Cliff-top Chinese temple still sitting tight after more than four centuries
Cluster of tiny temples anchored to peaks by stone pillars hammered deep into mountain crevices
While the average lifespan of a modern building in China about 30 years, a tiny Taoist temple has stood intact for more than four centuries without concrete and steel on a remote mountain peak in Zhenan county, Shaanxi province, the news website Hsw.cn reports.
The highest structure of the temple, with a floor are of six square metres, sits 1,666 metres above sea level on stony pillars hammered deep into the rock cracks of the mountain. Three sides face sheer cliffs while narrow stone stairs provide the only access to the temple.
The entire temple has five buildings, including a hall where monks study and recite sacred texts, as well as a pagoda to store the remains of master monks.