Hit animated film draws visitors to Shanxi heritage site

The animated film All Wishes Come True has become one of the surprise hits of China's summer movie season. According to movie data platform Maoyan, it had grossed more than 960 million yuan (about $142 million) by July 31, thanks to strong word of mouth.

The film is also drawing attention to the Shuijing Stage at Jinci Temple in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province. Located near the temple's entrance, the ancient opera stage is one of Jinci Temple's best-known landmarks. It once hosted traditional Chinese opera performances during religious ceremonies. In the film, it inspired the run-down Taoist temple taken over by two of the "Eight Immortals" characters, attracting growing interest from travelers since the movie's release on July 18.

The film also features two tributes to Chinese classics. The address of the old Taoist temple in the film, "No. 1350," is a nod to the classic novel Journey to the West, where the Monkey King discovers his own name listed as No. 1350 in the underworld's Book of Life and Death.

The fictional temple's design is also a nod to the classic animated film Havoc in Heaven, in which the Monkey King transforms into a small shrine modeled after Shuijing Stage.