City guide · Shanxi

Datong travel guide: the Yungang Grottoes, the Hanging Temple and how to see them in two days

A frontier capital of carved Buddhas — the Yungang Grottoes, a temple pinned to a cliff, and the oldest wooden tower in China.

  • Known forYungang Grottoes · Hanging Temple · noodles
  • Typical spend¥700–900 for two days
  • Ideal length2 days
  • PaceModerate — one big sight a day, a car for the out-of-town cluster
Plan this trip Datong tours

Reviewed by our Beijing team Updated 2026-10-10

The short version

Datong is a city of about 3.1 million in northern Shanxi, and it holds two of the most extraordinary sights in China: the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO site where 51,000 Buddhist statues were carved into a kilometre of cliff from 460 AD, and the Xuankong Hanging Temple, pinned to a rock face 75 m above a gorge. High-speed rail from Beijing takes about 100 minutes. Two days is the right length — one for Yungang and the city's Liao-Jin temples, one for the Hanging Temple and the wooden pagoda at Yingxian.

  • High-speed rail from Beijing reaches Datong in about 100 minutes — easy as an overnight.
  • Yungang has 51,000 statues; Caves 5 and 6 and the open-air Buddha of Cave 20 are the must-sees.
  • The Yungang site is a full kilometre long — take the shuttle bus in and walk back through the caves.
  • The Hanging Temple and the Yingxian wooden pagoda make a half-day loop south, best with a car.
  • Order the knife-cut noodles: daoxiaomian is the local art form, shaved straight into the pot.

City guide

First impressions

Photographs from the coast, and what other travellers wrote afterwards.

The open-air Buddha of Cave 20 at Yungang, carved from the cliff face
The open-air Buddha of Cave 20 at Yungang, carved from the cliff face
The Hanging Temple at Hengshan, held to the rock 75 m above the gorge
The Hanging Temple at Hengshan, held to the rock 75 m above the gorge
The 1392 Nine-Dragon Screen — China's oldest and largest
The 1392 Nine-Dragon Screen — China's oldest and largest
The Yingxian wooden pagoda, built in 1056 with no nails
The Yingxian wooden pagoda, built in 1056 with no nails

The roads that used to be broken have all been repaired, and the city looks orderly now. The buses cost one yuan and go everywhere — as they say here, to get rich, build the road first.

Traveller note — 'Two Places in Shanxi'

Stepping off the bus, you can see the Yingxian wooden pagoda waiting in the distance, with the crowd and the vendors busy around it — a warm feeling, like being welcomed home.

Traveller note — 'A Very Detailed Datong and Pingyao Guide'

Datong sits high on the northern edge of Shanxi, close to Inner Mongolia, and it has been a frontier city for most of two thousand years — which is exactly why the art here is so big. In the fifth century it was the capital of the Northern Wei dynasty, and those emperors, newly converted to Buddhism, carved a mountain of it.

Yungang is the result. About 16 km west of the city, a kilometre of sandstone cliff is filled with 45 major caves and more than a thousand smaller niches holding some 51,000 statues. The scale is deliberate: the earliest caves hold colossal seated Buddhas cut to resemble the emperors themselves, and the carving grows finer and stranger as you move through, ending in towering rock-cut pillars and painted halls you can walk inside.

The city itself is being rebuilt quickly from its coal-mining past, and the walled old town now has a dozen sights worth an afternoon: the Huayan and Shanhua temples, rare survivors of the Liao and Jin dynasties; the Nine-Dragon Screen, the oldest and largest of its kind in China; and the incense-burner-and-souvenir bustle of a frontier town learning to sell its own history.

An hour or two south lie the two places most people pair with Yungang. The Hanging Temple clings to the Hengshan cliffs above a gorge, forty halls held up by beams socketed into the rock; and at Yingxian the 11th-century Sakyamuni Pagoda is the oldest and tallest timber tower in China, still standing after nearly a thousand years of earthquakes.

Datong

Don't leave without

Seven things that are worth rearranging a day for.

  1. Stand under the open-air Buddha of Cave 20 at Yungang — the signature image of the site
  2. Walk right through Caves 5 and 6, the twin pagoda caves, and look up into the carved ceilings
  3. Cross the narrow walkways of the Hanging Temple, 75 m above the gorge
  4. See the Yingxian wooden pagoda, built in 1056 without a single nail
  5. Eat a bowl of knife-cut noodles and watch the chef shave them into the pot
  6. Walk the rebuilt city wall at night, when the whole old town lights up

Highlights

What not to miss in Datong

Yungang Grottoes

Yungang Grottoes

A UNESCO site of 51,000 statues carved into a kilometre of cliff from 460 AD. Caves 5 and 6 and the giant open-air Buddha of Cave 20 are the set pieces.

