Longyou Caves: 24 Zhejiang caverns whose construction remains unexplained

April 08, 2026ChinaGeneralShare

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Key facts

• The caves were discovered in 1992 when farmers drained ponds in Longyou County, Quzhou, Zhejiang, China.
• The documented complex comprises 24 man-made caverns—five large and 19 smaller—with a combined area of about 30,000 m² and ceilings up to roughly 30 m.
• The excavated volume is commonly estimated at about 1 million m³, equivalent to roughly 2.5 million tonnes, but the removed rock's final disposition remains unknown.
• Archaeological estimates broadly place the complex in the late Warring States or Qin period, more than 2,000 years ago, although the exact construction date is uncertain.
• No surviving Chinese historical record explains who built the caves or why.
• Pottery and other archaeological finds have been recovered, but they do not establish a single purpose; storage, military use, and ceremonial or ritual use remain proposals.
• The video cites an estimate of 1,000 workers digging around the clock for six years, compares that labour with major pyramid projects, and infers from uniform tool marks that workers followed shared instructions. These are the presenter's interpretations, not settled archaeological findings.

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