Shèxiàn

Shexian lies in the Taihang Mountains, west of the North China Plain. On a nearby mountainside stands Wahuang Palace, a sanctuary dedicated to Nüwa, the goddess said to have made humanity and repaired the sky. Its cliffs also bear Buddhist scriptures carved under the Northern Qi. In the Ming and Qing, local patrons repaired the sanctuary and recorded their gifts on stone tablets, preserving a flourishing tradition of worship.