The Mystery of Xuankong Temple's Construction
The documentary on the mystery of Xuankong Temple's construction revealed the wonders of Xuankong Temple's architecture. According to the documentary's description, the secret of the construction of Xuankong Temple was that its true center of gravity was supported in the hard rock. The rock was chiseled into the shape of a right-angle echelon, and then the flying beam was inserted to make it sufficiently close to the sharp corner of the right-angle echelon. Using the principles of mechanics, the flying beam was half-inserted as the foundation. In addition, the location of the Xuankong Temple cleverly made use of the natural shape of the mountain and the cliff, making the temple both sheltered from the wind and rain, and a more three-dimensional building. The mountain peaks and stone walls protected Xuankong Temple from the threat of the cold wind, and the mountain peaks in front of the temple also blocked the sun, so that the summer sun could only shine on Xuankong Temple for a short three hours. The architectural essence and true meaning of Xuankong Temple were not only reflected in its thrilling and ingenious architecture, but also in its unique religious pattern of "three religions in one". Xuankong Temple was the only cultural temple in the country that combined Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. The "Hall of Three Religious Concepts" located at the highest point of Xuankong Temple worshipped the ancestors of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, fully demonstrating the religious thought of the integration of the three religions. The mystery of the construction of Xuankong Temple was amazing. It was the combination of the wisdom of the ancients and the science of architecture. One of the reasons why it was preserved until now was that the religious pattern of the three religions combined made it impossible for the emperor to destroy it no matter what he believed.
What is the mystery of the construction of Xuankong Temple?
The mystery of the construction of Xuan Kong Temple was how it could be built on a cliff and not collapse for thousands of years. The construction of Xuankong Temple used wooden beams and columns, which were soaked in the special ironwood and tung oil to prevent termite bites and preservation. The center of gravity of the Xuankong Temple was supported by the hard rock, and the entire temple was supported by the mechanical principle of inserting flying beams and beams. In addition, Xuan Kong Temple had chosen the location of the cliff to reduce the impact of the wind and the sun. These factors together allowed Xuan Kong Temple to be built on the cliff and not collapse for thousands of years.
Xuankong Temple's Construction Age
The Xuankong Temple's construction dates back to the Northern Wei Dynasty and was built around 491 AD.
The reason for the construction of Xuankong Temple
There were several reasons for the construction of Xuan Kong Temple. First of all, Xuankong Temple was built on a cliff because this place was the main road to Wutai Mountain in the south and Datong in the north. It was convenient for believers to come and worship. Secondly, the Hunhe River here flowed past the foot of the mountain in front of the temple. It often caused disasters due to heavy rains, and the river flooded. People thought that the Golden Dragon was causing trouble here, so they thought of building a pagoda to suppress it. Therefore, Xuan Kong Temple built a temple on this cliff. The architectural feature of Xuan Kong Temple was the use of wooden beams called "Iron Carrying Poles" to support the pavilion. These wooden beams were deeply embedded in the rocks to bear the weight. In addition, standing trees (pillars) also played a supporting role. The landing point of each standing tree had been carefully calculated to ensure that it could support the entire Xuankong Temple. In general, the reason for the construction of Xuankong Temple was to facilitate the pilgrimage of believers, suppress the flooding of the river, and use special wooden beams and standing trees to support the entire temple.
The Mystery of Xuankong Temple
There was still no definite answer to the mystery of the construction of Xuankong Temple. Xuankong Temple was located on a cliff. The building area was more than 3600 square meters, the height was about 200 meters, and the bottom was only dozens of meters wide. In the case of ancient construction techniques and simple tools, how to choose such a location as a construction site had always been a mystery. Some scholars believed that the temple was built here to stay away from the troubles of the human world, so that cultivators could cultivate better. However, such an explanation could not solve the technical problem of selecting the location of Xuankong Temple. The mystery of the construction technology of Xuan Kong Temple was equally puzzling. Building a temple on the cliff required overcoming many technical difficulties, such as how to transport the building materials to the cliff, how to fix the building, how to ensure the stability of the building on the cliff, and so on. The builders of Xuankong Temple had cleverly solved these problems, but the specific technology and wisdom were still unknown. Therefore, the mystery of the construction of Xuan Kong Temple had not been completely solved.
