Just Hangin' Out......

The following was copied from information on the internet and edited by me: Xuankong Si (Hanging Monastery or "Monastery in Mid-Air") is perched precariously on a near-vertical cliff face of the Jinxia ("Golden Dragon") Gorge , 40 miles from downtown Datong City. Since it hangs on the west cliff of Jinxia Gorge more than 50 meters above the ground, it is called Hanging Monastery. Hanging Monastery, built in 491, has survived more than 1400 years. How could a building like this withstand the winds and storms of so many years? Hanging Monastery is an architectural wonder. A unique mechanical theory was applied to building the framework. Crossbeams were half-inserted into the rock as the foundation, while the rock in back became its support. Seen from below, Hanging Monastery appears to be a tumble-down castle in the air. Inside, Hanging Monastery provides the same scene as other temples. Construction experts from countries including Britain, Germany, and Italy, come to see the monastery. In their words, Hanging Monastery, which mixes mechanics, aesthetics, and Buddhism, is rare. The monastery and everything it symbolizes embodies a great cultural achievement of Chinese people.The second attraction of Hanging Monastery is that it includes Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Inside the monastery, the sculptures of Sakyamuni, Confucius and Laotzu appear together, which is unusual. There are 40 halls and cabinets, which contain about 80 sculptures made of copper, iron, terracotta, and stone. The features are vividly carved.Why build a monastery like this? Location is the first reason; building a monastery on the cliff could shield it from floods. In addition, the mountain peak protects it from rain and snow; and the mountain around it also diminishes damage from long-time sunshine. The second reason is that the builders followed a principle in Taoism: no noises, including those from rooster crowing and dog baying; so from the upper ground, all noises drop away.
I like that last part: all noises drop away.
It's true; and for a while you even forget that you're standing on a structure supported by wooden poles!!!! As you see in the first photo, however, I'm not standing very close to the edge and am hanging on to "Mama." ha You know, I look at my photos of Xuankong Si and I can't believe I was actually there! What a magnificent place! Hua's childhood friend works for the government office that oversees this cultural achievement so we were allowed in at no charge and escorted by Hua's friend. And just in case you're wondering (and I know you are), yes, there was a souvenir shop within this monastery that hangs from a cliff. I bought some small brass bells on red strings there and a few stamps with the Hanging Monastery on them to use in my photo-journal (that I hope to complete by summer).