GUIYANG, Sept. 22 (silubaba) -- After more than three decades of cave exploration in China, Jean Bottazzi, a French caver, found the most comfortable shoes for him to go caving in are rubber canvas shoes, popular among China's farmers for their low price and durability.
China has a large area of karst terrain, a landform featuring numerous underground streams and caves. Guizhou Province, in southwest China, features typical karst landscapes. Its rich resources of caves attract countless explorers from home and abroad every year.
In the 1980s, at the invitation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bottazzi and several other French cavers came to Guizhou and started their cave expeditions in China.
Over the past three decades, he has kept visiting China almost every year for the same purpose.
Bottazzi is now exploring Shuanghe Cave in Suiyang County in the depths of mountains. The cave, discovered by Chinese and overseas experts after 30 years of joint scientific expeditions, is currently the longest known cave in Asia.
Being the longest dolomite cave and the largest celestine cave in the world, Shuanghe Cave has been termed a "karst natural cave museum".
Bottazzi recalled that, when he first arrived in China in 1986, it took him three days to travel by train from Beijing to Guiyang, capital of Guizhou, and that no one knew how long it would take to travel from Guiyang to other cities and counties, because the traffic conditions were unpredictable.
Since then, he has witnessed the improvement of transportation and infrastructure, and huge changes to the mountainous areas of Guizhou.
"You can see many modern houses which are quite comfortable," said Bottazzi, adding that every county in Guizhou has been connected to the expressway.
He added that the cave meets his desire for the unknown, and the hospitality of local villagers left a great impression on him.
No matter where he went to explore the cave, local people would invite him to visit their homes or have a meal, which made him feel very comfortable.
Discussing the protection and development of discovered caves, Bottazzi said he was glad to see that through tourism, China's cave resources have boosted local development and benefited the people.
At present, he is helping locals develop cave tourism so that more people can discover Guizhou's hidden treasures, integrating protection with development.
Befriended by the locals, Bottazzi was given the nickname "Lao Rang", meaning "Old Jean". He calls Shuanghe Cave is his second hometown.
From September 18 to 26, the 22nd international scientific expedition to Shuanghe Cave takes place in Suiyang County, with top cave experts from France, Belgium, Portugal and other countries gathering there to carry out a new round of cave scientific research.
"I hope this joint expedition will bring more discoveries, and I believe that we can always find something new," said Bottazzi. ■
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