The Hanging Temple

(Image source: www.shanxichina.gov.cn)

The Hanging Temple is located on the half of steep cliff of Golden-dragon Gorge in Hengshan Mountain and was built in 491 (the 15th year of Emperor Taihe of Northern Wei Dynasty). It has a history of more than 1500 years. It’s also a rare unique temple of Three Religions in one: Buddhism, Taosim and Confucianism. The whole temple borders steep cliff on its top and deep ravine on its bottom. Its structure is very strange and interesting. There 40 rooms in total.

Corridor columns connect and are full of twists and turns, emptiness and substantiality. People in ancient times had said “suspecting the mirage is on the sea and bird’s flying path disappearing in the clouds”. Li Bai-Poetic Genius of Tang Dynasty had written “magnificence” on it. Xu Xiake, Great Traveler of Ming Dynasty, once praised it as “the spectacle in the world”.