Hengshan, in the southeast of hunyuan county, datong. Hanging monastery close up view of one section, datong, shanxi. Hanging temple of hengshan datong, china atlas obscura. The extant monastery was largely rebuilt and maintained in the ming dynasty 681644 and qing dynasty 16441911. Many buses departing for hunyuan from datong s main bus station. The hanging temple in datong is one of the most impressive temples in china. Additional information about datong and the hanging monastery. Patrick streule, creative commons located in hengshan, the hanging monastery of hengshan is mainly influenced by taoism. The hanging temple is built on the cliff in the jinlong valley of hengshan mountain, 4 km south of hunyuan county, 70 km to the southeast of datong. Dec 31, 2015 we knew it will be tricky to get to hanging monastery by public transport, but fortunately we met another couple travelling same direction. When boarding, notify the driver that you want go to hanging temple. The hanging monastery is just outside the town of hunyuan, 75km southeast of datong. Grottoes by taxi and hanging monastery by bus datong forum.
Located at the jinlong valley of henshang mountain, it will take you two hours to reach the mountain from datong. Clinging to a crag of hengshan mountain, in apparent. Since it hangs on the west cliff of jinxia gorge more than 50 meters above the ground, it is called hanging monastery. Hanging temple the hanging temple, also hanging monastery or xuankong temple is a temple built into a cliff 75 m or 246 ft above the ground near mount heng in hunyuan county, datong city, shanxi province, china. Many buses departing for hunyuan from datongs main bus station. The hanging temple, also hanging monastery or xuankong temple simplified chinese. You can get to datong by train from many other cities in china. The way to the hanging temple is not a nationallevel road, but its road conditions is fairly ok. The hanging monastery, datong 3 faiths, 1,500 years old.
Datong is located in the shanxi province of china, a few hundred kilometers west of beijing. Travelers can take mini bus at datong railway station to hunyuan county, then take a travel bus to the hanging temple from hunyuan county. For thisn money guide drove us to hanging monastery and to wooden pagoda in ying. Hengshan hanging temple datong travel guide the china guide. Heng heng shan, one of the five sacred mountains of china wu yue. Although henshan mountain is one of the five sacred mountains of taoism daoism, the hanging monastery is in.
I read in the forum that cits offers day tours to the yungang grottoes and hanging monastery starting at about 9 a. These figures are made of various materials, including copper, bronze, iron, terracotta and stone, and are carved vividly. It is located in the datong basin at an elevation of 1,040 metres 3,410 ft and borders inner mongolia to the north and west and hebei to the east. This does not make it a desirable tourist destination. Shanxis heng mountain is the northernmost, although it is often passed up by visitors in favour of the nearby wutai. The hanging monastery is the only monastery in china enshrining three religions buddhism, taoism, and confucianism. The city of datong is currently a massive building site. The whole temple is a wooden frame structure, and there are 40 temples and temples. Built precariously into the side of the mountain and held up. Hanging monastery and yangung caves of datong, china.
We had been planning on catching a bus out to the grottoes we knew we would have to hire a driver to take us to the hanging monastery a it was 70 kilometres from the city but after talking to the staff at the hotel they suggested that we visited both together next day in a taxi which would then take us to the airport nearly an hour out of. Hengshan, 5 kilometers 3 miles south of hunyuan county, and 65 kilometers 40 miles from downtown datong city. Datong is becoming more and more famous and tourists should definitely visit the city during their trip to china. The hanging monastery at the foot of heng shan heng mountain, aka henshan mountain, shanxi province, is located some 5 kilometers south of the village of hunyuan, and about 65 kilometers southeast of the largest regional city, datong. It hangs on the west cliff of the jinxia gorge which is over 50 meters above the ground, thus it is called so. Datong travel guides 2020 datong attractions map shanxi. Hanging monastery was built in 491 during northern wei dynasty 386534 and has survived for more than 1400 years. 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. Located in the hunyuan county of datong, the hanging monastery lies at the foot of mount hengshan.
The most outstanding feature of the hanging monastery is the sidebyside sculptures of laotzu, confucius, and. The hanging temple, also hanging monastery or xuankong temple is a temple built into a cliff. In the morning, your guide will pick you up from the hotel and you start to explore. Day tour to the yungang grottoes and hanging monastery. We knew it will be tricky to get to hanging monastery by public transport, but fortunately we met another couple travelling same direction. The upper huayan monastery is a mahavirahallcentered architecture complex with gate hall, corridor hall. Hanging monastery in datong, datong attractions, datong tours. Hanging monastery datong, china attractions lonely planet. Oct 15, 2019 hanging monastery stands at the foot of mt. These wooden pillars are the only supports of the hanging monastery in mount hengshan, datong. Apr 18, 2018 the hanging temple is located about an hour away from datong da tong in shanxi province shan xi sheng. On a high at the incredible hanging monastery in datong.
The monastery was originally built in 491 and rebuilt into its present state in the 1500s. Datong tourist map datong is a prefecture with a lot of buddhist architecture. May 16, 2016 additional information about datong and the hanging monastery. It is almost impossible to believe that this temple has stood the. There are many famous mountains in china, and a group of 5 are collected for their spiritual significance. It is called hanging monastery because of its precarious placement on steep cliffs above a canyon. It is of interest to tourists mainly because of the yungang grottoes and the hanging temple, but it also offers a look at the real china, away from the standard tourist trail. You will have your own car, driver and englishspeaking tour guide, pickup and dropoff from your hotel, and a chinese lunch at lo. Built in 491, hanging monastery is an architectural wonder because it hangs on the west cliff of jinxia gorge more than 50 meters above the ground.
