A famous Buddhist temple is expected to receive an increasing number of visitors this summer travel season, partly thanks to a newly-launched global hit video game, some of whose scenes are inspired by the historical site.
Xiaoxitian (Little Western Heaven) Temple, located in Xixian County, north China's Shanxi Province, features halls and towers across more than 1,100-square-meters.
One of its most popular attractions is the exquisite Daxiong Hall, a 100-square-meter building with stunning 400-year-old suspended sculptures.
Visitors said they were attracted to the place through the video game Black Myth: Wukong, which soared to the top of Steam's Most Played Games list, with over 2.2 million concurrent players at its peak, within an hour of its launch on Tuesday.
"I love playing video games. I visited the Xiaoxitian, a filming location of the game. I deeply felt the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture," said He Chenghan, one of the tourists.
"So far, Xiaoxitian has received more than 200,000 visitor trips this year, and more than 70,000 visitor trips during the summer vacation, an increase of 300 percent over last year," said Niu Xiangzhen, a worker at Xiaoxitian Temple.
Adapting the ancient Chinese classic Journey to the West, the game re-imagines the story of Sun Wukong, one of the most beloved characters in the literature world. But what sets it apart is its stunning graphics or immersive gameplay and its deep connection with Chinese traditional culture.
According to reports, the game features 36 filming locations across the country, with 27 of them located in Shanxi, which boasts 531 nationally protected cultural heritage sites, accounting for 10.5 percent of the country's total -- the highest in China.
Culture-boosting video game breathes new life into China's ancient architecture tourism
