Xianhe Peak is located to the northwest of Mingyue Peak (Bright Moon Peak), 253.6 meters above the sea level. With a relative height of 101 meters, it is the highest peak in the Diecai hill, occupying an area of 2.1 hectares. Xianhe Cave (Crane Cave) is located to the side of the peak. It is about 14 meters high, 8.6 meters wide at the ground and 60 meters long, and covers an area of 516 square meters. The inside of the Cave is formed in a triangular shape.
It is said that there were two cranes perching on the peak. Someone engraved the cranes on the cave mouth at the hillside, so others could admire them. Thus, the cave got the name “Zhanhe Cave” (Crane Admiring Cave). In Ming Dynasty, a sage converted to Taoism in the cave and gave himself a religious name “Zhanhe Daoren” (Crane Admiring Taoist). Later on, he turned to other occupations and the cave was renamed Crane Cave. Afterwards, both the Peak and the Cave adopted the name “Crane”.
The Cave has two stories. The upper story was used for giving offerings to Emperor Zhenwu (the emperor’s official name), which attracted a lot of worshippers in the past. The offerings were recorded in an ancient poem. The lower part is quite spacious. One can cross the cave from either eastern or western entrance. With smooth rock wall beside and above the cave mouth, the cave resembles a long arched hall. A good view over the area stretches from both of the entrances; however, different scenery emerges, depending on the location. Looking out from the eastern entrance one can see the green hills of Mingyue Peak and Yuyue Peak rising one after another. From the western entrance, the urban view of the north part of the city comes in sight, with buildings standing closely in order.
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