photos of the most beautiful places

Photo: Luis Castaneda Inc./Getty Images

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The Inspiration: "I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you can see all kinds of things you can't see from the center." — Kurt Vonnegut

The Place: Hanging Monastery; Shanxi Province, China

The Reason to Go: For more than 1,500 years, the ancient shrine has supported itself on the west cliff of Mount Hengshan by only wooden beams and the mountain itself. The temple, which hangs 15 stories above the ground, has withstood centuries of damaging storms and is still able to hold thousands of visitors that walk through its doors every year.