Xuankong Hanging Temple

Xuankong Hanging Temple

Forty halls of a 1,500-year-old monastery pinned to the Hengshan cliff, 75 m above the gorge, and the only temple in China that ever worshipped Buddha, Dao and Confucius together.

Yingxian Wooden Pagoda

Yingxian Wooden Pagoda

The oldest and tallest all-timber pagoda on earth, built in 1056 with no nails and still standing. Half a day south, best combined with the Hanging Temple.

Huayan Temple

The best-preserved Liao-Jin temple complex in China, facing east rather than south, with a 100-tonne bronze hall of a thousand Buddhas beneath its wooden pagoda.

Nine-Dragon Screen

Nine-Dragon Screen

The oldest and largest glazed-tile dragon screen in China, made in 1392 from 426 sculpted tiles and 250 years older than the one in Beijing.

The knife-cut noodle

Datong's everyday art: a hand-held block of dough shaved straight into boiling water. Watching the chef is half the meal.

Suggested itineraries

Two days, one big sight a day

The out-of-town sights — the Hanging Temple and the Yingxian pagoda — are a half-day's drive south. Everything else is inside or just outside the city.

Datong in two days

2 days

Yungang and the city temples on day one; the Hanging Temple and the wooden pagoda on day two.

  1. Day 1

    Yungang and the old town

    Go out to Yungang first thing, take the shuttle bus to the far end and walk back through the caves — give it three to four hours. Come back to town for lunch.

    Spend the afternoon on the Liao-Jin temples: Huayan with its bronze underground hall, then Shanhua, then the Nine-Dragon Screen. Walk the rebuilt city wall at dusk.

    Stops: Yungang GrottoesHuayan TempleShanhua TempleNine-Dragon Screen

  2. Day 2

    The Hanging Temple and the pagoda

    Set off early for the Hanging Temple at Hengshan, about 1.5 hours south, and cross its narrow walkways before the coaches arrive.

    Carry on to Yingxian for the wooden pagoda, then loop back to Datong. If you have energy left, stop at the Hengshan mountain trails on the way.

    Stops: Hanging TempleHengshanYingxian wooden pagoda

Three days with the mountain

3 days

Slow the two-day loop down and add the Hengshan mountain and, if you want something odd, the coal-mine museum beside Yungang.

  1. Days 1–2

    The classic two

    Run the two-day loop above at half speed, with longer stops at Yungang and a proper noodle lunch in the city.

    Stops: Yungang GrottoesHuayan TempleHanging Temple

  2. Day 3

    Hengshan or underground

    Walk the Hengshan trails above the Hanging Temple, or go 300 m underground at the Jinhuagong coal-mine park next to Yungang — a very different kind of museum.

    Stops: HengshanJinhuagong mine park

Sights

The places worth your time

Ticket prices in China change without much notice. Treat these as a guide and confirm on arrival.

Yungang Grottoes

UNESCO · Rock-cut Buddhas

Yungang Grottoes

The greatest of China's rock-cut Buddhist sites and the reason Datong matters: 45 major caves and 252 niches, holding about 51,000 statues, carved into a kilometre of cliff beginning in 460 AD under the Northern Wei. Caves 5 and 6 are the twin pagoda caves, their interiors carved as temple halls and painted; Cave 20 holds the famous seated Buddha in the open air, exposed when its front wall collapsed. The scale is matched only by the subtlety — the style shifts visibly from Indian-influenced to Chinese as you move through.

Ticket
¥120 (Caves 5 and 6 need a separate special-cave ticket, ¥60)
Hours
08:30–17:20 (mid-Apr–late Oct); 08:30–17:00 (late Oct–mid-Apr)
Where
Wuzhou Mountain, about 16 km west of the city
Getting there
Bus 3-1, 3-2 or 10 from the city; taxi about ¥25 one way
Time needed
3–4 hours

Tip Take the shuttle bus to the far end and walk back toward the entrance — that way you face the cliff, not the crowd, and you finish walking downhill. Do not photograph inside the caves; rent the audio guide (about ¥10) instead.

Xuankong Hanging Temple

Cliff monastery · Day trip

Xuankong Hanging Temple

A 1,500-year-old monastery of forty halls and pavilions glued to the cliff of the Jinlong Gorge at Hengshan, 75 m above the valley floor. The buildings are held by beams socketed into the rock, connected by galleries and staircases so narrow you may have to wait your turn. It is the only temple in China that ever honoured Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism together, and its mountaintop setting above the gorge is as impressive as the architecture itself.

