The road to Guangsheng Temple has collapsed, yet another trending topic about farewells

If one day, the national treasures we have been looking forward to truly begin to say goodbye one by one, I think no one can blame anything. After all, they have waited for so very long, and we have also delayed for so very long. For thousands of years, they have stood there, trying to appear resolute and unyielding. But the ravages of time will eventually make them unable to hold on one day. Thus, their last "trending topic" is very likely an irreversible farewell. Just like this time at Guangsheng Temple, after continuous heavy rain the upper temple was closed, and after finally clearing up, we received news that "the road to the upper temple has collapsed, and according to the current progress, it will probably not be repaired and reopened until the end of the month." But the weather forecast shows continuous heavy rain starting again tomorrow. Of course, fortunately, whether it is the end of the month or next month, this is only a temporary farewell. It is said that "Shanxi is the place to see terrestrial cultural relics," but one important reason Shanxi has left us so many national treasures is that it lies at the center of Chinese cultural heritage and has a dry climate conducive to the preservation of relics. But now that the rain belt has shifted northward, many national treasures have suffered from heavy rain damage this year. What we face is that on one hand, rescue work is progressing intensively, and on the other hand, some national treasures may really not be able to wait any longer. When we visited in April, Feihong Tower was still accessible on the first floor; recently, I heard the entire tower has been closed to visitors. This inevitably reminds me of the Forbidden City's Hall of Supreme Harmony, where the expanding fences have gradually restricted access—from being able to enter, to peering through windows, to looking over barriers, and now like this—all within just over a decade. I don’t know when, but when we stand at the foot of Mount Huotai, perhaps we will only be able to imagine from memory that here once stood a glazed pagoda renowned at home and abroad. About Guangsheng Temple: Located in Hongtong County, Linfen, Shanxi, it is divided into the upper and lower temples. The upper temple was built in the Ming Dynasty, and the lower temple was rebuilt in the Yuan Dynasty. Feihong Tower, the "Zhaocheng Jin Cang" (Zhaocheng Jin Sutra), and the Yuan Dynasty murals in the Water God Temple are collectively known as the "Three Wonders of Guangsheng." The upper temple includes Feihong Tower, the Mahavira Hall, and others, all national treasure-level cultural relics. The lower temple also has the mountain gate and Water God Temple murals, not to be missed. Though the road is rugged, the tower’s shadow remains. Don’t let farewell come before meeting.