Looking upward, layer upon layer of pavilions propped up by scores of pillars with a diameter of an ordinary bowl can be seen while the reddish brown rocks seem to tilt forward, seemingly to fall at any minute.

It is said that the monks built this monastery by tying ropes around their waists and descending down a cliffside. Using chisels, they bored holes into the rock face. Then they inserted wooden support struts, which served as the main supports for the rest of the temple.

When crossing a boardwalk connecting two pavilions, visitors cannot help holding their breath and walking with the greatest care, fearing the monastery might collapse. The wooden board under the feet keep creaking, the architecture, however, stands fast steadily on its ground.

Though the monastery usually gives the visitors a dangerous impression, visitors are always willing to take a trip there out of a sense of adventure and curiosity.

  "Iron shoulder poles"

The boardwalks in the mid-air are propped up by tens of quadrate beams, also called "Iron shoulder poles", which were made from a special local product "hemlock"and then inserted firmly into the rocks. It is said that the beams had been soaped in Chinese wood oil, which can dispel the termites and protect it from erosion.

Apart from these "iron should poles", pillars also play an important part in sustaining the monastery in the mid-air. The placement of each pillar was calculated with much elaboration in order to guarantee the architecture could be properly propped up. Some of the pillars were used for weight-bearing while others were just for the sake of balancing the heights of different buildings.

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