Ticket
¥130 (peak). Cash can help at the gate
Hours
08:30–17:30 (winter) · 08:00–18:00 (summer)
Where
Hunyuan county, near Mount Heng, about 1.5 hours south
Getting there
Car with driver; or bus to Hunyuan then a local bus
Time needed
2–3 hours, plus the drive

Tip Go first thing in the morning, before the tour coaches — the walkways are genuinely narrow. Note that the buildings on the cliff are a bit of a climb and there is a strict one-way flow; those scared of heights should think twice.

Yingxian Wooden Pagoda

Timber tower · Day trip

Yingxian Wooden Pagoda

The Sakyamuni Pagoda at Yingxian, built in 1056, is the oldest and tallest surviving all-timber pagoda in the world — five visible storeys and four hidden ones, held together entirely by mortise and tenon, without a single nail. It has stood through a millennium of earthquakes and war, and from the upper galleries, when open, you look out over Hengshan and the Sanggan River. Half a day south, it pairs perfectly with the Hanging Temple.

Ticket
¥61 (including a ¥1 insurance fee)
Hours
07:00–19:00
Where
Yingxian county, about 70 km south of Datong
Getting there
Car with driver, or bus to Yingxian from Datong South station
Time needed
2 hours, plus the drive

Tip Check whether the upper floors are open — they close periodically for conservation, and the inner structure is best seen from the ground floor anyway. Keep it on the same car loop as the Hanging Temple.

Liao-Jin temple · Bronze hall

Huayan Temple

The best-preserved temple complex of the Liao and Jin dynasties in China, and a curious one: alone among Chinese temples it faces east rather than south, a mark of the Khitan people who built it and who greeted the sun. Beneath the wooden Huayan Pagoda is a 500 m² hall of a thousand Buddhas, cast in about 100 tonnes of bronze, and the lower temple holds a celebrated Liao-dynasty clay bodhisattva with a rare, smiling face.

Ticket
¥80
Hours
09:00–17:00
Where
Daxi Street, old town, Datong
Getting there
Bus 4 stops at the gate
Time needed
1.5 hours

Tip Go for the bodhisattva in the lower temple as much as the bronze hall — it is one of the finest clay figures of the Liao era, and most tour groups walk straight past it.

Liao-Jin temple · Murals

Shanhua Temple

Known locally as the South Temple, Shanhua is the most complete surviving Liao and Jin temple layout anywhere, ranged along a Tang-style central axis of gate, three-sage hall and great hall. Its Guardian King murals are vivid, and the courtyard's proportions are the best argument for why these temples matter — this is architecture, not just religion. It is a short walk from the Nine-Dragon Screen.

Ticket
¥50
Hours
08:00–18:00 (summer) · 08:30–17:00 (winter)
Where
Yongtai Street, old town, Datong
Getting there
Walk west from the Nine-Dragon Screen, or bus 17
Time needed
1 hour

Tip Pair it with Huayan in the same afternoon — they are close, and seeing them together makes the Liao-Jin style click. It is quieter than Huayan, so this is where to linger.

Nine-Dragon Screen

Ming glazed screen · Landmark

Nine-Dragon Screen

Built in 1392 for a Ming prince, this is the oldest and largest glazed-tile dragon screen in China: 45.5 m long, 8 m high and three times the size of the famous one in Beijing's Beihai Park, which it predates by 250 years. Nine dragons writhe across 426 sculpted tiles, and a reflection pool in front turns them, on a still day, into a doubled and shifting line of colour.

Ticket
¥10
Hours
08:00–18:00
Where
Yanghe Street, old town, Datong
Getting there
Bus 4 or 17
Time needed
30 minutes

Tip Come early or late for the reflection — the pool doubles the dragons only when the light is low and the water still. It is a 15-minute walk from Shanhua Temple, so do both.

Eating

What Datong eats

Shanxi food is built on wheat and oats, and Datong does it cheaply and generously. This is noodle country — you will eat well for very little.

Knife-cut noodles (daoxiaomian)

The dish Datong is known for: a block of firm dough held over boiling water and shaved into flat, leaf-shaped noodles with a curved blade. Chewy, uneven and perfect — and the chef's speed is half the show. Locals finish the bowl with a cup of the noodle-cooking water, 'to settle the stomach'.

