Xiuding Temple Pagoda, also known as Tang Pagoda, was built during B.C.551-553.Situated in Xiuding Temple at the southern foot of Qingliang Mountain more than 30 kilometers northwest of Anyang City, this single-story square brick stupa is adorned with carvings in relief. On February 23, 1982, the Pagoda was listed in the second batch of major historical and cultural sites protected at the national level.
In recent days, Li Xuejun, a security guard at Xiuding Temple, has gained a reputation online. Li pointed to the exquisitely carved bricks on the tower in a video clip and told the stories to tourists. Some netizens commented, "This is an extraordinary guard with an authentic Mandarin and broad knowledge." There are even netizens from afar who make appointments for his guide.
On the morning of January 9, the reporter had a meeting with Guard Li at the Pagoda.
Li, 52 years old, is energetic with a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. He said he hadn't received a higher education and talked about his past working experiences at building construction site, restaurant, and agricultural vehicle shop. In 2021, upon receiving the recruitment information from a security service company, he submitted his resume. Later, he voluntarily transferred to Leikou Township, the most remote area in Yindu District, serving as a security guard for Xiuding Temple Pagoda, because he had been drawn to Chinese history and culture since his childhood.
Li admitted that, as a security guard, he often encountered visitors to the tower. He said that if the visitors came from afar just to see the building as a quick tour, they won't gain much from the deep culture. Therefore, he determined to acquire more knowledge about the Pagoda to meet the demands of travelers.
To tell the story of the Tang Tower better, Li spent extra hours studying the history of the Northern and Southern Dynasties in his spare time. He chatted with villagers to learn about the relative legends, read books and surfed the Internet at night to collect background information. "I would also communicate with some college teachers and students and ask them for lending me some books. I also turn to these students to download academic papers for me," said Li.
Li said that he has learned a lot about the age-old Pagoda. He can use personalized ways of guiding different tourists. For example, he uses simple narratives to tell historical stories to ordinary tourists, introduces the value of cultural relics to archaeologists, the exquisite carvings to art and design professionals, as well as the architectural structure to people specializing in architecture.
Li said that he hopes more people can fall in love with cultural relics, understand the history and culture behind them, and the historical profundity of our country.
