Chinapedia | Travel to Shanxi with Black Myth: Wukong

A Chinese-made game, "Black Myth: Wukong," has become one of the most popular titles ever on Steam within hours of its launch on August 20th, 2024. As China's first AAA game, with high development costs, long production cycles, and significant resource investment, many see it as a milestone in the Chinese gaming industry from both technical and artistic perspectives. According to data on Steam, merely an hour after its debut, the game topped the "most-played games" list on the platform. 

Since its launch, it has triggered widespread discussion on its cultural implications. The game is inspired by the classical Chinese novel "Journey to the West" and follows an anthropomorphic monkey based on the character of Sun Wukong from the novel. Besides the inspiration from the classic Chinese novel, many of the scenes in the game are based on real places of interest in China. According to the partial list of locations announced so far, "Black Myth: Wukong" has selected 36 locations across the country as the game's background. In particular, 27 locations were selected in Shanxi Province.

Shanxi Province is located in the North China region, roughly 3 hours away from Beijing by high-speed railway. Besides the rich coal resources, the province is also known for having the largest number of historic buildings among all Chinese provinces, possessing over 70% of China's surviving buildings built during or predating the Song dynasty. Of the 36 selected locations in the game, 27 are in Shanxi Province.

Datong

Datong, formerly known as Pingcheng, was the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534). Today, Datong City is one of China's most famous historic and cultural cities. It is also a famous tourist destination with many historical sites in Shanxi Province. The famous Hanging Temple is here in Datong. The temple was constructed by drilling holes into the cliffside, where the poles that hold up the temples are set. The temple is said to have been built by a monk named during the late Northern Wei Dynasty and restored in 1900. 

Shuozhou

One of the scenes in the game was based on the Chongfu Temple in Shuozhou, Shanxi. It is one of the most complete temples built in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) and Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) and a representative of Shanxi architecture.

Xinzhou

The city of Xinzhou is in the north-central part of Shanxi province. The famous Mount Wutai, a sacred Buddhist site, is one popular scenic spot in Shanxi Province. 

Jinzhong

One of the famous scenic spots in Jinzhong is the Pingyao Ancient City. It is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city, founded in the 14th century. The Zhengguo Temple is located in the Pingyao Ancient City. 

Linfen

One of the selected scenic spots in the game is Xiaoxitian. It is a Buddhist Zen monastery established in the Ming Dynasty (1629). It was originally named for the thousand Buddha statues housed in the Main Hall of Great Buddha. Xiaoxitian is also renowned for its "suspended sculptures". These sculptures are colorful and diverse in form, with lifelike figures and numerous intricate details.

Yuncheng

Yuncheng is one of the important birthplaces of the Chinese nation and civilization. The Fei Yun Lou is located within Dongyue Temple in Yuncheng. With its pure wooden structure, exquisite and delicate, the Fei Yun Lou is known as the "Top one Wooden Tower in China."

Jincheng

The Yuhuang Temple is famous for the "Twenty-eight Constellations Colored Sculptures" made in the Yuan Dynasty. The sculptures are a combination of Chinese and Western sculpture art, which has a very high historical value and aesthetic value.

Changzhi

The Guanyin Tang is an ancient temple built in the Ming Dynasty. Although the temple is only 350 square meters, it contains many statuettes and carvings from the Ming Dynasty. More than 500 statuettes are hanging on the three walls. 

(English editor: Ella Qu)

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