Located 65 km away from datong city, the hanging monastery is a temple built into a cliff 75 m above the ground near mt hengshan. The precariously hanging monastery of mount heng ancient. The closest city is datong, 64 kilometres 40 mi to the northwest. Trip to hanging temple or hanging monastery in datong shanxi. The hanging monastery or hanging temple is located in a canyon at the foot of the heng mountain in the province of shanxi, china. Hanging monastery in datong hanging monastery, located at the foot of the mt. It is a coal mining town and one of chinas most polluted cities.
In chinese, hang and xuan are the same, hence the name. Suspended in midair against the side of a cliff, xuankong temple looks like a hanging mural. It is the first scenic spot in the 18 scenes of hengshan. Beijing to hanging temple 8 ways to travel via train, and. Many people overlook hengshan and opt for only the hanging temple, but for me, the mountain was just as impressive, in fact maybe even more so. Yungang grottoes was nothing short of amazing, making my expectations set high on our next destination, the hanging monastery. In 1982, hanging monastery was listed as a national cultural heritage of china. We arrived at datong the day before by train from beijing 6 hours. Datongs hanging monastery appears to be on stilts, half way up the mountain, but they were actually created by abseiling from the top of the cliff, and building it downwards. The hanging monastery located 80 km from datong in the shanxi province should be seen in conjunction with mount heng one of the five sacred mountains of china. When i first visited datong back in 2010 it was a big problem even finding hotels that were allowed to accommodate foreigners while days these theres even two youth.
The monastery was originally built in 491 and rebuilt into its present state in the the hanging temple or hanging monastery is a temple built into a cliff or 246 ft above the ground near. Heng mountain is one of these 5 the others being mt tai in the east, mt hua in the west, mt heng in the south, and mt song in the centre. Every single one of the many marvels throughout china has its own charm and beauty, but there is one that reaches another levelliterally. Short video of the ancient hanging monastary and yangung caves in datong, china. Its near the city of datong in shanxi province 6hr. If you head to the top, there are amazing views of the valley. The hanging temple was designed skillfully and constructed audaciously. How to get to the hanging temple and yungang grottoes in. Follow your guide to admire the 1400 years old temple. It is located in golden dragon canyon at the foot of the mount heng, built precariously on sheer cliffs in the later period of the northern wei dynasty 386534. The temple is built on a mountain surrounded by cliffs.
Feb 20, 20 hanging monastery close up view of one section, datong, shanxi province. We thought to visit datong hanging monastery in may. After lunch, our group took a 3hour ride going there, though it was a long and tedious one, provided us with brilliant views of the mountain ranges in the area. Later it was renamed the hanging temple because the entire temple was like hanging on a cliff. In huayan monastery of datong, the architectures, statues, murals and caissons are all representatives of the art of liao dynasty. Have a full day private tour to explore the historical relics and chinese architecture in datong, know more about the top attractions from an expert local tour guide, visit the peculiar woodstructured hanging monastery on the cliff, and see the oldest and highest wooden structure in china yingxian county wooden pagoda. The hanging monastery in shanxi province, northern china, outside of datong. This map covers the major attractions in the datong area, like the yungang grottoes, the hanging monastery, and the wooden pagoda. If you want to go on to muta, there are frequent buses from hunyuan. Situated in shanxi province, about 40 miles southwest of datong, the hanging temple, or hanging monastery, is an astonishing piece of architecture. Dec 28, 2007 short video of the ancient hanging monastary and yangung caves in datong, china.
Along with the yungang grottoes, the hanging temple is one of the main tourist attractions and historical sites in the datong area. After breakfast, drive to datong,visit yungang grottoes, hanging temple and. The hanging monastery at hengshan mountain is over 1,500 years old and defies belief as it hangs on the edge of a sheer rock face. We visited both the hanging temple and the yungang grottoes in one day. Grottoes by taxi and hanging monastery by bus datong. After visiting both sites we took the train to xian.
The hanging monastery near mount heng, china wikimedia commons throughout the monastery, there are about 80 sculptures of important buddhist, taoist and confucian individuals. Discover datongs unescolisted hengshan hanging temple at your own pace on this private day tour. Located at the jinlong valley of henshang mountain, it will take you two hours to reach the. May 23, 2018 the hanging monasterys construction is amazing. No hidden fees, no commissionbased shopping stops just memorable experiences enjoy private transfer and guiding to datongs cultural. The temple is built into the cliff side, about 75 m above the.
At datong long haul bus station, there are buses run on datong hunyuan. But people in datong told us that this bus station is not longer yantong road, because of road works. What links here related changes special pages printable version. Datong is famed for its rich deposit of coal as well as precious historical relics. Built in 491, it has survived more than 1400 years. The hanging temple, located about 60 kilometers southeast of datong, china, in the shanxi province, is one of the worlds forgotten wonders. Were planning to to take the plane from beijing to daton in the morning of the 7th november. The monastery was originally built in 491 and rebuilt into its present state in the the hanging temple or hanging monastery is a temple built into a cliff or 246 ft above the ground near mount heng in hunyuan county, shanxi province, china. The hanging monastery datong chinese language blog. The temple boasts a fine collection of religious statues 80 in all including statues in bronze, iron, terracotta, and stone, all are remarkably truetolife. Datong is a prefecturelevel city in northern shanxi province in the peoples republic of china.
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