Qinglian Temple, which had been closed for nearly half a month, has finally reopened

Since October 7th, Qinglian Temple has been closed. This national treasure-level temple, dating back to the Northern Qi period, is perched on a cliff, overlooks rushing waters below, and is surrounded on three sides by mountains. The upper temple is located halfway up the mountain, while the lower temple sits at the foot. It has long suffered from the troubles caused by rain.

Finally, the official announcement came: it will reopen on October 20th along with Yuhuang Temple.

When we visited in April, some of the buildings were already leaking. To provide the most effective protection with extremely limited funding, the local authorities had to add a blue rain shelter above the main hall. This is a devastating blow to the aesthetics of the ancient architecture, but it was unavoidable.

If you look closely, the faces of the corner gods, affectionately called “Hee Hee” and “No Hee Hee,” are becoming increasingly blurred. Soon, they might resemble the “Little Potato” figure in Xinjiang’s Sanguan Temple, which has already disappeared in the recent heavy rains. The future of “Hee Hee” and “No Hee Hee” is honestly hard to imagine.

Qinglian Temple is mainly famous for its 54 surviving Tang and Song dynasty polychrome sculptures. Compared to national treasures known for their murals, as long as rainwater does not drip onto the sculptures, their moisture resistance is relatively strong.

The official statement from Qinglian Temple said it might not open on the 20th, but there is good hope for reopening by the end of the month. Checking the weather forecast, there will be rain in the next two days, but fortunately, the following days will be cloudy.

The two towering ginkgo trees at the upper temple should be turning yellow these days. I thought about how wonderful it would be to feel the mountain breeze in autumn. Those trees have grown for over 1,400 years, and the temple has stood for more than a thousand years. I hope—

Just these past two days, I suddenly started thinking: famous national treasures like Qinglian Temple, Guangsheng Temple, and Guandi Temple are struggling so much in this heavy rain. How many lesser-known but equally precious small temples like Sanguan Temple and Erxian Temple are there across Shanxi? How will they fare in this rain and countless future storms?

Post by Ethan Henderson18 | Oct 18, 2025