Mount Heng Xuan Kong Temple required climbing. Guests can choose to walk or take the cable car up the mountain to reach Xuankong Temple. It took about 2-3 hours to climb the mountain on foot, while it only took 20-30 minutes to take the cable car. No matter which method he chose, he would need to climb mountains to reach Xuan Kong Temple.
He needed to climb the mountain. Mount Heng's Xuankong Temple was a scenic spot located at the foot of the mountain. Guests needed to walk or take a cable car up the mountain to reach the Xuankong Temple. It took about 2-3 hours to climb the mountain on foot, while it only took 20-30 minutes to take the cable car. No matter which method he chose, he would need to climb mountains to reach Xuan Kong Temple.
Xuankong Temple was located on Mount Heng and was one of the 18 scenic spots of Mount Heng. Therefore, it could be said that Xuankong Temple was on Mount Heng.
There was no need to buy tickets to Mount Heng. Xuan Kong Temple and Heng Mountain were two separate scenic spots, so one had to buy tickets separately.
The Xuankong Temple on Mount Heng was famous for its unique architecture, which was as steep as an abyss. It was a temple hanging on a cliff, about 50 meters above the ground. The entire temple was made up of 40 houses, all supported by a wooden frame structure, and only 27 wooden beams were inserted into the rock wall to fix it. The architectural features of Xuankong Temple included single eave, double eave, and three-layer eave. The structure had a raised beam structure, a flat roof structure, and a bucket arch structure. The roof had a main ridge, a hanging ridge, a hip ridge, and a poor ridge. Inside the temple were statues of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. It was a rare temple in China that combined the three religions. The architectural style of Xuankong Temple was a combination of Chinese landscape architecture, while also retaining the layout of traditional architecture. This temple was famous for its unique architectural skills and engineering miracles. It was one of the four Xuankong Temples in China and one of the oldest existing Xuankong Temples in the world.
The origins of Mount Heng's Xuankong Temple could be traced back to the Northern Wei Dynasty, around 491 AD. It was said that a Northern Wei Taoist priest named Kou Qianzhi had instructed his disciples to build a temple in the sky before his death. His disciples had chosen the site and designed it many times before finally building the temple on a steep cliff. The architectural structure of Xuankong Temple used a combination of wooden structures and suspension cable structures. It relied on the bumps of the mountain and the shape of the rock to support the building. The entire temple was made of wood and stone, cleverly embedded in the cracks between the rocks in the mountains, forming a floating effect. Xuankong Temple was famous for its unique architectural skills and engineering miracles. It was also one of the four Xuankong Temples in China and one of the oldest existing Xuankong Temples in the world.
Mount Heng Xuan Kong Temple was open to the public at different times. According to the document [2], on June 4, 2023, the Xuankong Temple scenic area was temporarily closed. However, according to the document [3], starting from December 8, 2022, the Hengshan scenic area and the Xuankong Temple scenic area will be reopened. In addition, document [5] mentioned that from June 22, 2023, the Xuankong Temple scenic area would fully pilot the reservation reception mode, and non-reservation visitors would not be received. Therefore, according to the information provided, the opening of Mount Heng Xuan Kong Temple might change. Whether it would be opened or not would need to be determined according to the latest announcement or news.
Mount Hengshan Xuankong Temple was located between the cliffs of Cuiping Peak on the west side of the Golden Dragon Gorge in Mount Hengshan, Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province.
There were many legends and stories about the Xuankong Temple on Mount Heng. The most famous legend was about the thousand-year-old ginseng. It was said that there was a thousand-year-old ginseng growing deep in the mountains near Xuan Kong Temple. This ginseng had miraculous effects and could cure all kinds of diseases. However, it would only appear at a specific time and place, and only the fated could find it. In addition, there was also a legend about Li Bai's inscription of the word 'magnificent'. It was said that when Li Bai traveled to the Xuankong Temple, he saw the Xuankong Temple built on the cliff and was amazed, so he wrote the word "spectacular". In addition, there were also legends about the construction of Xuankong Temple, calling it a wonder of the world. These legends added mystery and charm to the Xuankong Temple on Mount Heng.
To go to Xuan Kong Temple, one had to climb the mountain. Xuan Kong Temple was located on top of Mount Heng and was part of the scenic area. Although there was a ropeway to choose from, if one did not take the ropeway, they would have to climb the mountain to reach Xuan Kong Temple. Different search results gave different answers, but it took roughly 2.5-3.5 hours. Therefore, if one wanted to go to Xuan Kong Temple, one had to be prepared to climb the mountain.
To go to Xuan Kong Temple, one had to climb the mountain. Although there was a ropeway to choose from, if one did not take the ropeway, they would have to climb the mountain to reach Xuan Kong Temple. Different search results gave different answers, but it took roughly 2.5-3.5 hours.