This small village in southeast Shanxi is home to China's oldest opera stage

Wangbao Erlang Temple, Gaoping, Shanxi . After leaving Bofang Xianweng Temple, head to Wangbao Erlang Temple, 2 km away. . This temple is located on a hill north of Wangbao Village. Its construction date is unknown, and it is not very large, with only one courtyard. However, the oldest wooden opera stage in China is hidden here. . Due to inconvenient transportation and years of disrepair, the stage's roof had long since collapsed and become overgrown, and it remained unknown for many years. It was not discovered until 2002, and was quickly listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit. . Erlang Temple faces south and has no mountain gate. Enter the courtyard through the small door on the south side, and you will see the stage at the southernmost end of the central axis. . The stage is built on a platform more than 1 meter high, with its southern end connected to the south wall of the Erlang Temple complex, and leaning against the left and right corridors. The stage has a hip roof, with the gable facing forward, which is equivalent to twisting the side of the roof over, focusing the audience's attention. This is consistent with the stage models unearthed from Jin Dynasty tombs. The eaves are high and curved, giving them a lively appearance. Although the stage is only one room wide, it has a large span, providing a large space for actors on stage. . The stage's platform is a Sumeru pedestal, common in the Jin Dynasty, with an inscription on the waist reading "旹大定二十三年岁次癸卯仲秋十有三日，石匠赵显、赵志刊" (Shi Dading 23rd year, year of the Gui Mao, 13th day of the mid-autumn, stonemasons Zhao Xian and Zhao Zhi). The 23rd year of the Dading era is 1183 AD, during the Jin Dynasty. This inscription not only records the names of the craftsmen, but also proves that this stage is more than 800 years old, making it the oldest stage discovered in China. Its discovery directly solved the problem that had plagued the archaeological community for many years, where they could only rely on stage models unearthed from tombs to understand the architectural structure of Jin Dynasty stages. . At the same time, Shanxi is the hometown of opera, and this stage provides living evidence that southeast Shanxi is one of the main birthplaces of Chinese opera, which is of great significance.