Far be it from us to pass judgement on others. To each, their own, and bless you, each and every one of you. We totally get it when one wants to get away from the madding crowd, or exactly opposite, to show off to everyone within the eagle’s eyeshot. What once were heroic, epic, interminable journeys are now the stuff of Facebook and YouTube. As it happens, The mysterious door opening in nowhere in Jinan, Shandong, China. appears to be The mysterious door opening on nowhere in Jinan, Shandong, China Credit: Mychina trip. Let us know if we’re way off track, or if we have possibly discovered a new Valhalla.
But this one is truly a puzzle, especially to the creator of the video. We won’t follow the social media path and make up all sorts of “content” in order to fil up space. If you know where this is, why this is and whether its accessible or well and truly verboten, please update us.
Clearly, though. This is not a one-off. When we visited Peru, going beyond Machu Pichu, we encountered something very similar. We tried to hike our way to get closer, but our – at the time – weak legs had had enough for one day.
Update: with assistance from the interwebs, it appears that what we’re featuring here on the vertical rock face is likely the Hanging Temple (Xuankong Temple), a famous Buddhist monastery built into the side of a cliff over 1,500 years ago, supported by hidden crossbeams. Other possibilities include the Maijishan Grottoes, a complex of caves and sculptures carved into a cliff face, or the more modern Wangxian Valley Cliff Houses. But who actually, really, authoritatively knows for sure. Only the animals, we reckon. PS: don’t mistake it for Iceland. Use a compass, or a tourguide.
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