Who built this ancient temple atop a sheer cliff? The steep, unguarded ladder, with its 80-90 degree incline, makes your legs

Lianchi Temple on a cliff in Tongren, Guizhou. A near-vertical ladder, without railings, allowing only one person to pass at a time; the person walks ahead, the soul follows behind. Originally built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, it was where the Qing Dynasty monk Wuxiang practiced. The inscription "Jinpeng Jialou" remains on the cliff face, and a clear spring flows continuously from the lotus pond inside the cave. Many locals choose to turn back halfway, but turning back is equally treacherous, leaving them with no way to proceed or retreat. Follow the camera as we hike this perilous path to explore this centuries-old temple hidden atop the cliff. Lianchi Temple was first built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty monk Wuxiang, attracted by the sacred spring within the cave, built a temple within the cliff for his practice. The mountaintop temple, constructed of lime, glutinous rice, and bluestone, has stood for over six hundred years, weathering the elements, yet still enduring countless vicissitudes.

The lotus pond inside the cave has a perpetually flowing spring, and a legend of a divine dragon appearing there dates back to the Kangxi era. More than thirty poems and essays from the Qing Dynasty are engraved on the cliff face. Wan Ren, a Ming Dynasty censor, praised it as "comparable to famous mountains throughout the land," and Xu Danyuan, a Qing Dynasty scholar, hailed it as "a fairyland on earth." It was listed as a Tongren City-level cultural relic protection unit in 2015.

Today, SanLi will take you on this perilous journey to this ancient cliffside temple.

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⚠️Non-professionals are advised not to venture here!