Why on the cliff？

Three reasons accounts for the establishment of such a mid-air monastery：the first lies in the peculiar geographical situation to the advantage for such a monastery; Second, as the building site used to connect Wutai Mountain in the south and Datong in the north, establishing such a monastery would provide convenience for the religious followers. Last but not the least is the climate factor. For years, Hun River, which flows at the foot of the cliff on which the monastery was built, had been causing serious flooding. The local people, suspecting the Gold Dragon was playing the trick, decided to build a monastery on this cliff to beat the demon.

  Three Features

Built 50 meters above the ground, the hanging monastery further developed traditions and styles of Chinese architecture and has established its unique position among various temples and monasteries with three outstanding features -- "oddity, peril, and superlative workmanship".

The "oddity" of the monastery consists in the design and the ideal geographical location of the hanging monastery. Situated in a basin of the canyon, the monastery hangs in the mid-air on the cliff. The protruding part at the top of the cliff, resembling an umbrella, can protect it from the rain and even the flooding. The advantageous geographical position is one of the reasons accounting for the excellent state of its conservation.

In the early hours, and from a distance, the temple appears an integral part of the mountain. Close up, inside it, it seems a miracle that wood crafted in such a way: angled, braced, and bracketed, could at one time rest part inside the ledges of rock and part creaking perilously out from it.

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