The Millennium Temple in Shanxi, which integrates Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, was built on a cliff.

When traveling abroad, you can always feel the influence of "religion". I don't feel special at home, but abroad, both developed and developing countries, are very religious, and even some areas have reached fanaticism.

Therefore, when visiting temples, churches and other buildings abroad, my nerves are always a little bit nervous, for fear that my performance will make local people think that I have offended their gods.

In contrast, it is easier to visit religious buildings in China. Many times I forget that they are serious religious places, but I can feel the atmosphere there more deeply.

In China, local Taoism has been in decline, but it is a foreign Buddhism. After thousands of years of development, it has been localized and widely accepted. Temples can be seen almost all over the country, and many of them are built in strange places, such as on the seabed, between mountains, under boulders and so on.

There are also those hanging from the cliff like the hanging temple in Hengshan Mountain, Shanxi Province. When I first heard the name Hanging Temple, I thought it was a gimmick, but I didn't know until I saw the photos that it was no different from winding and hanging, and it was the kind of thing that had no bones when it fell.

In the spirit of no right to speak without seeing it, my friends and I quickly drove to the hanging temple in Hengshan Mountain, Shanxi Province. At that time, we went in April, which was the best time to enjoy flowers online.

Entering Hengshan Scenic Area, spruce and larch are everywhere, which makes the scenery green and shiny. Hanging Temple is on the west side of Jinlong Gorge, on the back of a mountain peak. You can't see it until you reach the foot of the mountain.

Because it is not the tourist season, there are not many people going, but we can also see many tourists going up, which also makes us feel at ease. After all, when we look up at the foot of this mountain, we can see that more than half of the temples have buildings hanging in the air. If it's just the two of us, it's still a little scary.

The air ticket is a bit expensive, but the air ticket itself is not expensive, and the rest is the boarding fee. When I bought the ticket, my friend told a cold joke and asked me if I should sign the death certificate before I went up, indicating that the accident was not the responsibility of the scenic spot. The staff in the scenic spot answered very seriously, as long as you don't deliberately do dangerous actions, the possibility of falling is almost zero.

This makes me feel at ease a lot. We started walking next to a tour group, and more people always made me feel more at ease. I dare not look back all the way up the mountain until I come to the Hanging Temple and step on the temple board.

Hanging Temple is made entirely of wood. After thousands of years of wind and rain, it still creaks when walking, but because I deliberately don't think it is hanging, I don't panic.

Founded in the Southern and Northern Dynasties 1500 years ago, it was originally named "Kong Xuanting" and later renamed "Hanging Temple". Among them, "Xuan" comes from Taoist teachings and "Kong" comes from Buddhist teachings-yes, this is a temple with both Taoism and Buddhism, and later Confucianism participated in it and became a temple of "three religions in one". No matter which Sect you believe in, you can find the sacred Buddha here.

There are 40 temples in Hangkong Temple, and there are more than 80 bronze, iron, stone and clay statues in the temple. Standing in a temple is actually not much different from ordinary temples. From the appearance alone, people will marvel at the craftsmanship of craftsmen at that time.

The hanging temple is not big, which may be due to geographical restrictions. It is only 30 meters long and is divided into the south building and the north building, which are connected by a long bridge. Compared with the south building and the north building, the long bridge looks more dangerous. From the outside, it looks like it is supported by several wooden sticks, but many people still like to take pictures there as a souvenir.

Hanging temple gives people a feeling of "dangerous building" because wooden sticks used to fix dangerous buildings can be seen everywhere. But in fact, they are one of the structures of the Hanging Temple. After thousands of years of weathering, this temple can still be well preserved, which is enough to show the unique architectural technology in ancient China.

The whole temple didn't use a steel bar up and down, but a wedge was embedded in the crack. Its principle is very similar to today's expansion nail. First, pry open the crossbar with a wedge, so that the inverted teeth of the crossbar are aligned with the grooves in the rock cracks. The deeper the wedge, the tighter the clamp. It is this small wedge that has supported the Hanging Temple for thousands of years. This is the crystallization of ancient wisdom and a great miracle in the history of architecture.

No wonder this small temple can become the "first scene" among the 18 scenic spots in Hengshan Mountain, not only because the scenery around it is beautiful, but also because it has become a spectacle.

It has been rumored that the Hanging Temple has been spared many wars in history because of the unity of the three religions. But I think it is more because its geographical location does not support war.

However, compared with foreign countries fighting over religion, although China doesn't respect religion, religion itself is relatively tolerant, and it won't quarrel because of different doctrines, thus truly achieving "harmony but difference".

Looking from the Hanging Temple, the view is full of open and continuous mountains, and even people's hearts are broadened. Perhaps this is the reason why various religions can live in harmony. The thousand-year-old temple in Shanxi, which integrates Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, was built on a cliff.