[Private Charter] Xuankong Temple + Ying County Wooden Pagoda + Yong'an Temple + Yuanjue Temple + Pure Land Temple

▲ Originally named "Xuankong Pavilion," it was designed to welcome celestial beings and transcend worldly disturbances. Nestled on the cliffs of Cuiping Peak along the western side of Mount Heng's Jinlong Gorge, this temple dates back to the late Northern Wei Dynasty (491 AD). Supported by just a few wooden beams, it has miraculously stood for over 1,500 years, embodying a unique fusion of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Renowned for its breathtaking architecture perched precariously over an abyss, it is listed among the world's top ten most precarious structures and remains the earliest surviving wooden architectural complex built on sheer cliffs. The great poet Li Bai inscribed the words "Magnificent" in its honor.

▲ Not a single iron nail was used, yet it stands 67 meters tall, enduring nearly a thousand years of wind and rain. Look up, and you'll see 59 types of bracket sets blooming like wooden lotuses at the eaves. Sunlight filters through the carved window lattices, casting shadows of the Liao Dynasty onto the blue bricks. Inside the pagoda, the Buddha's tooth relic holds the secrets of time, while the plaque inscribed by Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, "Majestic Craftsmanship of Divine Work," still hangs proudly beneath the eaves. True enduring marvels were never made of steel and concrete, but of the gentle wisdom ancient craftsmen carved into wood.

▲ In a remote northeastern corner of Ying County, where the population thins out, a temple suddenly comes into view. Its gate stands in quiet solitude, forming a stark contrast to the bustling Ying County Wooden Pagoda. Locals call it the North Temple, yet its original name, "Pure Land," has become increasingly fitting over the years—this is a pure land forgotten by time.

▲ The core structure of Yuanjue Temple is the Yuanjiao Sizhuanta, an octagonal nine-story dense-eave brick pagoda standing approximately 30 meters tall. It faithfully replicates wooden architecture, featuring gradually tapered octagonal nine-story eaves and meticulously restored wooden details like bracket sets and eave corners. The first-story eaves employ five-step bracket sets constructed in the single-bracket centered method (where each projecting bracket supports a horizontal member), with brick-carved patterns adorning the bracket-eye walls. The projecting bracket heads take a bamboo-split shape, a hallmark feature of Jin Dynasty brick pagodas imitating wooden structures. Additionally, the pagoda's bracket sets preserve early wooden architectural elements like single-bracket supports, adding to its distinctive appeal.

▲ If the Xuankong Temple in Hunyuan is a breathtaking and awe-inspiring legend, then Yong'an Temple embodies the tranquility and solemnity accumulated over time. This ancient temple, originally built during the Jin Dynasty, has undergone several reconstructions through the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. To this day, it continues to thrive with incense offerings, narrating a millennium-old Buddhist legacy.