Hunyuan cold jelly (liangfen)

A bowl of slippery starch jelly from nearby Hunyuan, dressed at the table from a dozen little pots — vinegar, garlic water, coriander, cucumber and, crucially, crisp fried lotus beans, dried tofu and a fragrant chilli oil that is more perfume than fire.

Datong shaomai

Open-topped steamed dumplings, named for the plum-blossom shape they take when they come out of the steamer. Snow-white at the edges, with the pork filling visible through the skin — one bite and a mouthful of rich juice.

Mutton hotpot (shuan yangrou)

Datong's copper-pot mutton, prized for its fragrant, tender meat from the fat-tailed sheep of Guangling and the marbled lamb of Shuozhou. Swirl thin slices through the broth, then dip in sesame paste, chilli oil and pickled garlic.

Braised rabbit head

The local snack the city is quietly famous for: rabbit heads braised for hours in a dozen spices until the meat falls off. Strong, dark and moreish — a beer food, and everywhere in the old town.

Oat noodles and the rest

Shanxi's oat repertoire runs deep: steamed oat rolls, oat 'honeycomb' and stir-fried mixed-grain dishes. Add a side of smoked or pressed tofu from Guangling, which locals swear by.

Where to eat

Restaurants worth the address

Phone numbers are local landlines; add +86 and drop the leading 0 if calling from abroad.

Knife-cut noodles · Cheap

Dongfang Xiaomian

The go-to bowl in town, and one of the cheapest meals you will eat in China. The noodles are wide, thin and springy, the soup is rich, and a bowl costs about ¥13. Open almost around the clock, and packed at every meal time — a proper noodle canteen.

Order
Knife-cut noodles, beef noodles, free noodle water
Where
Dabeijie at Dashi Cross, city centre
Hours
07:00–00:00

Home cooking · Big portions

Kaige Restaurant

A well-known Datong restaurant so popular that reservations are hopeless — turn up early and queue. Portions are enormous and prices are low; the flavours run salty, so say so if you want it lighter. Half portions are available, which is a mercy.

Order
Twice-cooked pork, apricot-mushroom with garlic, braised fish
Where
22 Chaochangcheng West Street
Phone
0352-6020033

Rabbit head · Local favourite

Tutou Wang Panglailai

A serious local restaurant, better appointed than its rivals, where braised rabbit head is the reason to come and the braised ribs, oat nests and fried rice cakes are the supporting cast. Steady, filling and reasonably cheap.

Order
Braised rabbit head, braised ribs, fried rice cakes
Where
Near the liberation market, Zhenxing Street
Phone
0352-5022249

Rabbit head · Old town

Laoyemiao Flavour Restaurant

One of the better-known houses for Datong rabbit head, and a good place to try the local taste for it. Beyond the rabbit, order the lamb trotters, the tofu-and-vermicelli soup and the grilled buns. Unfussy and welcoming.

Order
Rabbit head, lamb trotters, tofu noodles soup
Where
Shuaifu Road, Datong
Phone
0352-2060153

Hotpot · Local snacks

Lin Laolao Flavour Restaurant

A pair of neighbouring places — one for stir-fries, one for copper-pot hotpot — that together cover most of the Datong snack repertoire at fair prices and generous portions. Good if you want to try several local dishes in one sitting.

Order
Mutton hotpot, local snacks, stir-fried dishes
Where
332 Yunzhong Road, Datong
Phone
0352-2025266

Sleeping

Where to stay

Hotels cluster in the city centre, near the old town, the train stations and the road to Yungang. Datong is good value — expect a clean chain hotel for around ¥140 and a starred hotel for ¥250–360.

Four-star · From ¥360

Datong Garden Hotel

A four-star business hotel a short walk from the Nine-Dragon Screen, Huayan and Shanhua temples, so the old town sights are on the doorstep. Comfortable, if a little old-fashioned, with shopping streets and fast food nearby.

Price
Rooms from ¥360
Where
59 Danan Street, near the Drum Tower
Phone
0352-5865888

Four-star · From ¥560

Datong Hotel

The city's grand old address, in the centre and close to everything, with a garden setting and high-end service that has won it industry awards. The most comfortable option in town, and priced accordingly; breakfast about ¥35.

Price
Rooms from ¥560 · breakfast ¥35
Where
37 Yingbin West Road
Phone
0352-5868666

Hostel · From ¥50/bed

Datong Youth Hostel

Tucked into the old lanes and courtyard houses of the pedestrian quarter, a short stroll from Huayan, the Nine-Dragon Screen, Shanhua and the wall. The front desk arranges shared cars for Yungang and the Hanging Temple, so it is a good place to find travel companions.

