JAKARTA - For five generations, the Zhao Zhonghe family has protected the Xiuding Temple Pagoda from looters and damage. The ancient building, which was once disguised with white plaster, is now visited by tens of thousands of tourists after being used as a reference for the development of the Black Myth: Wukong game scene.
China Daily, quoted on Saturday, July 18, said Zhao, a man in his 70s, was the fifth generation in his family to care for the pagoda in Qingliangshan Village, Anyang City, Henan Province, central China.
Every few days, he walks around the pagoda, sweeping up fallen leaves, and checks the nearby storage area for cultural relics.
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The Xiuding Temple Pagoda was built during the Northern and Southern Dynasties from 420 to 581. The square-shaped brick building and only one floor is decorated with 3,775 printed glazed tiles and relief or embossed carvings covering an area of 300 square meters.
The pagoda is an important relic for studying the architecture, art, religion, and history of ancient Chinese ethnicity.
The distance of the building is only about 150 meters from Zhao's house. Since he was a child, he was often invited by his grandfather to check the pagoda every two or three days.
"On the way, my grandfather told me how his grandfather took care of this building," he said.
The tradition of keeping pagodas in the Zhao family began in the early 20th century, when historical relics in rural China became the target of antique dealers and looters.
According to the story of the elders of the family, one tile from the pagoda was once said to be exchangeable for 20 guns. The high value made the building a target.
To watch over it, Zhao's ancestors built a house on a hill near the pagoda. He would beat the gong every time he saw a stranger coming.
The carvings on the building were also covered with white plaster so as not to attract the attention of thieves.
In 1973, the plaster layer began to peel off. Wang Shikuo, a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, accidentally discovered the hidden brick carvings and reported them to the authorities.
The findings prompted the restoration of the pagoda, which was completed in the early 1980s.
After retiring in 2018, Zhao returned to his hometown and became a guardian of cultural relics. He continued the work that his family had been doing for five generations.
Attention to the pagoda increased after the location was chosen as a visual reference for the development of scenes in the game Black Myth: Wukong.
More than 70,000 tourists from China and abroad visited the pagoda in the first half of 2026, according to the local government.
Zhao then deepened his knowledge of the building. He consulted experts, collected stories from village elders, and studied local inscriptions.
He is now known as the "gold medal guide" for being able to explain the architectural style, carving patterns, and the history of the pagoda restoration with life.
One visitor even came from Toronto, Canada, just to see the building.
"He had seen some of the tiles in a museum in Canada, but said standing directly in front of the pagoda was an unforgettable experience," Zhao said.
The local government also made a digital copy with a high level of accuracy of each tile and pattern.
"We are not only helping this thousand-year-old pagoda achieve 'digital immortality', but also making it easier to research and use in the future," said Director of the Yindu District Cultural Heritage Protection Center Jiao Huimin.
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