The cave is on the cliff of the Xiling Mountain 10 km northwest of Yichang and near the Xiling Gorge. It is said that Bai Juyi, a famous Tang poet, and his younger brother met with another well-known Poet Yuan Zhen here and they each wrote a poem on the cliff, praising the charming scenery, hence the name Sanyou Cave, meaning cave being visited by three scholars. People call it Former Sanyou. In the Song Dynasty, when another three famous poets Su Xun, Su Shi and Su Zhe once visited the cave, they also wrote a poem each on the cliff. They were called Latter Sanyou.

The cave, facing a deep valley beneath, is warm in winter and cool in summer. It is 30 m deep, 20 m wide and 6 m high, and is divided into two halls by three parallel stalactites, making it more marvelous.