Price
Beds from ¥50 · doubles from ¥158
Where
Middle of the antique street, city centre
Phone
0352-2427766

Chain · From ¥140

Home Inn (Hualin Xintiandi)

A dependable chain hotel beside a large shopping mall and the police headquarters, with dining, entertainment and clinics around it and the main shopping street and Hongqi Square on the doorstep. Clean, central and cheap — the safe mid-range choice.

Price
Rooms from ¥140
Where
Weidu Avenue, Hongqi Square, Hualin Xintiandi
Phone
0352-2192888

Chain · From ¥190

Jinjiang Inn (Pingcheng Bridge)

Near the old town and the Dongguan commercial district, five minutes by car from both the long-distance bus station and the railway station, and a five-minute walk from the ruined-and-rebuilt city wall. Huayan, the Nine-Dragon Screen and Shanhua are about 3 km away.

Price
Rooms from ¥190
Where
Pingcheng Street, Longyuan complex, Datong
Phone
0352-5339999

Getting around

Arriving, and moving about

High-speed rail connects Datong to Beijing and Taiyuan; inside the city, buses are cheap and taxis are metered, but the out-of-town sights want a car.

By air

Datong Yungang Airport (DAT) is about 15 km from the centre and has domestic routes only — Beijing, Shanghai, Taiyuan and a handful of others. Most travellers arrive by rail or connect through Beijing, but it is useful if you are coming from the south or west.

Airport
Datong Yungang (DAT)
To the centre
Airport bus about ¥10 · taxi ¥40–60
Airport bus
DAT1 from the airport to Datong Hotel and the ticket office
Watch out
Domestic flights only — most people come by train

By rail

The high-speed line is the way in: about 100 minutes from Beijing, and about 2 hours from Taiyuan, with trains on to Xi'an further south. Datong station is the main city station; Datong South handles the high-speed services. Slower overnight trains also run to Beijing and beyond.

To Beijing
About 100 minutes by high-speed rail
To Taiyuan
About 2 hours
Main stations
Datong station (centre), Datong South (high-speed)
Watch out
The two stations are a way apart — check which one your ticket uses

City buses

Buses cover a wide area and cost ¥1–2, and they are the cheap way to reach the old town and the Yungang turn-off. Buses 3-1, 3-2 and 10 go to the Yungang site, and 601 is the fast line from the railway station. Stops have been moved around by the old-town rebuilding, so confirm with your hotel.

Fare
¥1–2
To Yungang
Bus 3-1, 3-2 or 10
From the station
Bus 601 is the express line

Taxi

Metered and cheap in the city, with a ¥6 flag-down for the first 3 km. The city fleet is generally fine, but taxis in the surrounding counties are more of a gamble — some refuse the meter and quote high. For out-of-town sights, a booked car beats a street taxi every time.

Day rate
¥6 for the first 3 km, then ¥1.20/km
Night rate
About ¥1.60/km, plus any tolls
Watch out
County taxis may not use the meter — agree the price first

Car and driver

For the Hanging Temple, the Yingxian pagoda and Hengshan, a car with a driver is the practical choice: the sights are far apart, buses need changes, and the drop-offs are a long walk from the gates. Your hotel or hostel can arrange one, and it is worth negotiating the route and price in advance.

Best for
Hanging Temple, Yingxian pagoda, Hengshan
How to book
Through your hotel, or the shuttle desks at the hostel
Fix first
Agree the route and total price before you set off

Shopping

What to take home

Datong sits on the old trade routes between Shanxi, Hebei and Inner Mongolia, and the local specialities reflect that — crafts, medicine and mountain goods.

Guangling paper-cutting

One of the three great schools of Chinese folk paper-cutting, from nearby Guangling: bold composition, fine blades, dyed by hand and beautifully packaged. Light, flat and easy to carry home.

Datong copperware

The city has a long metalworking tradition, and its copper workshops still turn out hotpots, wine vessels, court-style tableware and plaques with a strong northern character. A solid, unusual souvenir.

Hengshan astragalus

The slopes of Mount Heng are ideal for astragalus root, and Hunyuan at their foot is known as its home. Sold as a health tonic and a soup ingredient — the 'northern root' prized on international markets.

Dried fruit and buckwheat tea

Yanggao apricot preserves and Zuoyun tartary-buckwheat tea are the edible gifts: sweet, tangy and light to pack. The city's markets also sell Datong's own millet and the Shen Xian-style snacks.

Practical

The numbers to save

Area code 0352. Staffed English help is not guaranteed — save these before you need them.

