The Zhijin Cave Global Geopark is located in the western part of the Guizhou Plateau, in the Zijin County and Qianxi City of Bijie City, Guizhou Province. The main part (Zijin Cave, Qijie River scenic area and most of Dongfeng Lake scenic area) is located in Zijin County. The geographical coordinates are 26°43′27″~26°52′25″N, 105°49′13″~106°10′21″E. The park covers an area of 201.72 km² with an altitude of 900 ～ 1670m. It was awarded the qualification of "National Geopark" in 2004 and officially opened in January 2006. On September 19, 2015, at the 4th Asia-Pacific Geopark Network Seminar held in the World Geopark Network Center of the Japanese Sanin Coast World Geopark, the Zhijin Cave Global Geopark was officially approved by UNESCO to join the World Geopark Network Center, becoming a new member of the World Geopark Family.
Zhijin Cave, composed of Zhijin Cave, Qijie River, and Dongfeng Lake, which represent different stages of karst development, is one of the outstanding representative sites of the evolution history of karst caves and their chemical sediments, and is one of the most unique natural beauty and important aesthetic value areas in karst caves. The park is rich in geological relics, which can be summarized into 11 categories: karst cave relics, karst canyon relics, karst natural bridge relics, karst pit relics, karst peak forest relics, karst hills relics, karst mons and fantastic mountains relics, karst hydrological relics, paleontological fossil relics, stratum and rock relics, and structural relics, etc. They are based on the Triassic marine carbonate rocks and are concentrated in the three relatively independent karst landform units of Zhijin Cave, Qijie River, and Dongfeng Lake, which are closely connected by Qijie River. Together, they form a comprehensive geopark with a variety of karst landscapes, including caves, canyons, natural bridges, and pits, with magnificent, typical, beautiful, and rare plateau karst landscapes, as well as a variety of rich human and biological landscapes.
The special features of Zijin Cave - is the most unique natural beauty and the most important aesthetic value area of karst caves:
(1) The most densely distributed tourist caves in the world.
(2) The most densely distributed and diverse karst caves in the world for tourism
(3) The world's most tourist caves with the most rare stalactite shapes
Therefore, Zijin Cave, with its systematic and complete evolution of karst caves, is the most unique natural beauty and the most important aesthetic value area in karst caves, which makes Zijin Cave stand out from the many caves that have already entered the World Geopark Network and the World Natural Heritage List, and is praised by Feng Mu, a famous contemporary Chinese writer and literary critic, as "Not to see the mountains after returning from Mount Huangshan, and no cave after Zijin Cave". It was also rated as the "Most Beautiful Cave in China" by the "China National Geography" magazine.
On December 11, 2025, the Jingpo Lake Management Committee inspection team arrived in Guiyang City to conduct preliminary research. The next day, we went to Zhijin County, Bijie City, focusing on the Zhijin Cave Global Geopark. Accompanied by local staff, the inspection team first visited the Zhijin Cave Global Geopark Museum and systematically learned about its geological evolution, karst landform characteristics and scientific value. Subsequently, they conducted an on-site inspection of the core scenic spot of Zhijin Cave and gained an in-depth understanding of its large-scale cave system, rich karst sediment forms, scientific protection and management measures, and operation model. After the inspection, Jingpohu Global Geopark and Zhijin Cave Global Geopark Management Bureau successfully signed an agreement to establish sister parks.
The Zhijin Cave Global Geopark Official Website:（https://www.zjdgeopark.com/cn）
