My Most Impatient Trip Yet: A Must-See Tour of Shanxi's Ancient Architecture!

Dubbed as "a milestone and industrial marvel in China's gaming industry," "Black Myth: Wukong" will officially launch on August 20!

Set against the backdrop of Chinese mythology, it delves deep into the classic elements of "Journey to the West," blending modern game design to create a familiar yet fresh world of the legendary tale.

This is because the generations of "old Xi'er" residents here have built countless wonders with wood—

Adorned with intricate patterns depicting the majestic virtues of a nomadic life.

Or painted in vibrant colors and decorated with glazed tiles,

(Dougong is often mistakenly written as "Dougong," but the wooden radical reveals its true nature.)

If we could travel back to the era when these ancient structures were built, their appearance would never be as "dusty and dull" as they are today.

Through a series of ingenious geometric calculations, craftsmen transformed rigid eaves into exquisitely graceful curves, expressing their boundless reverence.

The 33-tier suspended carvings of Xixian County's Little Western Paradise make one feel as if they've stumbled into a celestial gathering.

The ancients played a clever little joke on future visitors at the Hanging Temple:

The seemingly sturdy pillars, as thick as bowls, are merely decorative,

Unable to bear any weight.

Relying solely on 27 beams embedded into the cliff,

They support a 40-room "city in the sky" on the sheer precipice of Mount Heng.

The unique local conditions of Shanxi, and only Shanxi, have made it a "natural freezer" for preserving ancient architecture.

Of the over 44,000 temples scattered across the Tang Dynasty, nearly all have vanished into history—only Nanchan Temple on Mount Wutai, nestled in the mountains, survives as China's oldest extant wooden structure. Built in the third year of Emperor Dezong's Jianzhong era (782 AD), this was the year Bai Juyi turned ten.

It is a magnificent dream rooted deep in the heart of every Chinese person.

And these wooden structures that endure to this day,

Are a fleeting glow we can touch with our hands.

Graphics | Jiuyang, Yu Yitiao

Featured Image | Tuchong Creative

The Dazed Overtime Architect Comrade Short Song

*Compilation of Chinese Archaeology: North China Volume* edited by Sun Jinji, Su Tianjun, Sun Hai

*Yingxian Wooden Pagoda* by Li Shiwen, Cao Anji

*Atlas of Chinese Cultural Relics: Shanxi Volume* edited by the National Cultural Heritage Administration

*A Pictorial History of Chinese Architecture* by Liang Sicheng

*Research on the Evolution of Jinci Temple’s Garden Architecture Through the Ages* by Cui Can

*The Spatiotemporal Misinterpretation of the Relocation of Jinci Temple’s Mountain Gate* by Shen Yang

*A Study on the Timber Framing Techniques of Feiyun Tower in Wanrong County, Shanxi* by Zhang Lizhong

*Glazed Rainbow: An Artistic Study of Feihong Pagoda at Guangsheng Temple in Hongtong, Shanxi* by Li Feng

*Chongfu Temple: A Chanting Journey from the Jin Dynasty* by Zhao Yifei

*Transformation of Shanxi Folk Art in Contemporary Chinese Sculptural Language: A Case Study of Shanxi Temple Colored Sculptures* by Yan Jiahui

*Dynamic Characteristics and Seismic Response Analysis of Yingxian Ancient Wooden Pagoda* by Che Ailan; *Investigation and Mechanical Performance Analysis of Yingxian Wooden Pagoda’s Bracket Sets* by Wang Zhihua

*Mo Zongjiang: How Liang Sicheng Discovered the Tang Dynasty’s Foguang Temple* by Mo Zongjiang

*Notes on the Architecture of Foguang Temple on Mount Wutai* by Liang Sicheng

*Preliminary Study on the Restoration of Linde Hall* by Liu Zhiping, Fu Xinian