Emergency (police / ambulance / fire)110 · 120 · 119
Rail enquiryDatong station 0352-7122922
Datong No.3 People's Hospital1 Yiwei Street · 0352-5556114
Datong No.5 People's Hospital141 Xinjian North Road · 0352-2534114
Taxi complaints0352-2022322
PaymentCards, WeChat Pay and Alipay widely accepted; carry cash for small stalls
Dust and sunThe coal country air can be dusty — sunglasses, a hat and a mask on bad days
Eating hoursKitchens close early — lunch by about 13:00, dinner by about 20:00

Tips

Small things that save a trip

Do Yungang first

It is the reason you came and the light is best in the morning. Take the shuttle bus to the far end and walk back toward the entrance so the cliff, not the crowd, is in front of you.

Rent the audio guide

The caves' meaning is easy to miss without context, and photography inside is banned. A ¥10 audio guide or a licensed guide turns a wall of stone into a story.

Start the Hanging Temple early

The walkways are genuinely narrow and the tour coaches arrive mid-morning. Get there early, and be ready to wait your turn on the stairs if you are not.

Book a car for the south

The Hanging Temple and the Yingxian pagoda need changes by bus and long walks from the drop-off. A car with a driver covers both in a day and saves your legs.

Eat before eight

Datong kitchens close early by big-city standards — lunch around 13:00, dinner around 20:00. Plan the day so you are not hunting for food after dark.

Bring layers

Datong is high, dry and windy, with sharp day-to-night temperature swings. A layer for the evening and sunglasses for the dust belong in your bag all year.

Background

Why Datong looks like this

Geography and climate

Datong sits at the northern tip of Shanxi, on a high plateau between the Inner Mongolian grasslands and the North China Plain, ringed by mountains that blocked the moist sea air. The result is a cold, dry, windy climate with an average temperature of about 5.5°C, huge day-night swings, and springs full of dust.

That harshness is the point of its history. The city guarded the passes between the steppe and the settled lands, described by the ancients as 'guarded on three sides, the key to the frontier' — the reason so many dynasties fortified it and so many armies fought over it.

History and the Northern Wei

Datong has been a capital more than once. In the fifth century it was Pingcheng, the capital of the Northern Wei, who carved the Yungang Grottoes and made the city a Buddhist centre for a century before moving their court south to Luoyang. Later it served as a secondary capital under the Liao and Jin, leaving the temples that survive today.

Under the Ming it became a front-line garrison of the northern defence, and for centuries it was the hinge of the horse and grain trade with the steppe. In the modern era it was one of China's great coal cities — hence the old nickname 'the coal capital' — and the last twenty years have been spent rebuilding the old town and its walls. The dust and the Buddhas are two faces of the same frontier city.

Travel with them

Datong on screen and in print

Not guides — films and books that show the city the way the people in it see it.

Film

A Family Beyond the Wall (塞外有家)

Dir. Wang Xiaosheng, Wei Wei

A family story spanning sixty years, in which a young woman from Xiamen marries into a Datong family in the late 1950s and slowly comes to love the city at the edge of the steppe. Three visits across the decades, and the idea that home can be found far from where you were born.

Book

The Ancient Capital Datong (古都大同)

An Dajun

A comprehensive study of Datong as a historic capital — its layout, its role as a military town and its culture of ethnic fusion, where Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism were honoured side by side. The serious introduction to why this frontier city looks the way it does.

Music

Folk wind and drum (民间吹打)

Datong and north-Shanxi folk troupes

North Shanxi keeps a loud, joyful tradition of wind-and-percussion bands that play at festivals, weddings and temple fairs. Catch one at the Spring Festival temple market if you are here in winter.

The questions visitors ask us most about Datong, answered plainly.

Frequently asked questions

Prices and practical details are reviewed every month by our Beijing team and updated the day a rule changes.

How do I get to Datong from Beijing?

High-speed rail, about 100 minutes from Beijing to Datong South, with a handful of slower overnight trains as backup. Flying is possible, but the airport is domestic-only and slower than the train, so rail is the answer.

How long do I need at the Yungang Grottoes?

Allow three to four hours. The site runs a full kilometre, so ride the shuttle bus to the far end and walk back through the caves. Caves 5 and 6 and the open-air Buddha of Cave 20 are the highlights; a rented audio guide is worth the small fee.

Is the Hanging Temple worth the trip?

Yes, if you have a second day. It is a genuine wonder — forty halls balanced on beams driven into a cliff 75 m above the gorge — and it pairs naturally with the Yingxian wooden pagoda on the same half-day loop. Go early; the walkways are narrow and fill up fast.

What should I eat in Datong?

