JAKARTA - The Xuankong Temple in Datong, Shanxi Province, China, is again crowded with tourists. China Daily quoted Monday, March 30, reported that the surge in visits occurred after the ancient temple clinging to the steep cliff appeared in the popular game Black Myth: Wukong.
The temple, which is about 1,500 years old, stands on a nearly perpendicular side of Mount Cuiping. Its location hanging on the cliff makes this building one of the most striking tourist attractions in China. Its appeal is not only because of its extreme position, but also because of its building techniques that have lasted for centuries.
The wooden beams of the temple were arranged without nails and buried deep into the rock. Reported by China Daily, it is the horizontal beam that is the key to the strength of the building, not the upright pillar that is visible from the outside.
Local cultural heritage expert Hao Weihe, as written by China daily, explained that the beams were made of strong hemlock wood. One end was shaped like a scissors and then attached to the cliff. The more it goes in, the stronger it is said to grip. About two-thirds of the part is embedded in the rock, while the third supports the structure of the building. According to Hao, each beam can withstand a load of several tons.
The popularity of this new temple has also contributed to the explosion of visitors. A tourist from Ukraine, Yana, wrote on Douyin that what surprised her the most was that the building was still firmly hanging on the mountainside after 1,500 years. She said the place was amazing and worth visiting.
The surge in tourists has caused the queue to be extended for hours during the busy season. Therefore, local authorities decided to cut the daily quota of tickets to the temple from 3,275 to 2,475 starting Wednesday. The move was taken to reduce the burden on the ancient structure.
China Daily said that the origins of the initial construction of this complex are not clearly recorded. However, the general view associates it with the Taoist priest Kou Qianzhi during the Northern Wei Dynasty. It is said that before he died, he asked his students to build a "temple in the air". The temple was then restored and rebuilt in various subsequent dynasties.
In addition to the value of building techniques, the Xuankong Temple also has cultural value. The Three Teachings Hall displays statues of Buddha, Confucius, and Lao Zi in one room. Tour guide Zhu Zhifang said the arrangement reflected the harmony between the teachings. Visitors can also see the details of the carvings on the ends of the roofs, tiles, and board paths in the temple complex.
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