Caves yield a treasure-trove of discoveries

The Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is known for its picturesque karst landscape, but the expanse beneath the otherworldly topography of limestone towers and forested spires is just as mesmerizing.

The region, with one of the planet's greatest concentrations of undocumented caves, has become a magnet for cavers and scientists from home and abroad.

During a recent scientific expedition, six French cavers and nine Chinese cavers and scientists explored the karst caves scattered across Guangxi's Donglan county and made a few remarkable discoveries, including a 420-meter-deep sinkhole, traces of an ancient military tunnel and rare plant and animal species.