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All China Datong Hanging Temple of Hengshan
AO Edited

Hanging Temple of Hengshan

A fifth-century temple improbably built into the side of a cliff.

Datong, China

Added By
Joshua Foer
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Hanging Temple   llee_wu / cc by-nd 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   Zhangzhugang / CC BY-SA 3.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   jpbennett1 / CC BY 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   jpbennett1 / CC BY 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   jpbennett1 / CC BY 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   jpbennett1 / CC BY 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   jpbennett1 / CC BY 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   BRUNNER Emmanuel / Public Domain
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   jpbennett1 / CC BY 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   jpbennett1 / CC BY 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   jpbennett1 / CC BY 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   jpbennett1 / CC BY 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   jpbennett1 / CC BY 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   ChiralJon / CC BY-SA 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   jpbennett1 / CC BY 2.0
Hanging Temple of Hengshan   jpbennett1 / CC BY 2.0
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The Hanging Temple, located about 60 kilometers southeast of Datong, China, in the Shanxi province, is one of the world's forgotten wonders. Clinging to a crag of Hengshan mountain, in apparent defiance of gravity, it consists of 40 rooms linked by a dizzying maze of passageways.

The temple is said to have been built by a monk named Liao Ran during the late Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and restored in 1900. It was constructed by drilling holes into the cliffside into which the poles that hold up the temples are set.

Interestingly, the temple is dedicated to not just one religion, but three, with Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism all practiced within the temple and represented in 78 statues and carvings throughout the temple.

Related Tags

Rites And Rituals Architectural Oddities Temples Cliffs Sacred Spaces Religion Architecture

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The temple is located about 60 kilometers southeast of Datong. It is five kilometers away from the town of Hunyuan.

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Josh

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davebell95008, loulou648, svredenborg2, mbison...

  • davebell95008
  • loulou648
  • svredenborg2
  • mbison
  • Meg
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

May 21, 2013

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  • https://www.travel4history.com/asia/china/datong-hanging-monastery
Hanging Temple of Hengshan
Mt. Hengshan
Datong
China
39.659496, 113.709269
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Datong

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Datong, China

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