How was China's first castle in the air built?

Five Thousand Years of Chinese History

We have built countless traditional buildings

There are still

263885 places

Spread across China

(The above number of ancient Chinese buildings is based on the third national cultural relics survey; the figure below shows the distribution of major ancient buildings in China, drawn by @Gong Xiangjie & Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)

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Most of them

Or built on flat land

Or built on a relatively gentle mountain slope

About 1500 years ago

In the mountains of northern Shanxi

But a "castle in the air" appeared

Hanging on the cliff

It is called "Hanging Temple"

(Hanging Temple, photographer @杨柳岸)

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Above the pavilion is a huge and dangerous rock.

The limestone formed by ancient marine sediments has clear stratification

Arranged neatly like an array

Slashing the sky

Forming a "monoclinic structure" in geology

(Hanging Temple, photographer @杨柳岸)

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Below is a river that often floods.

Summer sudden rain and flood

Carrying mud, sand and gravel

Continuously washing the valley

(The Hanging Temple on the left, Tangyu River on the right, photographer @杨柳岸)

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Until modern times

People built dams upstream

Formed a reservoir of 13.3 million cubic meters

Gradually eliminate the flood disaster

(Hengshan Reservoir, built in 1960, is mainly used for flood control and irrigation. The Hanging Temple is on the lower right. Photographer: @杨柳岸)

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The Hanging Temple is located between such mountains and waters.

The bottom of the highest pavilion

About 90 meters from the valley below

Equivalent to 30 floors

or the height of the Statue of Liberty

(Height diagram of the Hanging Temple. This is the relative height when it was first built. Later, due to river siltation, the relative height dropped to 60-70 meters. Map by @张靖/Planetary Research Institute)

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Why are you here

Build such a tall building?

Ancient people 1500 years ago

What kind of imagination and wisdom do you have?

01

origin

1500 years ago

China was divided into the Northern and Southern Dynasties

Tuoba Xianbei moved south from the grassland

Established the Northern Wei Dynasty in the north

The territory extends to the south of the Yellow River

(Northern Wei territory, 449 AD, map by @Gong Xiangjie & Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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Its capital city Pingcheng (Datong)

Located in Datong Basin, Shanxi

Surrounded by mountains on all sides, with crisscrossing peaks and ridges

The Hengshan Mountains in the south are particularly dangerous.

The highest peak, Tianfengling, is 2016 meters above sea level.

It is revered as the Northern Mountain for its natural beauty.

The emperor sits in the natural fortress

Control the Central Plains with two important transportation routes

A road running through Shanxi

South to Bingzhou (Taiyuan)

A road cut through Hengshan Mountain

Connecting to the North China Plain

(Diagram of Datong Basin and surrounding terrain, drawn by @张靖&公向杰/Planetary Research Institute)

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The road was built by tens of thousands of soldiers in Hengshan Mountain.

Digging day and night

Huge engineering relics

Survived till now

(The stone hole on the mountain is the remains of the Northern Wei plank road, located near the Hanging Temple, photographer @杨柳岸)

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Various religions also gathered in the capital

The Faith of the Emperor and the Nobles

Swinging

Under the influence of Taoism

The emperor built a large number of Taoist temples

The five-story Tianshi Dojo

Rising from the ground in the capital

Yue Temple , a temple dedicated to the state

Standing on the main peak of Hengshan Mountain

(The Beiyue Palace of Hengshan Mountain was first built in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The picture comes from @图虫创意)

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Under the influence of Buddhism

They also excavated the Yungang Grottoes in Datong

Expanding the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang

When they went south

The trend of excavating caves was brought to Luoyang.

Formation of Longmen Grottoes

China's three major grottoes are actually closely related to the Northern Wei Dynasty

(Cave 20 of the Yungang Grottoes, carved in the image of the Northern Wei emperor, image from @VCG)

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Buddhism and Taoism compete for believers

The emperor and nobles gave their full support

These are all for building more imaginative temples.

Laying the foundation

It must be built somewhere special

Show special effects

A special reverence

Hanging Temple

It is in this context

Born out of necessity

02

Construction

Builder of the Temple

We chose a valley at the foot of Hengshan Mountain.

On the east side of the valley is the main peak, Tianfengling

To the west is Cuiping Peak, which is over 1,600 meters above sea level.

In the middle is the Tangyu River, a secondary tributary of the Sanggan River.

Mountain view, water view

Create a paradise

The plank road connecting the capital and the North China Plain

Passing through the valley

Pedestrians travel back and forth between the north and south

It is the " fairyland "

Close to the world

A perfect location for a temple

(There is no reliable record of whether the temple was built for Buddhism or Taoism; the following picture shows the scenery around the Hanging Temple, photographer @杨柳岸)

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but

How can a temple weighing more than ten tons be transported?

Hanging on the mountain?

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first

It requires a set of "hooks"

Halfway up Cuiping Peak on the west side of the valley

Not straight up and down

It's a natural groove .

