Located in Suiyang County, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Shuanghe Cave was officially announced as Asia’s longest and world’s sixth longest cave on Thursday. It has a length of 238.48 kilometers, surpassing the previous Malaysia’s Clear Water Cave. /VCG Photo

Lasting for 15 days, the measurement of Shuanghe Cave attracted more than 30 domestic and international researchers, scientists and explorers. / VCG Photo

According to the general secretary of Guizhou Province’s Cave Association, the calculation of the total length of the cave includes the length of all the main caves, the branch caves, the aven and underground river. /VCG Photo

Researchers need to enter the caves to record the coordinates of each cave and draw a map with accurate data to calculate the length. /VCG Photo

In the past 30 years, Shuanghe Cave had experienced 19 scientific investigations by both domestic and international researchers and experts. Numerous karst caves, waterfalls, rivers, creatures and animal fossils were discovered in the cave, which contributed a lot to the geological and biological research. /VCG Photo