Hi guys. Today I will take you to the mysterious Huashan Grottos, a huge man-made intricate
cave system which is dated at least 1,700 years old. The dating of these grottos is
based upon the age of the stalactites found inside. Thus the grottos could be much older.
There are zero historical records for the grottos. World Scientists in the fields of
archaeology, architecture, engineering, and geology have no consensus on the caves origin
or purpose. The Huashan Grottoes are located near a river
in China’s Anhui province. Huashan Grottoes, in Chinese, literally means Mystical Grottos
in Flower Hill. It is a beautiful scenic area. In the year 2000, a farmer was fetching firewood
on a hill when he fell into a big cave. The local government then started a survey and
found a total of 36 artificial grottoes hidden in Flower Hill. This find extended about 5
kilometers or 3 miles. So these caves you see on the screen, were discovered only 20
years ago. They are considered the largest underground ancient structure in China. At
least 100,000 tons of rock was excavated to make these grottoes yet no rock debris was
found. On a side note, not too far away from Huashan a new site was discovered with another
36 grottos, all built in a similar fashion. It seems quite possible that more such cave
systems are yet to be found. How exciting! Currently only three of the grottos at Huashan
are open to the public; Grottos 2, 24 and 35. Most of them are untouched. Grotto 2,
also called Huanxi cave, has a huge opening hall, at a length of 140 meters or 160’
and an area that covers over 1 acre. It has two levels with the lower level not yet excavated.
The main hall is wide enough for a car to drive through. The Huashan grottos have organic-looking
layouts with almost haphazardly placed rooms and pillars. The interior man-made tool marks
are very well preserved and show advanced technology. The stone pillars are in unusual
shapes and sizes. There are a few pools of water that are pretty deep and stay filled
all the time. The water here is high in minerals with no fish. The average ceiling heights
are about 4 meters or 13’ High. The grottos keep a year-round temperature at about 15
degrees Celsius or 59 degrees Fahrenheit; so under the summer’s scorching sun, the
grottos are a great place to hang out; and once inside one can see cold mist creating
a layer of fog. During the excavation of Grotto 2, porcelain
plate fragments along with iron tools were found. Look at these small tools, which are
the size of a rice bowl. Does anyone believe these tools could have built the cavernous
grottos and created these large marks? I don’t think so. Probably someone found this cave,
brought in plates and tools and used the grotto as a retreat. The most surprising finds in
Grotto 2 are a set of dinosaur footprints dating 65-120 millions years old, and a petrified
wood fossil dating 150 millions years old. Dinosaurs ran around in this region during
the Cretaceous period. So the footprint fossil was found locally. It appears the original
builders worked around the petrified wood log and made a chamber for it. Special conditions
must be met in order for the fallen wood to be transformed into petrified wood. This log
in Huashan has been preserved through silicification, which can be done by regular access to mineral-rich
water in contact with the plant tissues, thus replacing the organic plant structure with
inorganic minerals. Usually such petrified wood is found in groups, like the Petrified
Forest National Park in Arizona. Where did the other petrified wood go at Huashan? Were
the grottos a mineral mine? These caves remain mineral rich through hundreds of millions
of years. Is it possible that the original builders of Huashan Grottos were mining minerals
or fossils? Grotto 35 is known as the 'Underground Palace'
due to its magnificent scale and layout. With a total length of 170 meters, the cave covers
an area of 12,600 square meters or more than 3 acres. The original cave excavation could
have produced at least 50,000 cubic meters of stone, which would fill 15 Olympic-size
swimming pools. Upon entering Grotto 35, you find a grand hall with pools, pillars and
rooms of various sizes on each side. The lowest level is called ‘clear water pool.’ The
water here is 2m or 6.6’ lower than the nearby Xin’an river. This means the water
in the grotto is not directly connected to the river; or the water level would be the
same. Then where did the cave water come from? The water here is high in minerals and different
from the local river’s freshwater. A two-storey H-shape stone structure is near the entrance
where visitors have a bird's eye view of the huge cave. The ceilings, pillars and walls
