With two round black windows that look like eyes and a central doorway like an open mouth, the stage has become a beloved image for generations of audiences.
Nolte was among a group of international and Chinese artists participating in "Discovering Shanxi's Ancient Chinese Architecture: A Visual Journey through Cultural Heritage", a cultural exchange program that encouraged new artistic creation through visits to some of the province's best-preserved historical sites.
The itinerary included landmarks such as the Jinci Temple, the Hanging Temple and the Pagoda of Fogong Temple, with Jinci serving as the program's first stop.
Standing before the stage, Nolte filled pages of her sketchbook with drawings of the building and the stone lions guarding its entrance.
For Veldesen Yaputra, an Indonesian student at Tsinghua University's School of Architecture, what impressed him most about Jinci was not its age but its atmosphere.
