Published on : 06/06/2023
On Taimu Mountain, there is such a magical suspended bronze palace, which is golden in colour and suspended in mid-air, as if it were a heavenly palace, and it is exquisite.
What is the story behind this bronze hanging temple on Taimu Mountain?
Yipianwa Zen Temple on Mount Taimu stands on a high cliff for 400 years
Mount Taimu is located by the East Sea, surrounded by the sea on three sides. It holds a potential situation with two important mountains in Fujian Province — Yandang Mountain and Wuyi Mountain. In addition to the unique granite landform, it also gathers peculiar mountains, sea, islands, temples in one, with beautiful scenery and is known as the "Fairyland on Sea".
On Mount Taimu, there is a fascinating temple built in the middle of a cliff. The temple is named "Yipianwa Zen Temple" (一片瓦禪寺) because the shape of a gigantic rock on the top of the cliff resembles a tile, and the temple is built under this rock.
Yipianwa Zen Temple was built during the Wanli years of the Ming Dynasty, and it has been around for over 400 years.
It is believed that the location of the Zen Temple is exactly where the goddess Taimu ascended to heaven, which is filled with a sense of mystery. Every year, it attracts a constant stream of pilgrims and tourists.
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Built with 150 tonnes of brass
However, the most attractive part of the Yipianwa Zen Temple on Mount Taimu is not the legend of the goddess Taimu, but the main hall of this temple.
What's unique about the main hall of Yipianwa Zen Temple? It's actually hanging in mid-air.
The main hall of Yipianwa Zen Temple, stands hovering in the air between two peaks of Mount Taimu. Its magnificent golden appearance stands out from the rugged and peculiar rocks. In the misty clouds, it looks like a heavenly palace, incredibly fabulous.
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In fact, this "Hanging Golden Hall" is not made of gold, but a Tang-styled copper hall.
The copper hall on Mount Taimu is made of over 150 tonnes of pure brass. It combines casting, forging, engraving, carving, inlaying, hollowing, gilding, antiquing, coloring, oxidizing, and more than ten other crafts.
It is designed exquisitely and ingeniously, showing the creators' unique craftsmanship everywhere.
In addition, the 12-meter-high hanging copper hall on Mount Taimu set a new record for the highest height of a single copper hall in China. It’s the first and only hanging copper hall made of pure copper in China and even the world.
The radiant cliff-hanging copper hall adds a lively spirit to the sacred Yipianwa Zen Temple. It's extravagant without being flashy and naturally integrates with the natural landscape of Mount Taimu.
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