The internal landscape of Shanlin Cave, a branch of Shuanghe Cave. In the summer of 2024, college students from various universities will carry out research and study activities in Shuanghedong. Jean Potasi (left) and Chinese experts observe giant panda fossils in a branch cave of Shuanghe Cave. Shuanghe Inn, Shuanghe Village, Suiyang County. In 2023, the 22nd Shuanghedong International Cave Science Expedition will be held in Suiyang County. During the 22nd International Cave Science Expedition in Shuanghe Cave, Chinese and foreign scientific expedition members observed the rock wall in a branch cave of Shuanghe Cave. The flowing water is like a sharp carving knife, carving the inside and outside of the stone mountain into the shape one wants. Over millions of years, with the passage of time and the movement of mountains and rivers, one of the largest karst cave groups in China, the Shuanghe Cave Group, has formed in Suiyang County, Zunyi City, northern Guizhou Province. The structure inside the cave is complex, with both water caves and dry caves coexisting. The cave is connected to each other and is known as the "Karst Natural Cave Museum". The vast cave system showcases the ever-changing landscape of this land to the world and attracts researchers and explorers from around the world to explore it. Since the late 1980s, Chinese and foreign researchers have conducted joint scientific investigations on the Shuanghe Cave Group multiple times, and French cave explorer and vice chairman of the French Cave Alliance, Jean Botassie, is one of them. In order to explore this mysterious land, Potasi settled in Shuanghe Village near the Shuanghe Cave Complex for a long time. With the joint efforts of domestic and foreign experts such as Potasi, the length of the main part of the Shuanghe Cave Group, Shuanghe Cave, has been repeatedly refreshed. The latest joint scientific expedition results show that 107 entrances of Shuanghe Cave are connected, with a length of 409.9 kilometers, making it the longest cave in Asia and the third longest cave in the world. First acquaintance - "Shuanghe Cave must be a huge cave system". Botashi was passionate about cave exploration since childhood and joined the Youth Cave Diving Association of the French Cave Alliance at the age of 16, starting his exploration career. In 1986, invited by the Institute of Geology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Portasi, as a member of the French Cave Alliance, set foot in Guizhou for the first time to investigate the Zhijin Cave of the famous karst cave system. Afterwards, he visited China multiple times to explore caves, especially with a special fondness for Guizhou. Guizhou is one of the typical karst landforms in Karst of China. Under the towering mountain peaks, there are many invisible underground caves hidden. The formation of a cave may take tens of thousands to millions of years, and the rock walls inside the cave often record millions of years of Earth's movement. These caves were formed in different geological ages. Are they connected and how are they connected? These are all waiting for us to investigate on site, "said Potasi. Gypsum crystal clusters cover the tunnels, stretching for miles, as if entering a world of ice and snow; The underground terraced fields are layered and spread downwards, making it feel like being at the top of a mountain... Shuanghe Cave is mainly formed in the dolomite and dolomite limestone strata, with a huge space inside, resembling an underground maze. The accumulated materials inside the cave are diverse in form and type, and have high ornamental and scientific research value. In 1988, the People's Government of Suiyang County, Zunyi City, reported to the Guizhou Mountain Resources Research Institute that multiple large caves had been discovered in Wenquan Town within its jurisdiction. Given the complexity of cave systems and the fragility of certain cave environments, as well as the non renewability of cave resources, the Guizhou Mountain Resources Research Institute believes that scientific justification and protection must be carried out before cave development and utilization, officially opening the prelude to the investigation and research of modern Shuanghe Cave systems. In the same year, the Guizhou Mountain Resources Research Institute began inviting foreign experts to conduct joint scientific investigations of Shuanghe Cave. More than 20 years have passed, and Potasi still vividly remembers the scene of his first visit to Shuanghe Cave. That was in 2001, when it was pouring rain and the dirt roads in Shuanghe Village were muddy and difficult to navigate. Potasi and several companions hiked through the rain curtain and arrived at the Shuanghe Cave area. He climbed to the entrance of a cave called Mahuang Cave, near which was a maze shaped section with strong winds blowing from the depths of the cave. With years of rich experience in cave exploration, Potasi immediately concluded, "This cave is by no means simple." As he expected, the Mahuang Cave was later confirmed to be one of the most important entrances in the Shuanghe Cave system. That year, the proven length of Shuanghe Cave was 26.8 kilometers, and many entrances were not yet connected. Potasi believed that "the actual numbers may far exceed this, and Shuanghe Cave must be a huge cave system." In order to better carry out the exploration work, he decided that "we must come many times. Afterwards, he frequently traveled between France and China, and settled in Shuanghe Village in 2011, becoming known as the "Old Rang" among the villagers and truly integrating into this magical land. Exploring caves - "plays an important role in studying geological tectonic movements and climate change". Carrying a small cloth bag, putting on release shoes, putting on a safety helmet, and securely hanging a tool kit around his waist, Potasi embarked on another exploration journey. Pushing aside the weeds, he entered through a hole with a diameter of less than half a meter, sometimes crawling and sometimes descending. Botaxi delved deep into the winding cave, and the surrounding light quickly disappeared. Only the searchlight above his head opened up a halo ahead. Using an electronic rangefinder to measure the length of the tunnel, taking out a handheld computer to draw a topographic map of the cave, and recording details with a camera - in such repeated exploration processes, Potasi recorded countless underground routes and drew a large number of topographic maps, helping researchers explore deeper into the earth's core and leading them to explore more mysteries of Earth's movement and species change. Whenever a discovery is made in the cave, Potasi contacts experts in the relevant field and guides scientists to go deep into the site to conduct scientific research. Shuanghe Cave has formed a complete network space system, and a large amount of geological historical information is recorded in the