The craftsmen hung from a height

Enlarging the groove using tools

Carve out a platform to perform

(Sketch of mountain excavation, drawn by @Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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Then a huge stone hole was chiseled on the platform.

The stone hole is big inside and small outside

Several meters deep

The "hook" will be installed here

(Stone hole diagram, map by Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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The “hook” itself is also quite interesting.

It is made of hard hemlock wood

And soak it in tung oil for a long time

Anti-corrosion and moisture-proof

The most amazing thing is the end of the wood

Pre- wedge

When these woods are inserted into the stone holes

The wedge will hold the wood apart.

It just happens to be stuck in a stone hole that is large inside and small outside.

Equivalent to the modern " expansion screw "

(“Expansion screw” diagram, drawn by @Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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More than two-thirds of the length of these logs is deep in the mountain.

Rock platform as fulcrum

Each can bear several tons of weight.

The hook is now ready

(“Hook” diagram, drawn by @Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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frame

After having the "hook"

Craftsmen once again started "suspended work"

Carrying construction materials up the cliff

Then hang it to the "hook"

(Schematic diagram of material transportation, drawn by @Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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In mid-air

Craftsmen use "hooks" as crossbeams

Columns on beams

Build beams and rafters on the pillars

Using traditional Chinese mortise and tenon beam combination

Joining building materials together

(Assembly diagram of mortise and tenon beams, drawing by @张靖/Planet Research Institute)

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Stacking up like building blocks

A complete framework

It's formed

(Tenon and mortise beam system, drawing by @Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)

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Palace

With the framework

Roof, doors, windows and railings are laid one after another

Layers of palaces and pavilions emerge

(Palace construction. Since the existing Hanging Temple was mainly rebuilt during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the architectural style presented in this article is also from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Map by @张靖/星球研究院)

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Inside the palace

To get more space

The craftsmen continued to dig out caves on the side of the mountain.

Caves connected to halls, halls connected to caves

Forming a wooden high-altitude cliff building

(Grottos and pavilions, map by Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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The main building of the Hanging Temple

Two lofts in the north and south

This is how the construction is completed

in

South Building 3 floors

About 8 meters long and 4 meters wide

From low to high, they are

Chunyang Palace, Sanguan Hall and Leiyin Hall

(South Building, Map by Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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The north building is also three stories high.

About 7 meters long and 4 meters wide

The lowest level is the Five Buddha Hall

The middle floor is the Guanyin Hall

The top is the Three Religions Hall

(North Building, Map by Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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then

Including temples and meditation rooms

Buddhist temple, drum tower, bell tower

40 halls of various sizes

North-South staggered arrangement

(Hanging Temple complex, map by Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)

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Between the Palaces

Connected by plank roads

Later generations added two layers of plank roads.

Forming a closed loop

People walk on it

The stairs are bright or dark, winding and circuitous

Like climbing a ladder to heaven

(Sketch of the plank road inside the Hanging Temple. The lower plank road is a modern addition. Map by @Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)

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final

A complete Hanging Temple

A hanging temple that is no less impressive than a temple on the ground

It appeared before our eyes

A miracle

(Please watch in horizontal screen, Hanging Temple complex, map by @Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)

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03

Miracle

View from the outside

The Hanging Temple complex is integrated with the rocks

As if they all came from the cliff

Naturally grown

This is in people's minds

It produced quite an amazing effect

"Cloudside Shore" and "Hanyun Pavilion"

"Unique in the Sky" and "Cliff-like Buildings"

"Color in the sky" and "Gongshu Tianqiao"

"Northern Terrace" and "Return to Dreams"

Praises from all dynasties are endless

(The word "spectacular" next to the Hanging Temple is said to be written by Li Bai. The original is no longer extant. In 1990, it was re-engraved using a rubbing of Li Bai's handwriting from the Huayan Temple. The extra dot next to it means "a little more spectacular than spectacular", photographer @杨柳岸)

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Xu Xiake , a Ming Dynasty traveler

Visited Mount Heng in 1633

When he saw the Hanging Temple,

But you need the courage to climb

(From Xu Xiake's Diary of a Trip to Mount Heng)

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“The building is high up…Looking up, one’s spirit soars, one musters the courage to climb alone…It is a magnificent sight for the world”

Mr. Jin Yong is in the world of martial arts

Praise the Hanging Temple

(Quote from Jin Yong's "Swordsman")

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"In a place where pines cannot grow and monkeys cannot climb, he made a great wish and built a temple out of thin air"

(Hanging Temple, photographer @杨柳岸)

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The Miracle of the Hanging Temple

First, a mechanical miracle

It successfully shaped

A light and floating illusion

Only those who understand the principle will know

Its rigorous and sophisticated structure

Makes it quite stable

(Wooden frame of the Hanging Temple, drawing by @Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)

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Later generations also found it under the pavilion

Dozens of slender columns were added

This creates another illusion

As if the whole building

All supported by these trembling pillars

(Hanging Temple pillars, photographer @胡澍)

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(Shaking pillars, photographer @石耀臣)

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In fact

In general

These columns are not load-bearing.

