Iron Rope Ridge

Iron Rope Ridge

Iron Rope Ridge is a steep cliff over 70 meters high that rises from Baofu Rock. Two iron ropes, each 60 meters long, hang down from the mountaintop. With their backs to the abyss and facing the towering cliff, visitors grab the iron rings with their hands and feet and climb up along the 75-degree precipice to reach the peak of Mianshan Mountain. In the past, the only way to get to Zhengguo Temple was via these iron ropes, but now zigzagging stone steps have been built to make it easier for more people to reach Zhengguo Temple.

Without the nearby zigzag cloud ladder, visitors would have had to rely solely on grabbing the iron ropes to climb up to Zhengguo Temple. From a distance, the zigzag ladder looks quite perilous, but once you're on it, you'll find the steps are quite wide, with railings designed to look like wooden stakes connected by three iron chains in between. It's actually quite manageable to walk either in the middle or close to the mountain wall — far less nerve-wracking than it seems.

Location

Mianshan Scenic Area, Jiexiu City, Shanxi Province