sediments, which plays an important role in studying geological tectonic movements and climate change. In addition to preserving a large number of paleontological fossils, it also houses many unique living species and microorganisms, making it an important place for studying biodiversity, "said Zhou Wenlong, Deputy Director of Guizhou Mountain Resources Research Institute. So far, Shuanghe Cave has organized 22 international joint scientific expeditions, in which Potasi has participated since 2001. In years of scientific exploration activities, Chinese and foreign experts have discovered a large number of geological relics, as well as many cave fossils and living organisms, providing rich and valuable information for scientific research work. In 2009, Potasi and his companions discovered a large number of blue stones in the gypsum crystal flower cave, which were different from the yellow stones commonly found in underground caves. After testing, it was found that this is a mineral called lapis lazuli composed of strontium sulfate. Celestite is not only beautiful in appearance, but also an important raw material for industry and high-end manufacturing. Later, explorers discovered multiple areas of lapis lazuli distribution inside Shuanghe Cave, making it the largest lapis lazuli cave in the world and having extremely high geological research value. Discovery of 100000 year old giant panda fossils in Shuanghe Cave! This discovery excited Potasi greatly. In 2021, he and his team from Guizhou Mountain Resources Research Institute discovered fossilized radial sesamoid bones (pseudo thumbs) of giant pandas in caves, proving that at least 102000 years ago, giant pandas had evolved "pseudo thumbs" similar to living individuals, greatly enhancing people's understanding of the evolution of giant panda dietary characteristics. So far, 44 individual fossils (sub fossils) of giant pandas have been discovered in Shuanghe Cave, spanning from 100000 years ago to hundreds of years ago. This is the latest physical record outside of the habitat of living giant pandas, confirming the existence of giant pandas in Guizhou hundreds of years ago. Wang Deyuan, an assistant researcher at the Guizhou Mountain Resources Research Institute, focuses on studying cave mammal fossils and has collaborated with Botaxi for many years, forming a deep friendship. One day in August 2022, Potasi took him to see a giant panda fossil. Wang Deyuan judged it to be an elderly individual based on the degree of tooth wear and tear, and said, 'This is an old panda, equivalent to about 60 years old for humans.'. Potasi was not happy to hear this and said, "Hi! 60 years old is not old! There are still many things to do." That year, Potasi happened to be 60 years old. On the map of the Shuanghe Cave area in Potasi, a total of 527 cave entrances were marked, of which only 30 had not yet been set foot by him. For Potasi, every time he steps into a cave, it is a beautiful encounter. "Before entering the cave, you can never predict how far or how deep you will go. During the process of exploring the cave, everything you encounter is scenery." The future - "I hope to stay here forever and witness the birth of new numbers." The wonders of the world are extraordinary and often lie in the distance. At the beginning of the exploration of Shuanghe Cave, Potasi had a cave he had always wanted to go to - Duiwo Cave. According to preliminary understanding, Duiwo Cave has a large scale and is relatively close to Shuanghe Cave. If the connecting channel between the two is identified, it is expected to significantly break the length record of Shuanghe Cave. But this hole is hidden under the sinkhole, surrounded by cliffs on all sides, and can only be reached on foot. "It takes more than ten hours to walk there once. Due to road conditions, the investigation of Duiwo Cave has not been carried out. A few years ago, with the implementation of projects such as "Village to Village" and "Group to Group" rural roads in Guizhou, areas that were previously inaccessible due to steep terrain and inconvenient transportation have now been paved with wide roads. The exploration radius of cave experts has also expanded accordingly. You can get out of the village by taking the bus, and the well connected transportation system can easily reach many places Potasi often marvels at the rapid development and great changes in China. The express delivery can be delivered to the village, and the water and electricity supply are guaranteed. The infrastructure in the village is very complete, "said Potasi. At the end of 2014, the road was built near the Duowo Cave, and the cave exploration work in Potasi also began. After nearly 4 years of exploration, Potasi and his companions finally found the passage connecting Duiwo Cave and Shuanghe Cave. This discovery has pushed the length of Shuanghe Cave to a new record of 238.48 kilometers, surpassing Shimizu Cave in Malaysia and becoming the longest cave in Asia. Nowadays, Shuanghe Cave is no longer solely focused on by scientific research teams, and the local cave resources are also being utilized, attracting tourists from all over the world. In 2016, the Twelve Back Tourist Scenic Area, centered around Shuanghe Cave, was officially put into operation. The wonderful underground landscapes, thrilling cave explorations, and professional study courses make tourists linger and forget to leave. The rise of tourism has driven local development, and many young people have returned to their hometowns to start businesses, running restaurants, homestays, etc., injecting new vitality into rural economic development. With the continuous deepening of scientific research in Shuanghe Cave, cooperation in cave scientific exploration between China and foreign countries is also deepening, cultivating a reserve force for cave scientific exploration in the local area. In 2005, the Sino French Cave Training Base was established in Suiyang County. Currently, 15 international cave exploration and single rope technology (SRT) training sessions have been held, with more than 260 trainees. Cave exploration requires versatile talents who are skilled in technology, capable of surveying and mapping, and knowledgeable in scientific research. Sino French cooperation can help promote the popularization of cave exploration technology in the local area and help us go to deeper and farther places, "said Zhou Wenlong. As the Vice Chairman of the French Cave Alliance, Potasi is committed to promoting cooperation in cave scientific exploration between France and China, actively participating in the popularization of karst cave knowledge, teaching cave exploration techniques, rescue techniques, and other related work. For Potasi, there are still many areas to explore in Shuanghe Cave. In his computer, there is a map of the Shuanghe Cave area, where green lines represent connected caves and red lines represent caves that are not connected to Shuanghe Cave