Climbing up to the Great Cloud Monastery in Black Myth: Wukong, here is a guide for you

🌟 In the southeast of Shanxi, there is a small village called Shihui Village, located at the junction of Changzhi Pingshun and Lucheng counties, on the north bank of the Zhuozhang River. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with beautiful natural scenery, and is a typical village in southeastern Shanxi. 🌟 Besides its beautiful scenery, Shihui Village also hides a top national key cultural relic protection unit - the Great Cloud Monastery. This ancient temple had been neglected for a long time and has only recently become known to the world with the rise of the internet and the popularity of Black Myth: Wukong. 🌟 According to the 'Stele of the Great Cloud Monastery of Shuangfeng Mountain' from the fourth year of Tianxi in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Great Cloud Monastery was built in the third year of Tianfu in the Later Jin of the Five Dynasties. After two years of construction, the Amitabha Hall and the abbot's rooms were completed. 🌟 In the first year of Xiande in the Later Zhou Dynasty, a celestial master passed away, and the Seven Treasures Pagoda was built in the southwest outside the temple. According to the 'Inscription of the Great Cloud Zen Monastery' from the second year of Xianping in the Song Dynasty: '... Since its creation, there have been more than a hundred halls and over five hundred meritorious deeds. Fortunately, the emperor bestowed great grace, and in the eighth year of Taiping Xingguo (983), on March 7th, he specially granted the title, changing Xianyan to the Great Cloud Zen Monastery.' 🌟 Unfortunately, during the Jin and Yuan periods, it was damaged by war, leaving only the Great Buddha Hall. During the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, the Great Buddha Hall was repaired, and new monk rooms and the Kalan Hall were built. Later, Buddha statues were gradually created. 🌟 During the Qing Dynasty, a local heavy rainstorm caused most of the halls to be destroyed, leaving only the Great Buddha Hall and the Seven Treasures Pagoda. The buildings we see today, except for the Great Buddha Hall and the Seven Treasures Pagoda, were all restored during the 33rd year of Kangxi and the Republic of China. 🌟 There are currently two courtyards, with the central axis running from front to back, including the Hall of Heavenly Kings (Mountain Gate), the Great Buddha Hall, and the Three Buddhas Hall. In the first courtyard, there are also the Guanyin and Dizang Halls on the east and west sides. ✅ First, let's look at the Hall of Heavenly Kings, a Qing Dynasty building, housing four newly sculpted statues of the Heavenly Kings. ✅ Opposite the Hall of Heavenly Kings is the most precious relic in the Great Cloud Monastery - the Amitabha Hall, preserved from the fifth year of Tianfu in the Later Jin of the Five Dynasties. It is a single-eaved Xieshan roof building with three bays in width and six rafters in depth. There is no moon platform in front of the hall, the column heads are gently curved, the side feet are significantly raised, and the brackets are five-paved with double eaves. Under the eaves, you can see the Pupaifang, the earliest example of wooden architecture in China, which is very valuable. ✅ Inside the hall, you can see the typical column-reducing method, with only two golden columns, providing enough space for the Buddha hall and making it more convenient for worshippers to pay homage. On the Buddha altar, you can see brand new colored sculptures. Although they are modern works, the craftsmanship is still very good, making them masterpieces. ✅ However, the most exquisite part of the Amitabha Hall is the murals on the gable walls, the only existing temple murals from the Five Dynasties period in China, apart from the Mogao Caves. ✅ The fan-shaped walls depict Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattvas, with inscriptions beside them. Although the faces of the two Bodhisattvas are damaged, their smooth lines can still be seen. The east wall depicts the 'Vimalakirti Transformation,' showing the Buddha sending Manjusri Bodhisattva to visit the sick Vimalakirti. In their conversation, they discuss Buddhist scriptures, attracting Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Heavenly Kings, flying deities, and celestial maidens to listen. The most striking part of the entire mural is the flying deities at the top, riding on clouds, with their clothes fluttering in the wind, rich in color and clear in lines, standing out among the many figures. ✅ After viewing the Amitabha Hall, be sure to see the Seven Treasures Pagoda outside the temple, a stone pagoda preserved from the Five Dynasties period. It consists of a base, a body, and a finial. At the base, you can see scenes of Hu people dancing the 'Hu Teng Dance' and 'Hu Xuan Dance,' and on the body, you can see images of monks resembling women opening doors. ✅ Other unmissable highlights: Next to the Amitabha Hall, you can see the stele inscriptions from the fourth year of Tianxi in the Northern Song Dynasty and the second year of Xianping in the Song Dynasty. The west side hall houses some stone carvings and glazed components.