photography Spots

• Yellow Dragon Spring: The dragon-head fountain is the garden's signature landmark and the best place to capture the theme of “Yellow Dragon Spitting Greenery.”
• Matchmaker Shrine: The red ribbons hanging around the shrine create a distinctive and colorful background.
• Yuanyuan Terrace: The giant heart-lock sculpture makes a fun photograph for couples.
• Bamboo Groves and Pavilions: The combination of bamboo, traditional corridors, rockeries, and shaded pathways creates an elegant Jiangnan atmosphere.
• Xiyuan Grand Stage: Traditional opera performances provide an excellent opportunity to capture a glimpse of old Hangzhou cultural life.

Traditional Chinese clothing such as Hanfu, or simply light-colored clothing, works particularly well against the garden's bamboo groves and classical architecture.

Explore the Area Around Huanglong Cave

Huanglong Cave enjoys an excellent location close to several major West Lake attractions.

After visiting the garden, you can head west toward Baoshi Mountain (宝石山) and climb to Chuyang Terrace (初阳台) for panoramic views over West Lake.

From there, it is easy to continue toward Yue Fei Temple (岳王庙) and Quyuan Garden (曲院风荷).

If you have more time, Su Causeway (苏堤) and Gushan Island (孤山) can also be added to your itinerary.

A convenient half-day route could be:

Huanglong Cave → Baoshi Mountain → Chuyang Terrace → Yue Fei Temple → Quyuan Garden

This combines a traditional garden, a short mountain walk, historical heritage, and classic West Lake scenery in a single outing.

Why Visit Huanglong Cave?

From the Southern Song legend of Master Huikai praying for rain to the red ribbons tied before the Matchmaker Shrine; from centuries of Buddhist and Taoist traditions to the lively Yue Opera performances at Xiyuan Grand Stage, Huanglong Cave brings together legend, gardens, folk culture, traditional opera, and local life in one compact destination.

It may not have the fame of West Lake's Broken Bridge or Su Causeway, but that is precisely its charm.

Here, the spring keeps flowing, the opera keeps playing, and people still come to make wishes for love and good fortune.

If you want to discover a quieter side of Hangzhou and experience something beyond the usual West Lake sightseeing route, come to Huanglong Cave.

Listen to a Yue Opera performance, tie a red ribbon at the Matchmaker Shrine, stroll beneath the bamboo, and slow down for an afternoon in the old Hangzhou way.