The Hanging Temple, Mount Heng in Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province, China

The Hanging Temple, also Hengshan Hanging Temple, 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. The closest city is Datong, 64 kilometres (40 mi) to the northwest. Along with the Yungang Grottoes, the Hanging Temple is one of the main tourist attractions and historical sites in the Datong area. Built more than 1,500 years ago, this temple is notable not only for its location on a sheer precipice but also because it is the only existing temple with the combination of three Chinese traditional religions: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The structure is kept in place with oak crossbeams fitted into holes chiseled into the cliffs. The main supportive structure is hidden inside the bedrock. The monastery is located in the small canyon basin, and the body of the building hangs from the middle of the cliff under the prominent summit, protecting the temple from rain erosion and sunlight. Coupled with the repair of the dynasties, the color tattoo in the temple is relatively well preserved. 

According to legend, construction of the temple was started at the end of the Northern Wei dynasty by only one man, a monk named Liaoran. Over the next 1,400 years, many repairs and extensions have led to its present-day scale.

The design and site selection of Hanging Temple is another important reason for its preservation. It's located at the inward concave of the cliff and the protruding part is like an umbrella, which makes the temple free from the impact of rain and falling rocks. The high position of the temple also avoids the risk of being flooded.

The entire 40 halls and pavilions are all built on cliffs which are over 30 metres (98 ft) from the ground. The distance from north to south is longer than from east to west and it becomes higher and higher from the gate in the south to north along the mountain. With brief layout, it includes the Qielan Hall (Hall of Sangharama), Sanguan Hall (Hall of Three Officials),  Chunyang Hall, Hall of Sakyamuni, Hall of Three Religions and Guanyin Hall.

The Hall of Three Religions mainly enshrines Buddhist deities as well as both Taoism and Confucianism. The statues of Sakyamuni (middle), Lao-Tze (left) and Confucius (right) are enshrined in the hall. This reflects the prevailed idea of Three Teaching Harmonious as One in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1911).

Interestingly, this historical site enshrines not just one religion, but three: Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are all practiced within the ancient monastery. In the Sanjiao or Three Religions Hall, a Buddha sits alongside statues of Lao Zi and Confucius, the founders of Taoism and Confucianism. This demonstrates that there was harmony among religions even centuries ago in China. As a transit station for people journeying through Datong's remote terrain, the temple catered to anyone, whatever their belief. With its historical impact and jaw-dropping scenery, the Hanging Temple of Datong is not only an engineering miracle, but also a beautiful testament to the ingenuity of our forefathers. 

As a historical site, the Hanging Temple is available to visit all year round. But considering Datong in winter is relatively cold and there will be more tourists in July and August, it is most recommended to travel here from March to mid-June and mid-September to November. Best time to visit in a day: To protect the temple, the number of visitors is limited at 80, which means when there are 80 people in the temple, you need to wait until someone comes down from the temple and then you are allowed to go up there. Therefore, it is recommended to visit the Hanging Temple in the morning and be one of the first batch of 80 people, or it is normal to wait in line for 1-2 hours.