"Only Nick In China mate ,taking you to the places no one else can be bothered to go." I for one really appreciate what your doing. These videos are well filmed with a good history lesson, it feels like I visited this location while eating my bacon and eggs this morning :).Your doing some fantastic work here. Are those numbers written on the wall's phone numbers?
@@nickinchina2552 At 3 mins 4 secs in while you are walking down the alleyway there is an 11 digit number on the wall on the left then agian at 3 mins 10 seconds there are 2 sets of numbers on the wall .
G'day Nick, it is so good that you are able to visit such ancient buildings and temples. Wow, perhaps you can also help the preservation by writing to the higher authority and help to put them on the UNESCO World Heritage Structures register. Please help to play an active role in conserving and preserving these ancient structures. The fact that you had to get the guardians of these sites to come from their residence to open them for you showed that the locals do not really appreciate what they have on their hands. Sometimes a spur along would be of great help. Thank you once again.
It's strange, they are very well looked after actually. (because hardly anyone visits them i guess) A UNESCO bid for 'ancient temples of south east Shanxi' really could be a thing though!
My pleasure! Quite amazing that every building in the past, from a simple house to the main hall of the forbidden city followed the same basic design rules.
Awesome and thanks! Nick you are the one! There was a time earli in morning I let myself be in 碧云寺 in Beijing. It was so early, there was only me and myself, man, the atmosphere was so special, felt like I was living my pre-life.
Any true history and architecture lover should pay a visit to Shanxi. Shanxi is a treasure of Chinese history. There are many historical sites, even in many villages, but it is a pity that the conservation is not enough and some small-scale historical buildings have not been preserved and restored.
Ahhh, i like the lack of restoration. I think Sometimes things are 'restored' to the point that it is barely an old building anymore. Shanxi IS the best place for history in China -true!
Hi Nick, I really enjoyed watching your videos. They also help my husband and kids know more about China and my hometown Shanxi because they don’t understand Chinese. We are going to China in Jan and will definitely cross off the hanging temple from our list. I am from south Shanxi (yongji, Yuncheng)where there are a lot of temples and pagodas. If you have time you can travel there on your way back to Xi’an.
Great Video Nick. Reminds me of my time a number of years ago living in southern Shaanxi province (Hanzhong) and some of the trips we took out into the countryside to see things that were like this, very historic and worthy, but unvisited and off the tourist radar. Keep it up !
Nick, have you heard of Lin Huiyin? She lived in early and mid-1900s and was known for her beauty and poetry, but she and her husband Liang Sicheng were actually full-time scholars on ancient Chinese architecture. Shanxi was one of the provinces where they spent much time measuring and documenting the temples and towers. They must have been to all these sites. Most of their works are scholarly papers and textbooks, but there are some accessible books for the lay person to read, such as "A Pictorial History of Chinese Architecture", written in English.
Of course! I have a great book of Liang Sicheng drawings (many of which are buildings in shanxi) I will look into the book you recommended, thanks! One of my main references is 'Chinese Architecture' by Nancy Steinhardt. Good book.
I had not even heard of these places, even in the Chinese media, no one visited and reported the treasures in these remote places. I really admire your perseverance, especially in places that are difficult to reach geographically. I believe you have spent a lot of money and energy on this. I sincerely pray that every trip you make in China will be lucky. I hope you Able to gain more! ! !
They are really not famous temples. If they were in another province however, they would be. The fact is, 山西 has SO many ancient temples many are just not visited. Honestly, i think this province is magic, takes a lot more research than other places but really worthwhile.
Thank you for showing this! It’s not easy to see “ancient” buildings in China that aren’t just replicas or new interpretations of the past built in the last 20 years. I wish I’ll be able to see these authentic pieces of history next time I visit China! And I wish that these buildings don’t get “discovered” by mass tourism, coz otherwise they’ll be easily dismantled with new, shiny replicas being built in their place…
There is a lot of history to see in China, but to see the good stuff you have to go deep haha. If you are interested in old architecture nowhere beats Shanxi (山西) it is a treasure trove and the vast majority sees hardly any visitors
Well… I was actually there 2 months ago. I travelled all around Jincheng for 10 days. Definitely a fine, mostly non-touristy, location to feel like “old China”.
Great part of China. Jincheng was....fine, just a city but has a couple of nice sights. The countryside is really something else though. When were you there exactly?? I was there 2 months ago too, Mid-late July
China's archaeology & architecture society should make you a honorary member. These places should be preserved and kept away from the kitschy tourism industry.
I truly truly hope they stay like this, or at least they are made more accessible in a tasteful way. Very different from most places i have visited in China.
Thanks for the great video! I always wondered how people get into these remote temples in Shanxi. Now I know! Are the phone numbers always reliable? What kind of barging around did your driver do to find the correct person? I really want to visit but am a bit intimidated by the uncertainty.
