BEIJING: For years, Yang Liangen saw strangers as a threat. After a series of break-in attempts at a 900-year-old temple in north China’s Shanxi Province, Yang moved into the compound in 1997, sleeping behind its gates and guarding its rare sculptures and wooden structures.
Nearly three decades later, he eagerly waits for strangers to arrive. “We used to be afraid when people came,” Yang said. “Now we hope they will come.”
Located in Xiaonan Village in Jincheng City, Erxian Temple fully opened to the public in 2024 as interest in Shanxi’s ancient architecture surged following the release of “Black Myth: Wukong,” a blockbuster Chinese video game.
During China’s National Day holiday that year, Yang counted 1,280 visitors in a single day — a record for a site whose gates had long been kept mostly shut. The crowds have continued to grow, with more than 4,300 people visiting the temple from Oct. 1 to 3 this year.
The change at Erxian Temple reflects a broader shift across China, as growing interest in cultural tourism brings new attention to historic buildings that for decades were little known beyond their local communities.
Built in 1097, Erxian Temple is a major national cultural heritage site. Its main hall is known for rare Song Dynasty (960-1279) painted sculptures and an exceptionally well-preserved miniature wooden architectural structure known locally as the “sky bridge.”
Dubbed China’s “above-ground cultural relics museum,” Shanxi is home to over 28,000 ancient structures. The province also preserves more than 12,000 painted sculptures and 24,000 square meters of murals from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) onward.
For Yang, the new attention marks a dramatic change from the late 1990s.
Facing growing risks to the temple in 1997, Yang, then the village Party secretary, took responsibility for Erxian Temple and moved in with his wife.
The couple kept watch day and night. On one occasion, Yang’s wife rushed outside with a flashlight after two people were spotted apparently chiseling through a wall, sending them fleeing.
No theft has occurred since Yang became its caretaker. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
