Hanging Temple

Hanging Temple was built in the late years of the Northern Wei Dynasty (around 471-523 AD), some 1,400 years ago. It was repeatedly renovated in later dynasties, but the original structure remained unchanged. The existing building is the ruins of the renovations carried out in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The temple is the only existing one featuring the integration Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian cultures. Completely built on the mountain cliff, the wood-structure temple is supported by the beams inserted into the chiseled holes in the cliff. The temple is suspended in the air, with precipices on the top and chasms at the bottom. Looked from afar, the temple is like an exquisite relief sculpture; looked at close quarters, the temple is on the point of flying into the sky. There are over 40 halls in the temple and more than 80 Buddhist sculptures made of bronze, iron, stone and mud.