A thousand-year-old temple in Shanxi, built on a cliff, it is amazing to use wood to bear the load for a thousand years

The unique architecture and structure of the Hanging Temple in Shanxi Province makes people linger. The temple is built on a cliff, and you can see the Haobi Wonderland from a distance. The Hanging Temple is located in Cuiping Peak, west of Hengshan Jinlong Gorge, Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province. There is a slang term for "hanging temple, half a day high, three ponytails hang in the air", and is famous for its steepness like an abyss. Built in the late Northern Wei Dynasty 1400 years ago, it is the only remaining unique temple in China that combines Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. It has a unique structure and is dazzling.

Such a unique Hanging Temple was originally called "Xuankong Pavilion". "Xuan" was taken from the Taoist teachings of traditional Chinese religion, and "kong" was derived from Buddhist teachings. Later, it was renamed "Hangkong Temple" because the whole temple resembled Hanging on the cliff, in Chinese, "hang" and "xuan" are the same pronunciation, hence the name. At the same time, Hanging Temple is also a key cultural relic protection unit in Shanxi Province, and "the first scenic spot" among the eighteen scenic spots of Mount Heng.

In the first year of Tianxing in the Northern Wei Dynasty, during the period of AD 398, the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty was established in Pingcheng, now Datong City. Kou Qianzhi, the Taoist priest of the Northern Wei Dynasty, during the period of AD 365-448, left a will before the death of the immortal: to build a temple in the sky to achieve " Upstairs Yan Xiaoke, downstairs is absolutely arrogant." Afterwards, the disciples of the Tianshi Master raised funds from various sources and carefully selected the site. In the 23rd year of Kaiyuan in Tang Dynasty, during AD 735, after visiting the Hanging Temple, Li Bai wrote the word "spectacular" on the rock wall. The existing buildings of the Hanging Temple are relics repaired in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Hanging Temple has a layout of "one courtyard and two floors", with a total length of about 32 meters and 40 pavilions and halls. The overall layout of the Hanging Temple is composed of monastery, meditation room, Buddhist hall, Sanfo Hall, Taiyi Hall, Guandi Temple, Drum Tower, Bell Tower, Jialan Hall, Sendzi Avalokitesvara Hall, Ksitigarbha Buddha Hall, Qianshou Guanjian Hall, and Buddha Hall. Jia Palace, Leiyin Palace, Sanguan Palace, Chunyang Palace, Plank Road, Sanjiao Palace, Wufo Palace, etc.

The two majestic high-rise buildings on the top of the mountain with three eaves in the north and south seem to be facing each other in the sky, hanging on the cliff-like cliffs. At first glance, the whole temple is only supported by a dozen wooden pillars about the size of a bowl, and the highest point is about 50 meters above the ground. The mechanical principle is based on half-inserted beams. With the support of rocks, the corridor railings, the upper and lower beams and columns are closely connected to form a whole wooden frame structure, which also increases the earthquake resistance. Hengshan Hanging Temple uses the principle of mechanics to half-insert flying beams as the base, and cleverly uses rocks to support it. The beams and columns are integrated up and down, and the corridors are connected to the left and right. There are more than 80 bronze, iron, stone and clay Buddha statues in the temple. The word "spectacular" on the rock under the temple is the calligraphy of Li Bai, a poet in the Tang Dynasty. The whole temple is a wooden frame structure, with holes dug on the cliff and the cantilever beams as the foundation. The pavilions are connected by plank roads, leaning against the steep cliffs and facing the deep valleys. The temple is not large, but it is ingenious and quite spectacular. Looking down, you can also enjoy the endless view

The distribution of the halls and buildings are symmetrical and changeable, scattered and connected, twists and turns, virtual and real, small and exquisite, rich in space, changeable in levels, small and medium-sized, unwittingly small, compact in layout, scattered and interdependent. The Hanging Temple is not only breathtaking, peculiar, and spectacular in appearance, but also has a distinctive architectural structure with various forms. The eaves have single eaves, double eaves, and three-layer eaves. Vertical ridge, squat ridge, poor ridge. The overall appearance is ingeniously constructed and superimposed, resulting in a unique style of a cave with a building, a cave in a building, a half-walled building and a half-walled cave, the cave is connected to the hall, and the hall is connected to the building. It not only integrates the art of Chinese garden architecture , without losing the pattern of traditional Chinese architecture. Among the existing bronze, iron, clay and stone sculptures in the Hanging Temple, many styles and styles have the characteristics of the early period and are treasures with high artistic value. The view is amazing.