The Mystery of Xuankong Temple
The mystery of the construction of Xuan Kong Temple had always been the focus of attention. The secret of the construction of Xuan Kong Temple was mainly its unique structure and location. Xuankong Temple was located on Mount Heng in Datong, Shanxi Province. It was built on a cliff more than 60 meters above the ground. The entire building was suspended in the air. The architectural structure of Xuankong Temple was a wooden frame structure, using mechanical principles and mortise and tenon structures. Before the beams of Xuankong Temple were driven into the mountain, they would first make a cut and insert a triangular wedge into it. The beams would be held firmly by the wedge. In addition, the location of Xuan Kong Temple also played an important role. Xuan Kong Temple was built on a steep cliff on the mountain. There were vertical cliffs on both sides, and Xuan Kong Temple happened to be built on this cliff. This location not only shielded the temple from the rain, but it could also block the wind, preventing the threat of strong winds to Xuankong Temple. In addition, the mountain peak in front of the monastery also acted as a shield against the scorching sun. In general, the mystery of the construction of Xuankong Temple was formed by its unique structure and location.
The Unsolved Mystery of Xuankong Temple
The unsolved mystery of Xuan Kong Temple was how it could be built on a cliff and not fall for thousands of years. The construction of Xuankong Temple used wooden beams and columns, which were soaked in the special ironwood and tung oil to prevent termite bites and preservation. The center of gravity of Xuankong Temple was supported by hard rocks. By inserting eaves and wooden cleats, the beams and pillars could be firmly fixed in the cave, thus achieving the stable construction of Xuankong Temple. As for how Xuan Kong Temple was able to survive the wind and rain, and how it was able to stand for thousands of years, the current search results did not provide any relevant information.
What is the unsolved mystery of Xuankong Temple?
The unsolved mystery of Xuan Kong Temple was how it could be built on a cliff and not fall for thousands of years. The construction of Xuankong Temple used wooden beams and columns, which were soaked in the special ironwood and tung oil to prevent termite bites and preservation. The center of gravity of the Xuankong Temple was supported by the hard rock, and the entire temple was supported by the mechanical principle of inserting flying beams and beams. In addition, Xuan Kong Temple had chosen the location of the cliff to reduce the impact of the wind and the sun. These factors together allowed Xuan Kong Temple to be built on the cliff and not collapse for thousands of years.
Xuankong Temple and Xuankong Village
Xuan Kong Temple and Xuan Kong Village were two different locations. Xuankong Temple was located on the cliff of Cuiping Peak on the west side of Jinlong Gorge, Hengshan Mountain, Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province. It was a unique temple built on the cliff. The temple was built on an earthen platform in the vast desert west of Xuankong Village. It was six to seven meters above the ground and looked like it was suspended in the air from afar, hence the name Xuankong Temple. Xuankong Temple was built 1400 years ago in the late Northern Wei Dynasty. It was the only unique temple in China that combined Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. It was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit in Shanxi Province. Xuankong Village was located in Censhan Township, Ningwu County, Shanxi Province. The entire village was located on a cliff that was more than 2300 meters above sea level. Looking up from the bottom of the valley, it was like a castle in the air, with its back against the cliff and its face facing the canyon, forming a unique landscape that was isolated from the surrounding world. Xuankong Village was one of the top ten ancient villages in China. In recent years, through targeted poverty relief and tourism development, it had undergone earth-shaking changes.
What's in Xuankong Temple?
Xuankong Temple had a monastery, a meditation room, a Buddhist hall, a Three Buddha Hall, a Guandi Temple, a drum tower, and other buildings. There are more than 80 statues of Buddha in the temple, made of copper, iron, stone and mud.
Xuankong Temple's characteristics
Xuankong Temple's characteristics were mainly reflected in the strange, dangerous, clever, and mysterious architectural style. The architecture of Xuan Kong Temple was extremely unique. It was famous for its precipitousness. It was located on the cliff and consisted of the main hall, side hall, and back hall. There were more than 40 houses in total. The architectural structure of Xuankong Temple was unique. They were all connected by mortise and tenon without using any nails or cement. This special architectural structure allowed Xuan Kong Temple to hang firmly on the cliff, giving people the illusion of standing in the air. The architectural style of Xuankong Temple combined the architectural features of China and India, and had a strong Buddhist artistic atmosphere. The layout of Xuankong Temple was ingenious. The main building was composed of two flying buildings in the north and south, facing each other. There was a boardwalk in the middle, forming a closed-loop tour route. Xuankong Temple also had a rich cultural content. There were many Buddha statues and cultural relics inside, making the entire temple even more solemn. Xuankong Temple was an important Buddhist holy land, and it was of great significance to people who believed in Buddhism. It was regarded as a pure land in Buddhism, and believers believed that they could obtain divine blessing and inspiration here. The existence of Xuan Kong Temple brought hope and strength to the people, making them believe that no matter what difficulties and challenges they faced, as long as they had faith, they could stand in the air and surpass everything.