Discovering Shanxi's ancient Chinese architecture: Xuankong Temple

Xuankong Temple at Hengshan Mountain in Hunyuan county is no doubt one of the most remarkable ancient Chinese buildings. Constructed of wood, tiles and stones during the mid-Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), the temple is made up of two three-story pavilions and a yard linked by staircases and steps. The staircases and steps are lined along the surface of a sheer cliff rising 50 meters above a stream at the foot of the mountain. Seen from below, Xuankong Temple, which literally means "temple hanging in the sky", appears extremely precarious.