Expedition Name (& Club): Hong Meigui 2010 Expedition to Tianxing, China (HMG)

Destination country: China
Region:

Lat: 29.2064 Long: 107.9410 Elevation: m
MEF funding: none

Leader: Duncan Collis

Brief Expedition objectives:

List a short summary of the main Expedition objectives.

Attempt to connect Keng Dang Dang, Dan Wan Dong and Bamboo Cave to the Tianxing cave system. Explore upstream (away from the main system) in Dan Wan Dong and Bamboo Cave. Collect water samples and cave life specimens for the World Heritage Site management bureau.

How can the GPF support your Expedition?:

Please explain the aspects of the trip which make it eligible for Ghar Parau funding.

Prior to the expedition, Duncan Collis and Erin Lynch will take part in the Ukrainian Speleological Association's "Rescue seminar on Technology of the French Federation of Speleology" in Simferopol. This will be a long-overdue update of our rescue techniques. The cost will be about 100 GBP/person for the seminar, plus 511 GBP/person for flights between China and the Ukraine. Our project has an excellent relationship with local authorities, especially the bureau responsible for the management of the World Heritage Site in which we are caving. We work closely with the management bureau so that they have access to the best available information about the cave resources and hydrology of the area. Our survey of Qikeng Dong and Dongba Dong won the Arthur Butcher award in 2004, and "Best of Salon" in the 2007 NSS Cartographic Salon. In 2009 we were awarded the UIS award for Most Significant Speleological Discovery in the period Aug 2005 - Jul 2009. We hope to have the participation of at least two local cavers from Chongqing, who we believe will gain valuable experience in alpine-style cave exploration and documentation.

Detailed description of objectives:

Give a more detailed account of the purpose of the trip, including any particular known caves you intend to visit, specific areas where you will explore for new cave, and scientific experiments you will attempt.

We will set a camp at -500m in Keng Dang Dang in order to push further, with the expectation that the cave will ultimately connect to Dong Ba Dong (part of the Tianxing Cave System). A second camp will be set at -340m in Dan Wan Dong in order to push a number of horizontal leads and to enable bolting projects to be undertaken in a bid to bypass the downstream sump in the main streamway and connect to Lanmu Shu Dong (part of the Tianxing Cave System). In a tributary to the main streamway, an upstream sump bars the way to Bamboo Cave and there are further opportunities for bolting. The approaches to both sumps draught strongly. The upstream direction in the main stream has not been pushed, and is a major objective. In Bamboo Cave, the streamway has not been pushed upstream; this will be done either following a connection from Dan Wang Dong or by rigging down from the entrance. Throughout the expedition, water samples and specimens of cave life will be collected for the World Heritage Site management bureau.

Previous work in this area:

Give details of any previous work in this area by your own and other teams. Include references to reports and articles published on the area, and the names of any local cavers or academics with whom you have discussed the Expedition.

China Caves Project expeditions: 1994, 1996, 2001 Joing Hong Meigui/China Caves Project: 2002 Hong Meigui: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009