[Explanation] After finishing the equipment and putting on a backpack, French cave explorer Jean Potassi started a new day of caving in the scenic spot behind the 12th in Suiyang, Guizhou Province. At the entrance of the cave, Jean Potassi changed into cave equipment, and after debugging the GPS positioning system, he began to go down the cave.
[Explanation] In 1986, at the invitation of the Institute of Geology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jean Potassi came to Guizhou, China, and started his exploration of caves in China. From that time on, he formed an indissoluble bond with the cave hidden deep in the mountains of China, and it took 34 years to complete his cave dream in China.
[Concurrent] French cave explorer Jean Potassi
When I draw the picture, I will also mark the "question mark". I hope to know what is there. In the "question mark" place, (for example) there are caves here and there are caves, why the two caves are not connected together , I must find the answer to the question, I want to find the connection between them, and know why they are not connected together. It's simple, like a game, I want to know.
[Explanation] China is the country with the largest area of karst landforms in the world, and Guizhou is one of the typical areas of karst landforms in China. The unique natural ecology and the extraordinary craftsmanship of nature have created the dotted karst caves in Guizhou. For Jean Potassi, the mountains in Guizhou are the best place for him to complete the "customs clearance game".
[Concurrent] French cave explorer Jean Potassi
The first point is the natural environment of Guizhou, and the other point is the geological formation of Guizhou. There are many surprises hidden in these mountains. If you visit Guizhou, you can find a lot of things that you can’t imagine, maybe they exist somewhere. So you can find a lot of surprises in many places. The geomorphology of Guizhou is very special. When you climb to a high place, you can suddenly see a certain village under the mountain, and you can also find a huge cave on a small hill, which is very interesting.
[Explanation] With the development of the cave, the wonders in the cave that have been carved by nature for a long time have gradually appeared in front of the world, and it has become a tourist check-in place for Chinese and foreign tourists. In Jean Potassi's view, nowadays, more and more caves are being developed and utilized, and humans should take proper protection.
[Concurrent] French cave explorer Jean Potassi
If you develop a cave well, it will make a great contribution to cave protection. But before doing it, it must be rigorously designed, and a special design must be made for a specific business model. To form a geopark, it must be clearly understood during development. The key to good management lies in the quality of the environment. Development and protection must be together. The geopark should be open and protected for a long time. If you can't make money today, I will leave immediately and consider the next generation. Operation should continue, because the (environment) is always there and we must protect it.
[Explanation] Hidden in deep mountain caves often brings some mysterious surprises to people, and these mysterious surprises have become an important basis for scholars' research topics. Jean Potassi said that he will continue to cooperate with scientists in China to launch more challenges to unknown caves.
[Concurrent] French cave explorer Jean Potassi
(In Guizhou) We analyze some panda fossils, and I will help them understand these fossils. This area (Shuanghe cave in Guizhou) used to have many pandas. We found a lot of fossils in the cave. There are many in this area. So this research and analysis may help us understand the evolution of pandas over thousands of years.
(Reporting by reporter Yuan Chao, Tang Yi, Yang Qian and Qu Honglun in Zunyi, Guizhou)
Editor in charge: [Ji Xiang]