The Cliff Walkways and Cave Entrances

The network of narrow wooden walkways and iron staircases clinging to the cliff face of Maijishan is an attraction in its own right. The path zigzags between cave entrances at different heights, and at several points requires squeezing along ledges barely wide enough for two people to pass. The views from the upper sections — over the forested valley and the agricultural land beyond — are spectacular and the sensation of height is immediate.

Most of the 194 caves are visible through protective grilles from the walkways, and the lighting inside is generally good enough to see the sculptures clearly. A separate ticket and a guide are required for the highest and most restricted caves, which must be booked in advance through the site's official system. The walkways become crowded during Chinese national holidays; a weekday visit outside July and August is considerably more peaceful.

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A story
The walkways bolted into the cliff face at Maijishan were first built in timber during the Tang Dynasty, when craftsmen needed access to caves two hundred metres above the ground. The current iron-and-plank version follows the same routes those Tang artists took to paint murals and fix clay figures into the walls. Looking down from the uppermost walkway, the forest canopy is far below and the scale of the enterprise — thousands of sculptures placed by hand at vertiginous heights — becomes suddenly real.