What you eat anywhere in Shanxi, only better: knife-cut noodles shaved by hand into the pot, steamed oat noodles, and — for the brave — spiced braised rabbit head. Prices are low, portions are large, and the noodles really are a local art form.

When is the best time to visit Datong?

May to October, with September and October the pick. Summers are dry and hot in the sun, spring brings wind and dust, and winters are genuinely cold at this altitude. Whatever the season, bring a layer for the cold evenings.

Can I see Datong and Pingyao on the same trip?

Yes, and it is the standard Shanxi loop. Datong for Yungang and the Hanging Temple, Taiyuan for Jinci and the museum, then Pingyao for the walled town — all connected by high-speed rail, so the order hardly matters.

Plan this trip

Prefer it arranged for you?

The same places, with a driver, an English-speaking guide and the tickets already bought.

Datong Datong Shanxi · 0 tours Datong is a city of 3.1 million in northern Shanxi, and it holds two of China's most extraordinary sights: the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO site of 51,0
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Dalian Dalian City guide · 15 tours The Northern Pearl — China's most romantic coastal city. Shenyang Shenyang City guide · 12 tours Where the Qing dynasty began — an imperial palace, a warlord's mansion and the cheapest good food in the northeast. Changbai Mountain Changbai Mountain City guide · 12 tours A volcano on the North Korean border, a jade-green crater lake at 2,189 m, and hot springs on the way down. Kunming Kunming City guide · 12 tours China's Spring City — a mild plateau capital of flowers, markets and the Stone Forest, with gulls on the lake in winter. Dali Dali City guide · 12 tours A walled Bai town between a 4,000 m mountain and a great lake — wind, flowers, snow and moon, and life at a slower speed. Shuhe Shuhe City guide · 12 tours The quiet version of Lijiang — a Tea Horse Road village of canals, stone bridges and slow afternoons, 4 km from the crowds. Lijiang Lijiang City guide · 12 tours A UNESCO Naxi old town of canals and cobbles beneath a 5,596 m snow mountain — the cultural heart of north-west Yunnan. Xiamen Xiamen City guide · 12 tours A subtropical island city of temples, fishing-village lanes and the best street food in Fujian — with the car-free islet of Gulangyu a 20-minute ferry away. Gulangyu Gulangyu City guide · 12 tours A car-free island of colonial villas, pianos and cats, twenty minutes off Xiamen — and the one place where the trick is simply to stay the night. Fuzhou Fuzhou City guide · 12 tours A 2,200-year-old capital of banyan trees and mountains-within-the-city, where the Ming lanes of Sanfang Qixiang meet the dockyard that built China's modern navy. Lugu Lake Lugu Lake City guide · 12 tours A 2,680 m lake on the Yunnan–Sichuan border, home to China's last matrilineal people, pig-trough canoes and a great deal of doing nothing. Xishuangbanna Xishuangbanna City guide · 12 tours China's tropical south — rainforest, wild elephants, Dai villages and the Mekong, wrapped around the gateway city of Jinghong. Shangri-La Shangri-La City guide · 12 tours A Tibetan town at 3,300 m in Yunnan's Diqing prefecture — monasteries, grassland, prayer wheels and cold thin air. Nanchang Nanchang City guide · 12 tours Jiangxi's 'hero city' on the Gan River — one great Tang pavilion, a 160-metre Ferris wheel, and the best claypot soup you will eat in China. Hefei Hefei City guide · 12 tours Anhui's 2,000-year-old capital: the hometown of China's model judge, a moat-turned-garden ring, and the fast rail gateway to Huangshan. Hongcun Hongcun City guide · 12 tours A 900-year-old Hui village laid out as an ox, with water running to every door and a mirror-still crescent pond at its heart. Wuhan Wuhan City guide · 12 tours Three towns, two rivers and the best breakfast in China — a huge, blunt river city of bridges, lakes and cheap, brilliant street food. Changsha Changsha City guide · 12 tours Hunan's loud, young capital: a 3,000-year-old city that eats chilli-hot food, stays up all night and treats foot massage as a civic duty. Fenghuang Ancient Town Fenghuang Ancient Town City guide · 12 tours The stilt-house river town of Shen Congwen's 'Border Town' — glowing lanterns, stepping stones and the best two nights in western Hunan. Lushan Lushan City guide · 12 tours A cloud-wrapped granite mountain with a Victorian hill station on top, waterfalls in three tiers, and the mist that Su Shi said you could never see through. Wuyuan Wuyuan City guide · 12 tours China's 