Hanging Temple (Xuankong Si)
Major Historical And Cultural Site Protected At The National Level; Part Of The Mount Heng Scenic Area · Datong, Shanxi
A temple complex clinging to a sheer cliff face above Jinlong Canyon at the foot of Mount Heng in northern Shanxi, apparently held up by slender wooden stilts. First built, by tradition, in 491 CE under the Northern Wei and rebuilt many times since, its roughly forty small halls and pavilions are joined by narrow wooden walkways and staircases dozens of metres above the ground. The real support comes from oak beams driven deep into holes cut in the rock, while the cliff overhang shelters the wood from rain and sun. Unusually, it honours three traditions together: in the Hall of the Three Religions, the Buddha, Laozi and Confucius sit side by side. Visitors can view it from the canyon floor or, with a separate capped climbing ticket, squeeze through its creaking corridors. It is about 70-80 km south of Datong.
Jinlong Canyon, Mount Heng Scenic Area, Hunyuan County, Datong, Shanxi, China
Daily in season about 8:00-17:00 (extended May-September); winter hours shorter. Climbing tickets capped at 2,475 a day. Closes for high winds and safety works (closed March 25-April 30, 2026).
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