seem to be randomly shaped. The lighting created by the grottos gives off an other-worldly
look. The elevation difference inside the cave is about 20m or 66’. Both Grotto 2
and 35 have dramatic sloped ceilings in some areas. The 45 degree inclined ceilings slope
downhill and coincide exactly with the slope of the Flower Hill So the grottos are not
poking through the ground. This is an amazing architectural accomplishment and shows sophisticated
knowledge! Huashan grottos are well-made and properly
ventilated. There is no echoing; perhaps it would be an ideal place for meditation. There
are many different tool marks in the grottos as if the builders were trying out various
tools. These marks are distinct and large, very similar to the oversized, uniformed markings
found at Longyou caves, Yangshan quarry, Baalbeck and Petra. Bazda caves in Turkey share similarities
with Huashan Grottos as well. The pillars, the layered tool marks and stone finishes
at Bazda caves are very much the same with Huashan Grottos. In my previous video, I explained
why it is impossible for these megalithic sites to have been created by hand tools such
as chisels or pickaxes. Then how were they built? One clear clue is that the tool marks
at these sites all match modern day machine marks. I believe these megalithic marvels
were built by one or more lost ancient civilizations with high-evolved machinery. Mainstream theorists
haven’t considered this explanation because they don’t want to look further back than
6k years and the possibility that advanced civilizations existed before the Mesopotamian
and Egyptian cultures. Grotto 24 is different from the other two.
It has four stories with three submerged in a lake, only the top level is above water.
You need to take a boat to gain access. There are 6 giant pillars on each level thus 24
pillars altogether for the 4 levels. These pillars are more rectangular and uniformed.
Each pillar would take at least 4 people with their arms outstretched to surround it. The
pillars and beams match the hill slope as well, which creates uneven ceiling heights
as seen here. Many mysteries still beg for answers. Why
and how were these grottos built? Where did the carved out stone go after excavation?
How was the stone cut and transported? Why are there man-made pools and multiple floors
in the caves? There is only one pillar showing signs of torch smoke and the rest of the grottos
remain clear of any signs of oil lamps or torches. Some scholars think the grottos were
quarries. But how did the ancient workers quarry stone in the dark? The sandstone here
is not high-quality and does not match the stone that was used in nearby archeological
sites. Even if the masons found this stone type useful, why didn’t they quarry the
stone from the ground, as an open-pit quarry? Wouldn’t that have made more sense? What
was the point of carefully carving out these grottos into different levels with separated
stone chambers and pools, if the stone was supposed to be transported elsewhere?
Other hypotheses include the grottoes being used as tombs or storage. But such interpretations
are far-fetched. Neither tombs nor funeral offerings were found. Today the grottos still
have many pools, and water in tombs or mausoleums is considered a big design flaw in China and
strictly prohibited. This damp and moist feature also makes these grottos unsuitable for storage.
Another hypothesis is that the caves were used to station troops. According to Chinese
historical records, army troops may have gathered near this area. But wouldn’t it be too time-consuming
to create these grottos just for hiding and training soldiers? And why would a king or
emperor decide to train and station his army in caves that have no day light or big open
dry areas? How would the army eat and cook in such a situation? The single entryway with
no other exit is illogical for a quartering army since it would be very vulnerable to
a siege. Huashan Grottos remain an archeological conundrum
that raises perplexing questions. One can only marvel at the grottos’ scale, the incredible
work that went into making them, and the fact that they survived and remained hidden until
the year 2000. I believe Huashan Grottos, along with other
ancient sites in Baalbeck, Petra, Yanghsan Quarry, Longyou Caves and Bazda Caves, were
created by lost civilizations with advanced machinery comparable to modern day technology.
What do you think? If you have any insights, please leave me
a comment. I would love to hear from you. If you like my video, please give me a thumbs
up and subscribe. I have a wide range of topics that I want to share with you. This is Curious
Being, I am Tina. Thanks for watching and see you next time!