Historical Significance: The Dragon Heaven Temple murals are a treasured example of Taoist folk art in southern Shanxi Province, primarily found in local village temples across Linfen and Yuncheng. Blending orthodox Taoist iconography with distinctive rural aesthetics, these murals vividly document rural North China’s religious culture from the Yuan to Ming dynasties.

Syncretic Pantheon:

● Centers on the worship of

Longtian (a local guardian deity merging the Dragon King and celestial gods).

● Integrates orthodox Taoist figures like the Three Pure Ones, Guan Yu, and Houtu.

● Features nature deities (wind/rain/thunder gods)

and folk heroes from

Investiture of the Gods. Folk Narratives:

● Rain-Praying Scenes: Depict village elders leading rituals

for agricultural cycles.

● Hell Judgments: Moralistic

tales of karmic retribution

reflecting Taoist ethics.

● Theatrical Influences: Deity

designs borrow from Yuan-era opera costumes and poses.

Current condition photos with damage highlights:

Our restoration plan:

(Short videos of me and my partner were helping replace the broken wooden structures)

Preservation of the murals and restoration of the Dragon Heaven Temple are urgent matters. Firstly, to ensure the mural’s durability, we had to renovate the building and enhance its structural integrity. We replaced all the broken/rotten bricks, tiles, and wooden dougong structures with newly manufactured ones. Then we hired a professional restorer to piece together the fallen bits of the murals, glued them onto the walls, and painted over the cracks to conceal them.

Map showing the location

The "adoption restoration"/"Civilization Guardian Project" program：

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/zG8hPk9neVYZz09Fs9Pb8w

Guardian of the Forgotten Gems: 22 Historic Structures in seek adoption

Beyond the world-renowned Yungang Grottoes and Pingyao Ancient City, over 50,000 unheralded historic sites are scattered throughout Shanxi province. These unpopular village temples, timeworn stages, and ancestral courtyards may not have "national treasure" status, but they are the true living fossils preserving the authentic history and memories of local communities in China.

Now, 22 of these structures have been selected for a special initiative, making an urgent appeal to the public through the Shanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Bureau's "Civilization Guardian Project" to find their dedicated stewards.

1. What is the "Civilization Guardian Project"?

This program enables corporations, organizations, and individuals to participate directly in preserving cultural heritage through donations, adoption, restoration, and volunteer services. Since its launch in 2017, the project has successfully revitalized 473 historic sites across Shanxi!

2. What Can We Protect Together?

The current list of 22 structures spans the entire province, including:

Lüliang City: Zhaojiazhuang Longtian Temple in Xiaoyi, Huguo Lingyan Temple in Fenyang, and others (4 sites)

Jinzhong City: Shang’an Stage in Taigu, Jingxin Primary School旧址 in Qixian, and others (3 sites)

Plus sites across other cities: such as Leftjiatun Dragon King Temple in Tianzhen, Huoxiu Ying'en Palace in Zezhou, and Qalan Temple in Quwo...

Each site comes with a detailed historical background and specific contact information, ready for your inquiry.

3. #Your Support Can Change the Fate of a Heritage Site

"Low-graded structures" does not mean low value. Your attention and involvement could provide shelter for an endangered ancient stage or save a precious mural from being lost forever.

Click to read the original article for the full list of 22 structures, detailed descriptions, and "adoption" contacts: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/zG8hPk9neVYZz09Fs9Pb8w