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The 1400-Year-Old Hanging Monastery
Hengshan, is one of China's five Sacred Mountains of Taoism in the North. Hanging
Monastery which is called the wonder of the Hengshan Mountain is suspended half way up the
cliff in the Golden Dragon Valley at the foot of the mountain. The Monastery was built by
the Monk Liaoran of Northen Wei Dynasty. Closely over the cliff stand over 40 halls and
towers Side by side among which the highest building is 50 metres high above the ground.
The wooden Zigzag walkways links the various buildings. To date it becomes a group of
temples where the Buddhism, the Taoism and the Confucism co-exist.
Why was the Hanging Monastery built over the high cliff?
In former times here is the main route to the Wutai Mountain (Famous Buddhist Shrine) in
the south and to Datong City in the North. The monastery built along this route was of
course very convenient for passing pilgrims. But Hunhe River which then flowed past the
foot of the cliff was capricious, whenever there was a storm there would be a terrible
flood. In those days people believed that a Golden Dragon was the cause of all this
trouble, so they thought of emlisting Buddha's aid and built the temple up here to ward
off the influence of the legendary beast.
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