On our very first day of exploration, our track again got stuck on the muddy road but, thank god, there were enough of us to push our way out. Finally we managed to reach our destination-Mahuang Cave. As soon as we got there, we carried out a simple test: we put some dye into the lowest reaches of the subterranean stream in the Mahuang Cave.

Over the days that followed, we kept our eyes peeled for any color change in the water of the Dayu Spring. Provided the dye appeared in the Dayu Spring, we could verify that water flow was what we had assumed. But we made a small mistake, using green dye, which is the color of most of China's rivers! As a result, when we saw it appearing, we could not be 100 per cent certain. Fortunately, we had installed some sensors, which told US the subterranean stream flows through under the riverbed of the Shuanghe River and comes out from the Dayu Spring.

In 2003, our goal was to prove the Shuanghe Cave to be the longest cave in China. From a purely mathematical perspective, all we needed to do was to add together the lengths of all caves that were already known. The crucial problem was that the Pixiao Cave, Mahuang Cave and Tuanduiwo Water Cave and others, all developed in different geological ages. How did they connect with each other'? We assumed the Longtanzi Water Cave's subterranean stream to be the upper reaches of the subterranean stream in the Tuanduiwo Water Cave. But this needed verificat on too.

The exploration packed in exciting challenges and unexpected surprises. One day when investigating the point where the Tuanduiwo Water Cave meets its branch cave the Shigao Cave, my partner and I tried measuring one section, but we seemed to be heading in the wrong direction. That night, after a heated debate, we mapped out all the caves that had been investigated and measured strictly according to direction and scale. Suddenly we discovered something new. The section that we had walked through in the wrong direction was right under the Darongdou Depression in the Tuanduiwo Water Cave.

Within the Shuanghe Cave Complex, Longtanzi Water Cave is the one with the greatest scenic value. The Japanese survey team had already measured it, but had not found any physical link between this and the Tuanduiwo Water Cave. Now, the other groups within our team had completed their tasks and found the connecting points between the Shanlin Cave. Hejia Cave and the Tuanduiwo Water Cave. So I divided the team members into two new groups, one starting from Longtanzi Water Cave and the other from Tuanduiwo Water Cave, arranging to rendezvous at regular intervals.

Nicolas and I started off from the Tuanduiwo Water Cave, heading against the current. At the beginning, the water course was wide and most of the time we could walk on the riverbank, jumping from rock to rock£®But the further we went, the lower the ceiling became, until it was almost touching the ground.

In such circumstances, we could only go back and find another way. But there was no other way. If we wanted to go through, we had no alternative but to wade through the water. At the beginning, our heads were above water, but as we went on and
turned a comer, there was just a narrow gap between the cave ceiling and the top of the water¡ªso narrow I had to swim backstroke in order to breathe£®Luckily, the ceiling gradually got higher. Ten or so meters on. 1 was completely out of the water.

On the riverbank. covered by black pebbles, I suddenly saw a brand new road sign! The group starting from Longtanzi Water Cave must have been here. Highly excited. I turned round and called out to Nicolas. Even more exciting was the fact that the person answering was not Nicolas!

It turned out that the group starting off from Longtanzj Water Cave had met the same barrier at almost the same time as us. They had concluded mat it was not passable and had decided to turn back. But before getting too far, they had heard me shouting.

Nicolas soon caught up with me. The rest of the work was measuring and the equivalent of tourism. To our map of the Shuanghe Cave system, we added the link between the two water caves.

At the end of the 2003 expedition we came to these conclusions: the total length of Shuanghe Cave is 54 kilometers, surpassing the 52.8-kilometer length of the Tenglong Cave, therefore making it the longest cave in China. Furthermore, the Pixiao Cave, Dafeng Cave and Dadong Cave have a total length of 20 kilometers, but because we did not find their connecting points with the Shuanghe Cave, we excluded this length from the calculation.

The Next I nvestigation Goal:1 00 Kilometers
In 2004, our Shuanghe Cave exploration team had fewer members than the previous year and our first activity was in summer. Our goal was very simple: to find the connecting point between the Dafeng Cave and Pixiao Cave. To finish the work, we only needed to swim about 200 meters in our life vests.

In 2005, our task of discovering where the Pixiao Cave and the Shuanghe Cave converged was very complex one. The map shows that the entrance of the Pixiao Cave overlaps with the lowest reaches of the Shuanghe Cave, but there is an altitude difference of l80 meters between the two. Vertical investigation is always more difficult than horizontal investigation.

We tried starting from four sides of the Pixiao Cave. One time, we started with a chimney on the south side at the top end of the Pixiao Cave where we seemed to see a chink of light.

It was very hard to get into the chimney. As soon as we entered, we had to curl up so as to get into a second chimney, where water was flooding in from all directions. We got in deeper and deeper, clinging to the walls. Our urgent need was to find a small opening without water to block our way. Then I entered a small cave, at the end of which was a waterfall. With the help of my headlight, I guessed there was no more water behind the waterfall. So I passed through it, only to find another chimney. I didn't actually go to the bottom of the chimney, but I did see another waterfall at the bottom.

In speleological, we always avoid fighting against nature or waterfalls, because in the straggle between humans and water, the water will always win.

That was our 99th mission in Shuanghe. Later, we luckily found another longer route, avoiding the waterfall, and confirmed our assumption that one could get into the Pixiao Cave from there. But this was just one highlight in the process of looking for nexus points in this intricate network. Not until we did the l 23rd investigation into Shuanghe did we complete the task.

Up to now, the measured extent of the Shuanghe Cave is 85.3 kilometers long and with 27 entrances. At the same time, we found some more entrances, but because we could not confirm where they linked into the Shuanghe Cave system. we have a lot more work to do.We estimate that the total length of Shuanghe Cave might exceed l00 kilometers and become the longest in Asia(the longest explored and measured cave in Asia is in Malaysia, and has a total length of 109 kilometers). However, as the exploration continues, the work will get more and more difficult cult, so we need more and more free and capable explorers to dedicate themselves to this tough and expensive activity.

Cave exploration is not a profitable activity; its fascination lies in discovery. We shall continue in our exploratory endeavours. For one good reason-the Shuanghe Cave is worth the effort.

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