Xuan Kong Si (Hanging Temple)

by Laura Harbacxz

As we are approaching the end of our trip and just headed north from Mount Wutai, we get to see one of the most spectacular temples we have seen throughout our trip— Xuan Kong Si, or Hanging Temple, as this peculiar temple is often referred to. Located about 65 kilometres northwest of the city of Datong, in the province of Shanxi, the temple is built into a cliff, no less than 75 metres above the ground. Located in the Mount Heng region, which is named after the northern of the five sacred mountains, the temple was built during the late Northern Wei Dynasty more than 1500 years ago, presumably in 491. Restored twice, once during the Ming Dynasty (1368- 1644), and a second time during the Qing Dynasty (1644- 1912), the complex is still in a remarkably good condition. Apart from its extravagant structure and remote location, the temple is notable for the fact that it combines elements of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism and that it offers space for worship for all three religions. Being one of the main tourist attractions of the Datong region, the temple has been said to be fit to be considered for nomination as one of the world’s wonders. According to oral tradition, the unique construction, which is today a Class II protected site in China, was built by a single monk named Liao Ran.¹

When regarding the breathtaking construction, one wonders how the fragile looking wooden poles that support the structure could hold the temple’s weight for the past centuries. All buildings outside of the cliff are supported by balusters, and the wooden vertical poles are built into the rock for half their length. The structure, furthermore, is constructed in a way that most of the weight is carried by the cliff. While also the cantilevers of the temple seem fragile and discomforting, they are in fact purely decorative and do not carry the actual weight of the building.

The monastery is composed of 40 chambers, halls and pavilions that comprise 87 statues of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism made of copper, iron, clay and stone.²

The location of the Temple respects one of the fundamental principals of Taoism, according to which there should be “no noise, neither cock crow nor bark”.³

Being a very unusual feature of a monastery, it includes Buddhist Sakyamuni statues, built right next to statues of Confucius and Taoist Lao- Tsé statues. The temple has two bell and drum towers and the buildings are divided into three groups. Climbing the narrow wooden stairs that lead to the first level of the monastery, we find the Sanguan Hall, which is the principal building of the most southern part and designed for Taoist sacrifices. Climbing up to the second level, we find the principal building in the central part being the Sansheng Hall, containing Buddhist statues and symbols. The last and highest level, finally, reveals the Sanjiao Hall, and contains statues of the founders of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, namely Confucius, Laozi and Sakyamuni, respectively.

The answer to the question, how this monastery has resisted adverse climatic conditions for so many centuries, is as easy as it is astounding. The height of the structure, which might seem disadvantageous at first thought, protects the temple from flood damage, the excavations into the rock protect it from rain and snow and the mountains that surround the structure do their share in protecting the temple from heat during the summer.

Xuan Kong Si is, despite its remote location, well worth a visit— not only because of its breathtaking architecture and the fact that it combines three religions in one structure, but also for the special atmosphere of endurance and permanence that surrounds it. And permanence is, as we have experienced so many times throughout our trip through China, something rare, possibly even nonexistent.

The Woodenfish Project

Xuan Kong Si (Hanging Temple)

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