Amazing...

Now who would ever thought of wanting to construct a building on a cliff or a mountain??? But a Monastery was built at the foot of Mt. Hengshan, 5 kilometers (3 miles) South of Hunyuan County and 65 kilometers (40 miles) from downtown Datong City. It may not listed among the wonders of the world, but it sure does to the achitectural world. Hanging on the west cliff of Jinxia Gorge more than 50 meters above the ground, it was given the name the Hanging Monastery. The Hanging Monastery, built in 491, has survived more than 1400 years. The extant monastery was largely rebuilt and maintained during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

How could a building like this withstand the winds and storms of so many years? Geographically its amazing. The Hanging Monastery is an architectural wonder. A unique mechanical theory was applied to building the framework. Crossbeams were half-inserted into the rock to act as the foundation, while the rock at the back became its support. When seen from below, the Hanging Monastery appears to be a tumble-down castle in the air. Inside, the Hanging Monastery boasts the same scene as other temples. Construction experts from countries including Britain, Germany, and Italy came to see the monastery. In their words, Hanging Monastery, which mixes mechanics, aesthetics, and Buddhism, is rare. They were speechless. The Hanging Monastery symbolizes and embodies a great cultural achievement of the Chinese people.

The second attraction of the Hanging Monastery is that it includes Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Inside the monastery, sculptures of Sakyamuni, Confucius and Laotzu appeared together, which is an unusual scene. There are 40 halls and cabinets containing about about 80 sculptures that were made of copper, iron, terracotta, and stone. The features are vividly carved. Why build a monastery like this? First reason is its location; that building on a cliff, will shield the Monastery from the floods. In addition, the mountain peak protects it from rain and snow and the mountain surrounding it also diminishes damage from long-time sunshine. The second reason is that the builders followed a principle in Taoism: no noise, including those from rooster crowing and barking dog, so from the upper ground, any kinds of noises drop away.

Would you like to visit? Becareful not to look down...you may get dizzy. If you fall, i am afraid there's no Superman or that Spidey guy to safe you...lols