The whole day was really unplanned but just kind of worked out. So, the phone numbers - the first and second temple I called the number and the guy answered and came. The second temple (of the two immortals), no one answered.... That was when my taxi driver went on a a mission in a nearby village to find a key - he really helped me out a lot! None of the temples are actually in the villages so you do have to wait a while for someone to arrive with the key. The whole thing was actually quite exciting haha
@@nickinchina2552 Thanks for the info! It's a pity that many of these temples don't have original sculptures and frescos of the same period, so we don't know what the interior looked like back then.
That's a REAL old temple, just as you noticed the wood is a great indicator, aka "wood doesn't lie". You can also clearly see how those interlocking wood connections work, it's like an ancient LEGO building. Wood, stone and a LACK of concrete show its real age, it's refreshing after all those Disneyland temples 😉😉
Another great video, Nick! Thank you!
❤️🙏❤️
This was one of my best travel days in China. Amazing place! Thanks for the kind words
Nice video!
The 2 immortals had left us and gone to heaven.
Glad you enjoyed it! One of my most memorable days out in China
"Only Nick In China mate ,taking you to the places no one else can be bothered to go." I for one really appreciate what your doing. These videos are well filmed with a good history lesson, it feels like I visited this location while eating my bacon and eggs this morning :).Your doing some fantastic work here. Are those numbers written on the wall's phone numbers?
haha! Glad you enjoyed the video! (the bacon and eggs sound good btw) Which numbers???
@@nickinchina2552 At 3 mins 4 secs in while you are walking down the alleyway there is an 11 digit number on the wall on the left then agian at 3 mins 10 seconds there are 2 sets of numbers on the wall .
AWESOME bro.... I watch "alot" of YT China vdo... you are up there with the best. Love the snippets of information. God Bless your travels.
Thanks, that means a lot to me! More on the way!
I love this channel
Thank you so much! Means a lot to me, truly
G'day Nick, it is so good that you are able to visit such ancient buildings and temples. Wow, perhaps you can also help the preservation by writing to the higher authority and help to put them on the UNESCO World Heritage Structures register. Please help to play an active role in conserving and preserving these ancient structures. The fact that you had to get the guardians of these sites to come from their residence to open them for you showed that the locals do not really appreciate what they have on their hands. Sometimes a spur along would be of great help. Thank you once again.
It's strange, they are very well looked after actually. (because hardly anyone visits them i guess) A UNESCO bid for 'ancient temples of south east Shanxi' really could be a thing though!
F**k UNESCO.Leave the place alone to its inhabitants and their ancestors.My hometown in Malaysia has been turned into a noisy theme park by UNESCO.
I did not know about the 9 bay limit. Thanks for the info!
Because Confucius was so special, Qing emperors or maybe even earlier, allowed it to have the privilege.
My pleasure! Quite amazing that every building in the past, from a simple house to the main hall of the forbidden city followed the same basic design rules.
Quite true! On par with the emperors!
That's why i love your videos. Showing us this amazing hidden treasures. Thank you for showing us Chinese architecture and culture!
There are plenty to find in this huge country! I'm happy you enjoy them, your support and comments mean a lot to me.
Wow! Shanxi is such a trouvaille!
just a short journey from Xi'an...
Thanks for great videos ! Such historical buildings still around ! Yes, nice feeling when new discovery... esp when connecting the dots.... 👍
If you get the chance to travel to that area it won't disappoint. I REALLY hope it stays like this
Love your videos. Those temples were amazing.
Thanks for the support! This was really one of my favourite days out in China, quite a special feeling in these places.
Awesome and thanks!
Nick you are the one!
There was a time earli in morning I let myself be in 碧云寺 in Beijing. It was so early, there was only me and myself, man, the atmosphere was so special, felt like I was living my pre-life.
😍😍😍😍 That's sounds great! I love it when a bit of effort or super early morning has that pay-off.
Any true history and architecture lover should pay a visit to Shanxi. Shanxi is a treasure of Chinese history. There are many historical sites, even in many villages, but it is a pity that the conservation is not enough and some small-scale historical buildings have not been preserved and restored.
Ahhh, i like the lack of restoration. I think Sometimes things are 'restored' to the point that it is barely an old building anymore. Shanxi IS the best place for history in China -true!
Hi Nick, I really enjoyed watching your videos. They also help my husband and kids know more about China and my hometown Shanxi because they don’t understand Chinese. We are going to China in Jan and will definitely cross off the hanging temple from our list. I am from south Shanxi (yongji, Yuncheng)where there are a lot of temples and pagodas. If you have time you can travel there on your way back to Xi’an.
sorry for the late reply. Are you in China now? Around Yuncheng there is amazing history!! Get down to Ruicheng County!
