The Story of Xuankong Temple
Xuan Kong Temple had many legends and legends. One of the legends was about the founder of Xuankong Temple, the famous Zen monk Hui Chao. According to legend, the construction of Xuankong Temple was very difficult because it had no foundation and the construction officials were powerless. However, Hui Chao used his wisdom and courage to successfully build Xuankong Temple. Another legend was about the Three Sacred Halls of Xuan Kong Temple. According to legend, there were three sacred Buddha statues in the Three Sacred Halls of Xuankong Temple. These three Buddha statues were gods that descended from the sky. They had helped the local people resolve a great disaster, so they were worshipped as gods by the local people. These legends showed the construction process of Xuankong Temple and the mysteries inside the temple.
The Story of Xuankong Temple
Xuankong Temple was a unique temple located between the cliffs of Cuiping Peak in Hengshan, Shanxi Province. The architectural features of the temple included 18 buildings, including the mountain gate, the bell and drum tower, the main hall, the side hall, the flower hall, and the scripture pavilion. These buildings were connected together by skylights, grottoes, boardwalks, and so on. The overall layout of Xuankong Temple also included the monastery, meditation room, Buddhist hall, Three Buddha Hall, Taiyi Hall, Guandi Temple, drum tower, bell tower, temple hall, child-giving Guanyin Hall, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Hall, Thousand Hands Temple Hall, Sakyamuni Hall, Thunder Sound Hall, Three Officials Hall, Pure Yang Palace, plank road, Three Religious Hall, Five Buddha Hall, etc. In addition, at the highest point of the Xuankong Temple, the Hall of Three Religious Sects was dedicated to Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, Laozi, the founder of Taoism, and Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, which fully demonstrated the religious thought of the integration of the three religions. The architectural structure of Xuankong Temple was unique. It was connected by mortise and tenon without using any nails or cement. This structure allowed Xuan Kong Temple to hang firmly on the cliff, giving people the illusion of standing in the air. In short, Xuankong Temple was a unique temple that integrated the thoughts of the three religions. It had rich architectural and cultural contents.
The Story of Xuankong Temple
Xuan Kong Temple had many legends and stories. One of the legends was about the founder of the Xuankong Temple, the Zen monk Hui Chao. It was said that Hui Chao encountered a demon attack during his cultivation. He used his Zen skills to expel the demon and then built Xuankong Temple in this place. Another legend was about a temple on the mountain opposite the Xuankong Temple. This temple was not big and very few people came here. Master White Horse, a monk in the temple, was jealous of the devotees of Xuankong Temple and was determined to compete with Daoist Jingwu. He pointed his horsetail whisk to the south, causing the Tangyu River to flood. Then, he pointed with his finger, causing the flood to rush towards Xuankong Temple. Daoist Jingwu chanted, and the water slowly receded. Venerable White Horse was unable to breach Xuan Kong Temple. In the end, he pointed with his finger and the water flowed down, scraping off a corner of Chaotic Origin City. There was also a legend about the great poet Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty. He wrote the word " spectacular " on the cliff outside the Xuankong Temple to express his amazement at the Xuankong Temple.
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.
Xuankong Temple
The Xuankong Temple was located between the cliffs of Cuiping Peak on the west side of the Golden Dragon Gorge in Hengshan, Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province.
Xuankong Temple
Xuankong Temple was a temple located on the cliff of Cuiping Peak on the west side of Golden Dragon Gorge in Hengshan, Hunyuan County, Shanxi Province, China. It was built 1400 years ago in the later period of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was the only unique temple in China that combined Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. It was also one of the earliest wooden structures built on the cliff in the world. Xuankong Temple was a key cultural relic protected in China and was known as the "number one scenic spot" among the 18 scenic spots of Mount Heng. The temple was about 50 meters above the ground and consisted of 40 houses. All of them were supported by a wooden frame structure and were fixed by 27 wooden beams inserted into the rock wall. Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian statues were worshiped in the temple, and a large number of murals, sculptures, and Buddhist scriptures were preserved. They had extremely high cultural value. The architectural style of Xuankong Temple was unique. It was famous for its precipitous abyss. It was known as one of the earliest and best preserved high-altitude wooden cliff buildings in China. Xuankong Temple was also one of the seven Xuankong Temples in China. The other Xuankong Temples were distributed in Guangling County, Long County, Jingxing County, Xishan County, Jianchuan County, and Jiande City.
Xuankong Temple
Xuankong Temple is located in Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province.
Xuankong Temple
The highlights of Xuankong Temple included the boardwalk, the north tower, the uneven heights of the temples and pavilions, as well as the magnificent scenery of the towering mountain walls. When the clouds and mist arrived, the tourists felt as if they were in a palace in the sky. It was a wonderful feeling. In addition, the architectural art of Xuankong Temple was also very superb. The entire temple was suspended on the steep cliff, giving people the feeling of flying in the air. It was very dangerous and strange. The visitors could experience the unique charm of the Xuankong Temple by climbing, drilling through the skylight, passing through the grottoes, crossing the boardwalk, walking along the corridor, and so on.
Xuankong Temple
Xuankong Temple was located between the cliffs of Cuiping Peak on the west side of Jinlong Gorge, Hengshan Mountain, Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province.
Xuankong Temple
Xuankong Temple was located between the cliffs of Cuiping Peak on the west side of Jinlong Gorge, Hengshan Mountain, Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province.
To Xuankong Temple
Xuankong Temple was located between the cliffs of Cuiping Peak on the west side of Jinlong Gorge, Hengshan Mountain, Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province. From Datong bus station or Xinnan bus station, one could take a long-distance bus to Chaotic Origin, then chartered a car to Heng Mountain and Xuan Kong Temple. The price was about 50 yuan. Xuankong Temple is open from 08:30-17:30 (Winter: November to May) and 08:00-18:00 (Summer: June to October). The ticket price was 130 yuan per person in the peak season (March to October) and 125 yuan per person in the off-season (November to February). Xuankong Temple was a wooden structure built on a cliff. It had unique architectural features and was known as the embodiment of the essence of ancient Chinese architecture. There are copper, iron, stone, mud Buddha statues in the temple, etc. On the rocks under the temple are engraved the calligraphy of Li Bai, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. Xuankong Temple was about 50 meters above the ground. It was a thrilling and spectacular scenic spot. It was listed as the number one wonder of Mount Heng.