Includes index.

January 29, 2012

soundsightandthought:

Xuangongsi Hanging Temple
The Hanging Monastery (Xuángong Si, or Temple Suspended in the Air or Void) of Hunyuan County, Shanxi Province is one of China’s unique and remarkable feats of architectural engineering. Sited about 50 mi (80 km) southeast of Datong, it is built about a third of the way up a vertical cliff in Jinlong Guan (Golden Dragon Gorge or Canyon), part of the long Hengshan (Heng mountain), one of the four sacred Taoist mountains. The monastery was founded during the Northern Wei period (386-584) in the 6th century, although much was reconstructed from the Tang through the Qing eras, as well as in more recent times.
The complex consists of forty caves, or rooms, including six main halls, but its characteristic feature is the elaborate wooden façade of pavilions and walkways precariously resting on timbers jutting out horizontally and vertically from the cliff. There are colorful tiles on the roofs. Inside the caves are a number of Buddhist figures in bronze, stone, clay and iron. Although built on a sacred Daoist mountain, it has had many influences on it. The Three Religions Hall (San Jiao Dian) reflects the syncretic element of the Chinese religious and philosophical tradition. It contains the seated images representing the Buddha, Confucius and Laozi, seemingly in perfect harmony with each other. Most of the caves were closed over during a wintry November day when this writer visited, but there were few other visitors, so it was an unhurried visit.
Text by Robert D. Fiala, Concordia University, Nebraska.

Xuangongsi Hanging Temple

The Hanging Monastery (Xuángong Si, or Temple Suspended in the Air or Void) of Hunyuan County, Shanxi Province is one of China’s unique and remarkable feats of architectural engineering. Sited about 50 mi (80 km) southeast of Datong, it is built about a third of the way up a vertical cliff in Jinlong Guan (Golden Dragon Gorge or Canyon), part of the long Hengshan (Heng mountain), one of the four sacred Taoist mountains. The monastery was founded during the Northern Wei period (386-584) in the 6th century, although much was reconstructed from the Tang through the Qing eras, as well as in more recent times.

The complex consists of forty caves, or rooms, including six main halls, but its characteristic feature is the elaborate wooden façade of pavilions and walkways precariously resting on timbers jutting out horizontally and vertically from the cliff. There are colorful tiles on the roofs. Inside the caves are a number of Buddhist figures in bronze, stone, clay and iron. Although built on a sacred Daoist mountain, it has had many influences on it. The Three Religions Hall (San Jiao Dian) reflects the syncretic element of the Chinese religious and philosophical tradition. It contains the seated images representing the Buddha, Confucius and Laozi, seemingly in perfect harmony with each other. Most of the caves were closed over during a wintry November day when this writer visited, but there were few other visitors, so it was an unhurried visit.

Text by Robert D. Fiala, Concordia University, Nebraska.

3:37pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZJ2PpwFaI4xZ

(Notes: 3)