Datong
Yungang's giant Buddhas and a temple pinned to a cliff
Datong is the grotto city of northern Shanxi. The Yungang Grottoes were carved between 460 and 525 AD — 252 caves, 51,000 figures and five colossal Buddhas up to 17 meters tall, some of the earliest and largest Buddhist sculpture in China.
Seventy kilometers out, the Hanging Temple is exactly what it sounds like: forty timber halls cantilevered off a sheer cliff seventy-five meters above the ground, held by beams set into the rock, and in continuous use for fifteen hundred years.
On the way from Beijing you pass the Great Wall at Yanmen and the old frontier towns of the north. It is a natural three-day add-on for anyone landing in the capital.
Places to see in Datong
The highlights we build into almost every Datong itinerary. Your own list can be longer, shorter, or somewhere else entirely.
Yungang Grottoes
252 caves and 51,000 Buddhist figures carved between 460 and 525 AD.
Cave 20's seated Buddha
The 13.7-meter Buddha that has become the image of the site.
Hanging Temple, Hengshan
Forty timber halls cantilevered off a cliff, in use for 1,500 years.
Nine Dragon Screen
The largest glazed-tile dragon screen in China, built in 1392.
Datong Old City Wall
A rebuilt Ming frontier wall, walkable in a full loop.
Yingxian Wooden Pagoda
The world's tallest timber pagoda, 67 meters, built in 1056 without a nail.
Huayan Monastery
The Liao-dynasty hall with its band of clay musicians.
Shanhua Temple
A quiet Tang-Liao courtyard in the old city.
More places in China
Tell us what you want to see in Datong
We do not publish fixed packages or prices, because almost nothing about a good trip to China is fixed. Send us your dates and interests and a specialist will design an itinerary around them — with a clear, itemized quotation.
- Your own English-speaking guide and private vehicle
- Hotels chosen for location, not for commission
- Tickets and permits booked on your behalf, including timed entries
- Free revisions until the trip is right
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