Zhen Cave

Zhen Cave

Zhen Cave, also known as Immortal Cave, is said to be the place where the legendary Huang Daxian attained enlightenment. The cave is about 10 meters high and 250 meters long, winding deep and lofty with rugged paths, resembling a massive stone arch bridge. At the entrance, there is the inscription "Thirty-Sixth Grotto Heaven" by the poet Wang Zhiluo. The cave consists of a main chamber and two smaller side caves. The left side cave has a small opening but a large interior, shaped like an overturned vase, hence the name "Stone Vase"; the right side cave also has a large interior but a small opening, with a long tail, resembling a snail, thus called the "Snail Cave". Inside the main cave, there is a "Stone Chessboard" and a "Heavenly Pool", believed to be the spots where immortals once played chess and used water. The ceiling features a rare large stone beam several zhang in length, adorned with countless bizarre and crisscrossing stalactites hanging down dramatically.

The cave includes sights such as a ray of sky, the Stone Vase, the Snail Cave, and the Stone Chessboard. Xu Xiake, the great traveler of the Ming Dynasty, gave a vivid description of the Three Caves of Jinhua: "Zhen Cave is wondrous for its sliver of sunlight; Ice Pot Cave is unique for its myriad pearl-like curtains; while Twin Dragons Cave is extraordinary both above and below water, combining the mysterious and the serene!" Walking south along the Rubble Bay and passing the former site of Junshan Dong’ao Villa, one can find Immortal Cave on the rocky cliffs at the southern foot of the mountain. It is about three or four zhang wide and relatively shallow. The local gazetteer records that during the Song Dynasty, an immortal named Yan lived here. Inside the cave, there are running script inscriptions such as "Yan Immortal Cave". Slightly north of the front of Yan Immortal Cave, on a flat piece of land, lies a huge stone resembling a seal, cylindrical in shape and about two people tall, with its base unconnected to the mountain, leaving only a thin line. The cave consists of a main chamber and two smaller side caves. The left side cave has a small opening but a large interior, shaped like an overturned vase, hence the name "Stone Vase"; the right side cave also has a large interior but a small opening, with a long tail, resembling a snail, thus called the "Snail Cave". Inside the main cave, there is a "Stone Chessboard" and a "Heavenly Pool", believed to be the spots where immortals once played chess and used water. The ceiling features a rare large stone beam several zhang in length, adorned with countless bizarre and crisscrossing stalactites hanging down dramatically. Zhen Cave is a dry cave, habitable, and legend has it that many came here to "cultivate immortality" or live in seclusion. The cave also contains sights such as a ray of sky and the Stone Vase.