How ancient is Weixian, the filming location of Black Myth? This guide will show you
🌟 When we talk about the filming locations of Black Myth: Wukong, we often focus on Shanxi. Shanxi has also gained fame for many national treasures, such as Xiaoxitian in Xixian, Tiefo Temple in Gaoping, Yuhuang Temple in Jincheng, and the ancient city of Datong.
🌟 Little did we know that not far from Datong in Hebei, there is an ancient city that also appeared in Black Myth: Wukong - Weixian, Hebei. Weixian may not sound very popular, but it is actually quite remarkable.
🌟 According to statistics, Weixian has 21 national key cultural relic protection units, second only to Gaoping in Jincheng, Shanxi, making it one of the counties with the most national protection units in the country.
🌟 The reason for having so many national protection units is its rich history. Turning over the history of Weixian, we can learn that it is one of the birthplaces of Oriental humans 2 million years ago and an important part of Hongshan Culture, Yangshao Culture, and Hougang Culture.
🌟 It was also one of the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun during the Song and Liao periods, with a continuous civilization evolution history of 6,000 years and a county history of 3,000 years. This shows how remarkable Weixian was in ancient times.
🌟 Compared to its former glory, today's Weixian seems much more niche and backward, but for cultural travel enthusiasts, a trip to Weixian is very rewarding.
🚌 How to get to Weixian:
Weixian has no train. Besides self-driving, you can only take a bus. From Beijing, you can take a bus from Liuliqiao Bus Station to Beijing, which takes about 6 hours.
There are also buses from Datong and Baoding to Weixian, making travel relatively convenient overall.
✅ Weixian travel recommendations:
The ancient city is not very large, but temples, Taoist temples, ancient towers, city towers, and ancient residences can be seen everywhere, giving it a bit of a Shanxi flavor. For a moment, I even asked myself if I was really in Hebei.
✅ Route recommendations:
Shijia Temple ➡️ Wanshan Tower ➡️ Nan'an Temple Tower ➡️ Weizhou Office ➡️ Drum Tower ➡️ Jixing Tower ➡️ Lingyan Temple ➡️ Zhenwu Temple ➡️ Caishen Temple ➡️ Yuhuang Pavilion
You can complete the tour on foot from south to north in about half a day. Currently, except for Zhenwu Temple, all other places are open.
🌟 What are the highlights:
✅ Shijia Temple: According to the "Weizhou Annals", this temple was a nunnery in the Yuan Dynasty and was changed to a temple during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty.
Inside, it houses the only wooden structure from the Yuan Dynasty in Weixian. My favorite part is the caisson in the main hall, which is particularly beautiful with its layers.
✅ Nan'an Temple Tower:
This is also an ancient building that appeared in Black Myth: Wukong. It was first built during the Northern Wei period and rebuilt during the Liao Dynasty. It is a 13-story solid brick tower with dense eaves, consisting of four main parts: the tower base, tower seat, tower body, and tower finial. Pay special attention to the beast heads or auspicious characters on the Sumeru seat, which are very beautiful. The tower finial consists of components such as an inverted bowl, phase wheel, round light, inverted moon, jewel, and canopy.
✅ It is recommended to view the ancient tower from Wanshan Tower, paired with the surrounding residences, giving a strong sense of life. You can also visit the Weixian Museum to see many Liao Dynasty artifacts unearthed from the underground palace of Nan'an Temple Tower. Unfortunately, it was closed when I visited on Monday.
✅ Lingyan Temple:
Built during the Jin Dynasty, "Lingyan Temple in Weizhou was destroyed at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and rebuilt by imperial decree in the sixth year of the Zhengtong period of the Ming Dynasty." The existing buildings mainly include the Hall of Heavenly Kings and the Mahavira Hall.
My personal favorite is the exquisite Ming Dynasty ceiling and caisson in the Mahavira Hall, which is very atmospheric with its golden caisson. After all, it was built by imperial decree from Emperor Yingzong at the request of Wang Zhen, a eunuch from Weizhou during the Zhengtong period of the Ming Dynasty, so it is very grand.
✅ Yuhuang Pavilion:
This is the building that appeared in Black Myth: Wukong. It was built during the Ming Dynasty and is a pavilion on the ancient city wall of Weizhou, housing the Jade Emperor.
Yuhuang Pavilion is located on the northernmost side of the ancient city of Weixian. It was built to resist northern tribes in ancient times, so it is also called Jingbian Tower.
Yuhuang Pavilion includes a group of ancient buildings consisting of the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the main hall of Yuhuang Pavilion, and side halls. Pay special attention to the main hall of Yuhuang Pavilion, which has a three-tiered eaves hip-and-gable roof with glazed tiles, five bays wide and three bays deep.
The murals inside the main hall are the most exquisite, depicting a large mural "Fengshen Tu" with characters such as the Five Emperors, Queen Mother of the West, and "Thirty-Six Thunder Gods", all well-preserved.
✅ Additionally, I want to mention that although the Weizhou Office is large and looks like a scenic spot, it is all newly built and not very interesting. Although Weixian is far away, it is definitely worth a visit.