This tiankeng is called "Big Pot Circle" and is located in Wude Town, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province. It was discovered by cave experts in 2015. What is even more surprising is that in addition to "Big Pot Circle", there are also There are more than 10 tiankengs of various sizes, forming the largest tiankeng group in Yunnan. The largest one is shaped like a sunken iron pot, so it is called the "Big Pot Circle".
The mouth of the "Big Pot Circle" pit is a relatively regular circular body, surrounded by steep cliffs and dense vegetation. There is a cave hidden at the bottom of the pit, which is larger than a basketball court. The entrance of the cave is open and faces the tiankeng. There are several houses built, and there are 32 people living in 8 households, including adults, children and the elderly. How did they reach the bottom of the pit? Why live in a cave? What do you do for a living?
With these questions in mind, my friend and I drove to the town where the tiankeng is located. We drove along the mountain road and asked people along the way. Finally we arrived at the parking lot at the middle of the mountain and walked down to the tiankeng. I heard that there used to be no roads, and you could only use slings to go up and down. Later, a small road was built, and it went half way around the cliff of the tiankeng and slowly descended. There was a cliff on one side and a cliff on the other. It took about four steps to get to the bottom of the pit. About fifty minutes.
The area at the bottom of the pit is very large. Many vegetables, melons and fruits are planted, including corn, pumpkins and potatoes. There is a chicken coop and pig coop at the entrance of the hole, and chickens and ducks can walk around freely. There are several rows of houses built in the cave. An old woman is sitting in front of the house opposite the cave entrance. There is a small basketball court in front of the house on the left. There are two earth stoves next to it. There is a man lighting a fire in front of one of the stoves. From his He learned from his mouth that several families here had different surnames and had moved here for decades. He said that he was born and raised here. Now his children have gone to school, and the cave has water and electricity. Although it is still inconvenient to go out, it is still very comfortable to live.
Later, after searching for relevant information and asking around, I found out that the first people who moved here were lepers because it was secluded and isolated from the world. At that time, it was 1953 and the medical conditions were relatively poor. Prevent infection through this thorough isolation.
Fifty or sixty years later, they have been gradually forgotten by people. They appeared again in 2015, because cave experts discovered the tiankeng group. Only after further exploration did they discover the largest tiankeng. There is actually a cave in the "Big Pot Circle", and there are actually several families living in the cave. They are all descendants of leprosy patients back then. Because the medical level has improved now, leprosy is no longer an incurable disease like it used to be. No need to smell the color change.
After chatting with people in the cave, we learned that there is another cave inside the cave. It is unfathomable, covered with stalactites, and dripping water forms a pool. We walked out halfway and heard that we can walk if we keep walking. I went to another tiankeng, I don’t know if it’s true or not. Because the specialness and mystery of "Big Pot Circle" now attracts some people to come here to explore, and because it is isolated and very quiet, some people rent houses to live here for a long time. For many city people, this place is just like It's like a paradise.
It’s just that it’s not very convenient for the children who live here to go to school. I heard that schools outside were unwilling to accept them at first, so they could only set up a temporary classroom halfway up the mountain and hire a teacher. They came to teach. Later, the local government came forward to solve their schooling problem. Today, you can still see this classroom on the way to the pit.
From the beginning of slings going up and down, to simple dirt roads, to today's stone roads and concrete roads, the "Big Pot Circle" has become more and more convenient to connect with the outside world. I asked an elder brother who lived in a cave if he wanted to move out. He said he didn't want to, he was used to it.
If it were you, would you move away?