Southwest China taps acoustics of its karst landscapes

In a cave in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, sound-healing practitioner Xiong Liying gently strikes the rim of a singing bowl with a soft mallet, and a clear, bell-like note rises from the bowl. As she circles the mallet steadily around its rim, the note swells into a long, even hum.

However, the bowls are only part of what Xiong listens to. Near the cave entrance, rain patters on leaves and wind moves through the foliage. Deeper inside, drops of water fall intermittently from the rock above.

"They fall from different heights and in different places, so each one can make a different sound," Xiong said. "Sometimes a drop falling into a metal vessel sounds different from one landing in a ceramic bowl, while the size and shape of the container can alter the note further."

For some young urban dwellers, the experience offers a moment to turn inward.

Chen Shiyu, a Shanghai resident who has been attending singing bowl sessions for the past two months, said: "Life in a big city moves fast. I'm constantly trying to keep up with work and everything else. But as soon as I hear the bowl, I feel grounded. My breathing slows down, and although I'm still aware of everything around me, I feel peaceful inside."

In Southwest China, where extensive karst landscapes are home to many caves, underground rivers and striking rock formations, sound is becoming another way to experience these subterranean spaces. Long visited for their visual spectacle, some caves are now being explored not only as places to see, but also as places to listen and reflect.

In Guizhou province, the sounds were not quite as calming, and the music scene was literally underground when the annual Colorful Guizhou Cave Music Week returned to Shuanghe Cave in Suiyang county for its fourth season. Performances spanning traditional, rock and electronic music were staged inside the cave, where organizers have developed "cave + music" alongside other experiential tourism activities.

Similar experiments have appeared elsewhere. In Yunnan province, a five-day cave coffee concert held in Lushui during the May Day holiday combined live music with a space already used for coffee, local culture and other tourism experiences.

In Guiyang, Guizhou, Liu Junliang and his team have been exploring a similar relationship between sound and stone through live concerts.

As the opening notes of The Ivory Tower, an instrumental piece by Japanese composer Takashi Kako, sounded inside a limestone cave, they struck the surrounding rock and returned across the chamber. Some echoes came back almost immediately, while others seemed to linger deeper inside the cave.

Even after the musicians stopped, Wang Xiaocui, head of the orchestra, could still hear them. "As performers, we feel that very strongly."

Liu said: "Listening to music is already enjoyable and romantic. I thought that if we moved it into a cave, with the lighting and the natural surroundings, it could create a completely different atmosphere."

Wang said that, after the concert, "I could see smiles on the audience's faces, and people naturally connecting with one another. Beyond costs and returns, bringing joy to so many people is what makes the project truly rewarding for us."