The current tallest edifice and tallest human - made structure in the world , theBurj Khalifain Dubai , UAE , progress to an stupefying 2,716 foot ( 828 meters ) . That is certainly impressive , but a century - sometime Buddhist temple span on a mountain summit meeting in Southeastern China offer an even more spectacular view , albeit without lift access .
locate on the Fanjing Mountain in Tongren City , Guizhou Province , Fanjingshan Temple — actually two temple , the Temple of the Buddha and Maitreya Temple — sits impossibly atop a spindly rock organization called Red Clouds Golden Summit whose narrow form ascends330 feet(100 meters ) from the already high lot . That ’s about the height of the ancientLighthouse of Alexandriaor theElizabeth Tower(Big Ben ) . gay visitant can boost to the top to be " surrounded by mists and ocean of clouds , " accord toChina Discovery , and take in additional beautiful natural and architectural sites along the way .
What Is the Fanjingshan Temple?
Perched more than 7,600 feet ( 2,336 meter ) above ocean degree , the double temple are access by a series of footprint wind up the batch . Fanjingshanis a Chinese word that means " Buddhist tranquility . " The Temple of the Buddha , which is dedicated to the worship ofShakyamuni(Buddha ) represents the present , and Maitreya Temple represents the future , harmonize toHeritage Daily . The final path to the temples symbolizes this significance , with the Temple of the Buddha being reached first , and supply access to the other .
To get to the Red Clouds Golden Summit , visitant must be prepared to climb — it exact almost 9,000 steps to reach the Temple of the Buddha . To get to its collaborator temple , simply hybridise the Gold Sword Gorge via a Edward Durell Stone span which runs between the two peaks .
History of the Fanjingshan Temple
Fanjingshan , or Mount Fanjing , is the high tiptop of the Wuling Mountains , mould during the 3rd period , somewhere between 65 million and 2 million year ago , according toUNESCO . The tabernacle atop the tower peaks are much new . Byone account , they were first build during theTang Dynasty , which lasted from 618 - 907 C.E. fit in toanother source , the temples were constructed during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty — the Yongle emperor ruled from 1403 to 1425 .
While Mount Fanjing and its temples were extremely regard within Buddhism , during the 16th century , many temple were destroy , according toChina Discovery . It was the laterQing Dynastygovernment ( 1644 - 1912 ) that begin building and rebuilding temples , including those along the Fanjingshan range . To stand firm the great deal wind , the current temples feature atomic number 26 tiles and layers of gemstone 17 base ( 5.18 meter ) all-embracing and 18 feet ( 5.48 meters ) abstruse .
UNESCO World Heritage Status
Not only are the temples at the top of Mount Fanjing wonder of human aspiration , theFanjingshan mountain rangeshave been know for their bionomical importance too . Fanjingshan became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1986 and was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2018 , included for its " high degree of biodiversity . " Fanjingshan ’s flora have evolved as if the cooking stove were an island ; in fact , they are described as " an island of metamorphic rock . " This level of closing off has created significantendemism , think it ’s populate by species that are limited to a small geographic arena or areunique to an area .
In fact , there are 3,724 flora specie on the site , as well as 2,317 invertebrates and 450 craniate species . It ’s the only place in the world where the Fanjingshan fir and Guizhou snub - nosed imp are found .
Accessing the temple is no walk in the park , and there are many " step " to acquire there . China Discoverydetails the route , which begins at the Fanjingshan Scenic Area about 50 mile ( 80 kilometers ) from Tongren City . The visit bulge softly with a rubber-necking autobus ride that can be followed by a cable car drive to the first station , and along the timber tramp route , there are site to love . The steps along the side of the good deal from Pudu Square to the meridian are minute and extortionate , sometimes offering an iron mountain chain railing to entertain . It ’s slow going , and the estimated time to shoot the breeze just the peak is four hours .
As incredible as the temples atop Red Clouds Golden Summit are , there is also plenty to see throughout the Fanjingshan site , especially for nature and landscape painting lovers . Visitors with more sentence to spare can consider amulti - sidereal day tourthat includes additional rubber-necking and a several - hour hike — weather permitting , of course .
