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Visiting the “world’s most precarious temple” in China, where getting there is half the battle

Master Blaster Oct 27, 2026
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Xuankong Si is surprisingly both extremely out of the way and extremely crowded.

Our writer Seiji recently visited China, where he got a haircut on the side of the road and did some sightseeing. One of these sights was none other than Xuankong Si, or “The Hanging Temple” in English. Its name says it all really, in that it’s a temple clinging for dear life to the side of a sheer cliff.

This temple is located in the Jinxia Gorge at the foot of Mt. Heng, known as one of China’s five great mountains. Of course, getting to a mystical temple like this was never meant to be easy and required Seiji to take a high-speed train from Beijing to Datong South Station, then drive from there into the mountains for about an hour.

▼ Seiji with his new haircut modeled after World Cup sensation Erling Haaland

It was quite a haul, but Seiji was completely enamored with the Chinese countryside. The winding mountain roads reminded him perfectly of the area where Goku first met Bulma in Dragon Ball. There was a pulse of exotic adventure everywhere he looked.

Little did he know, however, that his true battle still lay ahead. The visitor center leading into the temple area was far less mystical than other parts of his journey.

The ticket counter opens at 7:30 a.m., and Seiji arrived at 8:40. However, he was told that the tickets had already sold out. As luck would have it, tickets are sold in two batches, with 600 in the morning and another 600 in the afternoon. This meant he’d have to wait until noon to try again.

By 10 a.m., a significant lineup was already forming, and Seiji watched with amazement as it just got bigger…

…and bigger…

…and bigger with time. By noon, it looked exactly like the line to get into Comiket.

It’s actually possible to book tickets in advance, but only for Chinese residents. This meant Seiji had no choice but to wait in line, but as he listened to two old ladies shouting at each other, he wondered why all these other people didn’t just make reservations.

Luckily, this time he could get tickets. Two types are sold: a general admission to the area for 15 yuan (US$2.25) and access to the temple itself for 100 yuan ($15). Considering how much effort it took to get this far, there was no way he was going to skip entering The Hanging Temple.

From this point, a bus ride was required, but it only took eight minutes and cost 20 yuan. But after all that traveling and waiting, he was happy to see that it was all worth it for this spectacular scenery.

This temple was mentioned on Time Magazine’s Top 10 Precarious Buildings, and since it was the only temple on the list, Seiji figures it’s safe to call it the world’s most precarious temple.

In this case, the word “precarious” doesn’t suggest poor construction or actual hazards, but a certain tilt that gives the feeling of precariousness.

This place certainly had that feeling in spades. As he walked along narrow paths jutting out from sheer cliffs that seemed to tower over him, the ground spread out far, far below him.

Seiji was never especially afraid of heights, but here he occasionally felt a little woozy and had to brace himself against the wall.

This structure was around 1,500 years old, and as is often the case with older buildings, everything feels a little smaller than usual. The railings everywhere were only about waist-height, adding to a sense that he was walking through the air.

▼ No problem there.

It truly felt like a temple in the sky, giving our writer a sensation he often felt during dreams where he was flying but then suddenly forgot how to fly and plummeted back to Earth.

It was a one-of-a-kind experience and well-steeped in Chinese culture.

Seiji felt a sense of awe beyond most other places he’s been in his life, and would highly recommend a visit to anyone.

His only advice is to purchase the ticket to enter the temple, because it’d be a waste to travel all that way and not climb up to it. Also, make sure you arrive early because the lineup for tickets is no joke, and it’d be an even bigger waste to travel all that way and not even be able to get near Xuankong Si.

Temple information
The Hanging Temple / 懸空寺
Hanging Temple, Jinlong Gorge, Mount Heng, Hunyuan County, Datong, Shanxi Province, China
中国山西省大同市渾源県恒山金龍峡西側翠屏峰
Ticket Sales Begin: 7:30 a.m. and Noon
Holidays: None

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