But in extreme cases

The pillars are equivalent to adding a layer of insurance for the Hanging Temple.

This makes the Hanging Temple different from a general "static structure"

Leaping to be able to withstand extreme situations

" Super statically indeterminate structure "

According to the local county records

In the last 40 years

There have been two earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above.

The Hanging Temple still stands tall

This includes the traditional Chinese wooden frame beam and column system.

And the credit of the pillars below

(Schematic diagram of hyperstatic structure, drawing by @Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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Secondly

The Miracle of the Hanging Temple

It is also a miracle of location

Its location creates a "suspended" effect

It also adds many advantages to the Hanging Temple

Cuiping Peak, where the Hanging Temple rests

The mountainside is a natural groove

The top naturally extends outwards

Can prevent rainwater from eroding

The higher location also avoids flooding.

(The Hanging Temple is not exposed to rain, map by @Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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Between Cuiping Peak and Tianfeng Ridge

Forming a bay-shaped valley

Serves as a safe haven

Reduced wind erosion of the Hanging Temple

Like a loving mother holding it in her hands

Comprehensive care

(The Hanging Temple that is not reachable by wind, drawn by @Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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The mountain also blocks the sunlight for the Hanging Temple.

Average daily direct sunlight hours

Only 2-3 hours

It can prevent wood weathering caused by exposure to the sun

(The sunlight of the Hanging Temple is blocked by the mountain, photographer @许兆超)

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at last

The Miracle of the Hanging Temple

Or is it a miracle of religious integration?

Experienced the Buddhist-Taoist struggle

Experienced conflicts between different faiths

At the latest in the Jin Dynasty

The Hanging Temple has become

A unique temple that integrates Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism

In Chunyang Palace

Enshrining the Taoist Lü Dongbin

(Chunyang Palace of the Hanging Temple, photographer @杨柳岸)

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In the Leiyin Palace

The Buddha Sakyamuni is enshrined in the temple.

(Leiyin Hall of the Hanging Temple, photographer @王寰)

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The Three Religions Hall

At the same time, Laozi, Confucius and Buddha are worshipped.

Some people even interpret the word "Xuankong" as "Xuankong".

"Xuan" represents Taoist doctrine

"Emptiness" represents Buddhist teachings

(The Three Teachings Hall of the Hanging Temple, image source: @图图网)

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04

end

After more than 1500 years of wind and frost

The Hanging Temple has seen the comings and goings of people

Clouds Rising

After the dynasty change

The Rise and Fall of Stars and Moon

It has been repaired many times during wars and natural disasters.

What we saw today

It is basically a relic rebuilt during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

(2016 Hanging Temple dangerous rock reinforcement project, scaffolding from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, photographer @雾雨川)

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The Northern Wei Dynasty that created it

Buried in the sands of history

And it is still there, counting the vicissitudes of life

Flow with time

(Hanging Temple in winter, photographer @城市穿越客)

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As architect Luo Zhewen commented

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"A fairy mountain pavilion-like combination with high artistic value"

This is

China's first "castle in the air"

Imagination from 1500 years ago

(Hanging Temple, map by Zhang Jing/Planetary Research Institute)

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This article was created by

Written by: Director, Li Zhangziwei

Map: Zhang Jing

Image: Yu Kuan

Map: Gong Xiangjie

Review: Lushumao

【References】

1. Li Ping, The Pingcheng Period of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2014

2. Zhang Jianyang, Records of Mount Hengshan, Shanxi People's Publishing House, 2008

3. Hao Yun et al., “Three Saints Hanging in the Sky at Mount Hengshan”, CCTV, 2012

4. Hao Weihe, “The Millennium Hanging Temple”, Cultural Relics World, 2007

5. Zhang Yingming, "Research on the Construction Art of Traditional Chinese Temples and Taoist Temples in Special Natural Terrain Environment", Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, 2012

6. Xu Yuemei, "The mechanical secret of the Hanging Temple's "hanging but not dangerous"", Mechanics and Practice, 2011

7. Zhao Qiang, “Research on Landscape Architecture Design of Mountain Scenic Areas Supported and Restricted by Engineering Technology”, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, 2013

8. Ma Lei, “Research on the Expression of Lightness in Architecture”, Kunming University of Science and Technology, 2012

9. Liang Bianfeng, “Skills Carry the Dao, Dao and Art Combined: Cases and Theoretical Explorations of the Integration of Technology, Ethics and Art in Ancient Chinese Architecture”, Shanxi University, 2012

10. Song Yuhan, “A Brief Look at the Convergence of Three Religions in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties from the Three Religions Hall of the Hanging Temple”, Oriental Enterprise Culture, 2012

... The End ...

Planetary Research Institute