Short Stuff: Longyou Caves

This episode of Stuff You Should Know explores the mysterious Longyou Caves in China's Zhejiang Province, which were discovered when villagers drained what they thought were bottomless ponds in the early 1990s. What they found was a stunning system of 24 underground caverns carved from siltstone about 2,000 years ago, complete with massive pillars, intricate carved patterns, and elaborate drainage systems—yet absolutely no historical records explaining why they were built or what they were used for. Josh and Chuck dive into the mind-boggling logistics of how this could have been excavated with ancient tools, consider various theories about their original purpose, and grapple with the fact that some details about these caves may have gotten muddled through tourism and cultural translation over the years.