A huge ancient forest world has been discovered 630 feet underground, down a sinkhole in China.

The underground mystery was stumbled upon in a Chinese ‘Geopark’ by a cave exploration team of scientists, in May last year.

The phenomenon is also known in China as ‘tiankeng’ or ‘heavenly pits’.

Leye Fengshan UNESCO Global Geopark, where the sinkhole was found, is located in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Southwestern China.

The Geopark is desribed on the UNESCO website as ‘primarily sedimentary with more than 60% of 3000m thick Devonian to Permian carbonate rocks.’

It’s known for being ‘the territory of caves and of the world’s longest natural bridge’.

Researchers have said the primitive forest could be home to previously unidentified plant and animal species, reports The Washington Post.

Giant sinkholes are not unusual for areas like this in China.

The Chinese governments state-owned news agency, Xinhua, released an official report stating that the new discovery brings the county’s number of sinkholes to 30.

Zhang Yuanhai, a senior engineer at the Institute of Karst Geology of the China Geological Survey, also told Xinhua that the site had ‘ a well-preserved primitive forest at the bottom’ and three caves in it’s walls.

They added that the sinkhole measures 306m in length, 150m in width and 192m in depth, with its volume exceeding 5 million cubic meters, meaning it can be officially categorised as a large sinkhole.

Chen Lixin, leader of the Guangxi 702 cave expedition team, said the dense shade plants are up to one’s shoulder and said the ancient trees growing at the bottom are nearly 40 meters high. 

The cave expedition was completed by a team who abseiled down more than 100 meters and ‘trekked several hours to reach the pit’s bottom.’

The landscape in the Geopark is a Karst area of land, meaning it’s made up of limestone. 

The sinkholes are usually created by the dissolution of bedrock by groundwater, and they are common in the area.

However, the unique forest found at the bottom is unusual – it looks like something out of a fantasy movie.

The forest was able to grow due to the shape of the hole, allowing enough light to get in while still being deep. 

 

 

An American Airbnb host has been slammed for leaving their guests with a ‘ridiculous’ amount of rules plastered onto all surfaces of the property, including potted plants and door knobs.

Becky, from Texas, went on a weekend getaway with a her family and a few friends – but the sight of their rental ‘took away the feeling of being on holiday’.

The group was disgruntled to find labels on cupboards, beds, doors, walls, and more with passive aggressive caution notices.

Most of the rules warned renters against touching fragile property – including a supposedly 10,000-year-old room divider that would ‘break’ if looked at the wrong way.

Other notes dissuaded renters from ‘pushing’ or ‘pulling’ the door on the microwave, touching potted plants, or turning the lever on an antique door. 

Becky walked through the property and made note of some of the rules, recording her process in a video.

‘I don’t get it, the rules displayed all over the house just killed me,’ she said.

‘It seemed like every room and surface had a note. It almost felt like it wasn’t a vacation with so many rules.’

Some notes were reasonable, such as notifying renters that the microwave was automatic and didn’t need to be slammed, or asking not to clean marble countertops with abrasives. 

But others made Becky question why the property was rented out at all.

A note was found on a large wooden display cabinet, saying: ‘Antique and fragile. Please do not attempt to open or pull on knobs.’

All the bedrooms in the property had a large warning stuck above the beds claiming jumping was not allowed, and that ‘any breakage of beds will be immediately passed to renters.’

Shelves with copper utensils and potted plants were deemed for ‘owner use only’ and renters were instructed not to touch them.

The wooden dining table was also deemed fragile, with a large note informing: ‘This was our grandmother’s table. Please be kind to it and use a placemat.’

‘Upon departure please leave all furniture and bedding in respective rooms and houses where originally found,’ the last one said.

Many were confused about the owner’s decision to rent such a fragile property out to strangers. 

‘Sounds like this stuff should not be in an AirBnB,’ a woman said.

‘Never put sentimental, priceless, or antique items in an Airbnb,’ another wrote. ‘There’s a reason they’re all filled with the same IKEA showroom furniture.’

‘I think they are in the wrong business. Maybe they meant to open a museum,’ a man joked.

‘Why the hell do they have so many personal or sentimental items in a space that is rented out?’ a fourth asked.