鶴林寺位於江蘇丹徒黃鶴山下，黃鶴山在府城西南三里，一名黃鵠山，俗名鴻鵠山，乃京口五名山之一也。鶴林寺舊名竹林，晉大興四年（三二一）創，劉宋高祖微時嘗游焉，及即位，改今額，稱「鶴林律院」。唐開元、天寶間（七四一），有玄素禪師法照者，得法於牛頭山，歸主其地，僧徒日眾，始改為禪寺，又名古竹院。後薛朗、劉浩作亂，寺燼廢。宋紹興中（一一三一～一一六二）重建，改名「報恩光孝禪寺」；咸淳間（一二六五～一二七四）僧慶清重修。明水樂中（一四〇三～一四二四）寺燼廢，僧得月就古竹院稍葺治；弘治中（一四八八～一五〇五）了心始建殿宇；萬曆間（一五七三～）郡守鍾庚陽招僧德乘居之，吏部尚書陸光祖捐金，重建天王殿：此明萬曆以前寺之沿革也。重要之建置，如尚喜堂、天雨寶華堂、圓音堂等，乃高僧講經之處，為佛教之名利；餘如積弩堂、濂溪祠、陸秀夫祠、丹徒宮、愛蓮池、曾布宅、米芾宅等，亦具有歷史性之古蹟。鶴林寺自明萬曆間許國誠、高一福增修「京口三山全志」，以鶴林寺志一卷附之，時寺僧明賢亦撰有「鶴林寺志」一種，搜羅較前志完備，然前志所收釋法永「黑漆光菩薩傳」，明賢此志未收，其高僧門之黑漆光菩薩傳，則極簡略；前志所收「殷天祥傳」，此志未收，人物門之殷七七傳，亦極簡略；前志又收法語一門，此志亦未收；據此可知，二志雖修於同時，當未曾互為依據也。明賢此志不分卷，略分十四門：山川、建置、山界、田土、碑銘、古碣、高僧、人物、紀異、記、序、疏文、說、詩。碑銘、古碣尤存文獻中之珍寶。此志初刻於明萬曆間。茲據國立中央圖書館所藏萬曆初刻本景印，俾與許國誠、高一福所撰志比觀焉。
Crane Grove Temple is situated at the foot of Yellow Crane Mountain in Dantu, Jiangsu. Yellow Crane Mountain, also known as Yellow Stork Mountain or commonly Great Stork Mountain, lies three miles southwest of the prefectural seat and is one of the five famous peaks of Jingkou. Originally named Bamboo Grove Temple, it was founded in the fourth year of the Daxing era (321 CE) of the Jin Dynasty. During his youth, Emperor Wu of the Liu-Song Dynasty visited the temple; upon his ascension to the throne, he bestowed its current name, "Crane Grove Monastic Hall." In the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras of the Tang Dynasty (around 741 CE), the revered meditation master Xuan Su Fazhao, having attained realization at Ox-Head Mountain, returned to preside over this site. As his community of monks grew daily, the temple was converted into a meditation monastery and also called Ancient Bamboo Cloister. Later, during the rebellion of Xue Lang and Liu Hao, the temple was destroyed by fire. Rebuilt during the Shaoxing era (1131-1162) of the Song Dynasty, it was renamed "Temple of Gratitude and Radiance for Meditation." In the Xianchun era (1265-1274), the monk Qingqing undertook repairs. During the Yongle reign (1403-1424) of the Ming Dynasty, the temple was again destroyed by fire; the monk Deyue carried out minor repairs at Ancient Bamboo Cloister. In the Hongzhi era (1488-1505), the monk Liaoxin began constructing a hall. In the Wanli reign (1573 onward), the prefectural governor Zhong Gengyang invited the monk Decheng to reside there, and Minister of Personnel Lu Guangzu donated funds to rebuild the Heavenly King Hall. This covers the temple's history prior to the Ming Wanli era.
Significant structures included the Hall of Joy, the Hall of Heavenly Rain and Sacred Flowers, and the Hall of Perfect Sound, where eminent monks lectured on scriptures, making them famous Buddhist landmarks. Other sites, such as the Armory Hall, Lianxi Shrine, Lu Xiufu Shrine, Dantu Palace, Lotus-Loving Pond, Zeng Bu's Residence, and Mi Fu's Residence, were also historically significant relics.
During the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Guocheng and Gao Yifu compiled and expanded the *Complete Gazetteer of the Three Mountains of Jingkou*, attaching a one-chapter *Gazetteer of Crane Grove Temple*. Around the same time, the temple monk Mingxian also authored a *Gazetteer of Crane Grove Temple*, more comprehensive than the previous one. However, the earlier gazetteer contained a biography of "The Black-Lacquer Bodhisattva" by the monk Shi Fayong, which Mingxian's work omitted; its account of the same figure in the Eminent Monks section was extremely brief. Similarly, the earlier gazetteer included a biography of "Yin Tianxiang," absent from Mingxian's work, while its profile of Yin Qiqin in the Notable Figures section was also very short. The earlier gazetteer also featured a section on Dharma Discourses, which Mingxian's work did not include. This indicates that, although compiled around the same time, the two gazetteers did not draw upon each other.
Mingxian's gazetteer is undivided into chapters but is roughly organized into fourteen sections: Mountains and Rivers, Architecture, Boundaries, Fields and Lands, Stone Inscriptions, Ancient Steles, Eminent Monks, Notable Figures, Recorded Anomalies, Accounts, Prefaces, Petitions, Discourses, and Poetry. The Stone Inscriptions and Ancient Steles sections are particularly precious among the surviving documents. This gazetteer was first printed during the Ming Wanli era. The present edition is a facsimile of the Wanli first edition held by the National Central Library, allowing comparison with the gazetteer compiled by Xu Guocheng and Gao Yifu.