Great Video Nick.
Reminds me of my time a number of years ago living in southern Shaanxi province (Hanzhong) and some of the trips we took out into the countryside to see things that were like this, very historic and worthy, but unvisited and off the tourist radar.
Keep it up !
Thanks, i'm glad you enjoyed it! Hanzhong is great, really lovely down in the mountains!
A lot to see in Shanxi province.
so much, can spend a lifetime there
by the way nick, Jie Xiu介休 is also a very very cool place to visit.
Just looked into it, plenty of things to explore there...it's on the list! Thanks for the recommendation!
👍
Nick, have you heard of Lin Huiyin? She lived in early and mid-1900s and was known for her beauty and poetry, but she and her husband Liang Sicheng were actually full-time scholars on ancient Chinese architecture. Shanxi was one of the provinces where they spent much time measuring and documenting the temples and towers. They must have been to all these sites. Most of their works are scholarly papers and textbooks, but there are some accessible books for the lay person to read, such as "A Pictorial History of Chinese Architecture", written in English.
Of course! I have a great book of Liang Sicheng drawings (many of which are buildings in shanxi) I will look into the book you recommended, thanks! One of my main references is 'Chinese Architecture' by Nancy Steinhardt. Good book.
I had not even heard of these places, even in the Chinese media, no one visited and reported the treasures in these remote places. I really admire your perseverance, especially in places that are difficult to reach geographically. I believe you have spent a lot of money and energy on this. I sincerely pray that every trip you make in China will be lucky. I hope you Able to gain more! ! !
They are really not famous temples. If they were in another province however, they would be. The fact is, 山西 has SO many ancient temples many are just not visited. Honestly, i think this province is magic, takes a lot more research than other places but really worthwhile.
Thank you for showing this! It’s not easy to see “ancient” buildings in China that aren’t just replicas or new interpretations of the past built in the last 20 years. I wish I’ll be able to see these authentic pieces of history next time I visit China! And I wish that these buildings don’t get “discovered” by mass tourism, coz otherwise they’ll be easily dismantled with new, shiny replicas being built in their place…
There is a lot of history to see in China, but to see the good stuff you have to go deep haha. If you are interested in old architecture nowhere beats Shanxi (山西) it is a treasure trove and the vast majority sees hardly any visitors
"...coz otherwise they’ll be easily dismantled with new, shiny replicas being built in their place…"
That's a ridiculous claim
Well… I was actually there 2 months ago. I travelled all around Jincheng for 10 days. Definitely a fine, mostly non-touristy, location to feel like “old China”.
Great part of China. Jincheng was....fine, just a city but has a couple of nice sights. The countryside is really something else though. When were you there exactly?? I was there 2 months ago too, Mid-late July
China's archaeology & architecture society should make you a honorary member. These places should be preserved and kept away from the kitschy tourism industry.
I truly truly hope they stay like this, or at least they are made more accessible in a tasteful way. Very different from most places i have visited in China.
Thanks for the great video! I always wondered how people get into these remote temples in Shanxi. Now I know! Are the phone numbers always reliable? What kind of barging around did your driver do to find the correct person? I really want to visit but am a bit intimidated by the uncertainty.
The whole day was really unplanned but just kind of worked out. So, the phone numbers - the first and second temple I called the number and the guy answered and came. The second temple (of the two immortals), no one answered.... That was when my taxi driver went on a a mission in a nearby village to find a key - he really helped me out a lot! None of the temples are actually in the villages so you do have to wait a while for someone to arrive with the key. The whole thing was actually quite exciting haha
@@nickinchina2552 Thanks for the info! It's a pity that many of these temples don't have original sculptures and frescos of the same period, so we don't know what the interior looked like back then.
That's a REAL old temple, just as you noticed the wood is a great indicator, aka "wood doesn't lie".
You can also clearly see how those interlocking wood connections work, it's like an ancient LEGO building.
Wood, stone and a LACK of concrete show its real age, it's refreshing after all those Disneyland temples 😉😉
The brackets are amazing. That feeling of being in an ancient building is quite special, and yes...new build temples don't give me that feeling at all
good video thanks Nick, although I am not quite sure you are saying 山西 or 陕西， work on the tones (me in jest of course).
Must be 山西， which is home to some of oldest buildings in China. Some date back as early as Tang Dynasty.
Really enjoyed Nick’s vlogs.
He did write it as Shanxi in the description.
all the history is in 山西 😎
too bad GaoPing Tie Fo temple doesn’t allow regular tourists to visit inside the hall. The statues of TieFo temple is super badass.
Ah? Is there a special way to visit? I didn't try luckily, but it was on my (very long) list of places to look at in the area.
@@nickinchina2552 sorry no idea, seems like they only allow art students or art teachers to get into the building to see those statues.