INGENIEUR
Wutaishan
The term Wutaishan means five peaks and they
consist of five flat-topped mountains surrounding
a plateau. From an early date, the plateau and its
surrounding mountains have attracted numerous
Buddhist temples and monasteries. Wutaishan’s
history flourished during the Tang period, around
the seventh and eighth centuries A.D., though
most of them were rebuilt and re-organised during
the Ming and early Qing dynasties, in the 14 th to
17 th centuries A.D.
As host to over 53 sacred monasteries, Mount
Wutai is home to many of China’s most important
monasteries and temples. It was recognised as
a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009 and named
an “AAAAA tourist attraction” by China’s National
Tourism Administration in 2007.
Mount Wutai is home to some of the oldest
wooden buildings in China that have survived
since the era of the Tang Dynasty (618–907
A.D.). This includes the main hall of Nanchan
Temple and the East Hall of Foguang Temple,
built in 782 A.D. and 857 A.D., respectively. They
were discovered in 1937 and 1938 by a team
of architectural historians. The architectural
designs of these buildings have since been
studied by leading sinologists and experts in
traditional Chinese architecture, such as Nancy
Steinhardt. Steinhardt classified these buildings
according to the hall types featured in the Yingzao
Fashi Chinese building manual written in the 12 th
century.
Most parts of Wutaishan are covered with snow.
Hanging Temple of Hengshan narrow corridors, which can get very crowded in
summer. It’s a sight to behold, but we hear that
the access up into the monastery itself might
(understandably) eventually be closed owing to the
large number of visitors.
Another masterpiece of ancient Chinese
wooden architecture, it was built on the near
vertical cliff and rated as one of the ten most
dangerous buildings in the world by Time
Magazine. Its 40 wooden houses are connected
by plank roads and wooden spiral stairs, and
supported by dozens of timber pillars. Despite
enduring more than 1,400 years exposed to the
rain and wind, and having suffered dozens of
quakes, the Hanging Temple survives, and has
become an architectural wonder of history.
The Hanging Temple of Hengshan, located about
60km southeast of Datong, China, in the Shanxi
province, is one of the world’s forgotten wonders.
The temple is said to have been built by a monk
named Liao Ran during the late Northern Wei
Dynasty (386-534 A.D.) and restored in 1900.
It was constructed by drilling holes into the cliffside
into which the poles that hold up the temples are
set.
Built precariously into the side of a cliff, the
Buddhist Hanging Monastery is made all the
more stunning by its long support stilts. The
halls have been built along the contours of the
cliff face, connected by rickety catwalks and The geologic formation of cliffs surrounding the
Hanging Temple.
6
78
VOL
2019
VOL 78
55 APRIL-JUNE
JUNE 2013