'most beautiful countryside' — dozens of white-walled Huizhou villages strung along streams and terraced into the hills, and two weeks a year of gold. Mount Heng (Hengshan, Hunan) Mount Heng (Hengshan, Hunan) City guide · 12 tours The South Great Peak: a pilgrimage mountain of 72 summits where the temples run all the way to the top, and the sunrise over the cloud sea is the whole point. Huangshan Huangshan City guide · 12 tours Yellow Mountain: 82 granite peaks of twisted pines and grotesque rock, a sea of cloud that changes by the hour, and hot springs at the foot. Wudang Mountain Wudang Mountain City guide · 12 tours The Taoist first mountain of China — a gilded bronze hall on a 1,612 m summit, temples hung off cliff faces, and the birthplace of tai chi. Luoyang Luoyang City guide · 12 tours Thirteen dynasties, 100,000 Buddhas carved into a river cliff, China's first Buddhist temple — and a whole city that turns peony-pink every April. Yuntai Mountain Yuntai Mountain City guide · 12 tours A UNESCO geopark in Henan where red-stone gorges squeeze a river to a slot, a 314 m waterfall drops in one plunge, and every path leads to another pool. Rizhao Rizhao City guide · 12 tours A low-key Shandong beach town where the sun rises straight out of the Yellow Sea, the sand runs 60 km and a seafood dinner costs less than a coffee in Shanghai. Yantai Yantai City guide · 12 tours A northern Shandong port of fairy-tale cliffs, wine cellars and long golden beaches — where emperors once hunted the elixir of life and China's wine industry still begins. Lianyungang Lianyungang City guide · 12 tours A working Jiangsu port with a myth in the middle of it — the Flower-Fruit Mountain of Journey to the West, a sea causeway to a big island beach, and some of the cheapest seafood on the coast. Sanqing Mountain Sanqing Mountain City guide · 12 tours A vertical forest of granite pillars in Jiangxi — the Python Out of the Mountain, the Goddess of the East Sea, two cable cars and a cliff-hugging walkway at 1,660 metres. Tianjin Tianjin City guide · 12 tours Beijing's port city next door — a river of 24 bridges, 2,000 colonial villas, and the best street breakfast in northern China. Taiyuan Taiyuan City guide · 12 tours Shanxi's provincial capital and noodle heartland — the spring of Jinci, two Ming pagodas, and a museum that explains the whole province. Pingyao Pingyao City guide · 12 tours China's best-preserved ancient walled town — a Ming wall, the first Chinese bank, and two temples of painted clay just outside the gates. Wutai Mountain Wutai Mountain City guide · 12 tours China's foremost Buddhist mountain — fifty-plus temples in one valley, crowned by five flat-topped peaks up to 3,058 m. Hulunbuir Hulunbuir City guide · 12 tours China's finest grassland — a 263,000 km² sweep of steppe, birch forest and border river, best driven with the windows down. The Forbidden City The Forbidden City City guide · 12 tours Beijing's 600-year imperial palace — 8,700 rooms behind a 72-hectare wall, and the largest surviving wooden palace complex on earth. Sanya Sanya City guide · 12 tours China's only true winter-sun coast — four very different bays, a coral island and a 108 m sea Buddha, all at 18° north. Haikou Haikou City guide · 12 tours Hainan's capital is the island's living city — 600-year-old arcade streets, a volcanic village, and a morning-tea-to-midnight food culture. Beihai Beihai City guide · 12 tours 24 km of fine white sand on one side, a volcanic island of coral and lava on the other — plus a 19th-century arcade old street in between. Nanning Nanning City guide · 12 tours Guangxi's green capital is a gateway to Detian Falls, Beihai and Vietnam — and a genuinely excellent food city if you let it slow you down. Guangxi Guangxi City guide · 12 tours One autonomous region, a dozen landscapes — limestone peaks and rice terraces in the north, a Vietnam border and a warm gulf coast in the south. Huizhou Huizhou City guide · 12 tours A free West Lake, a Taoist mountain and 200 km of white-sand coast — the Pearl River Delta's most underrated weekend. Beidaihe Beidaihe City guide · 12 tours Northern China's classic beach escape — one sunrise headland, 10 km of calm swimming water, and a bird flyway overhead twice a year. Shanhaiguan Shanhaiguan City guide · 12 tours The town where the Great Wall stops being a rumour of mountains and walks into the Bohai Sea. Baiyangdian Baiyangdian City guide · 12 tours The biggest freshwater lake on the North China Plain — and almost none of it can be reached except by boat. Qinhuangdao Qinhuangdao City guide · 12 tours 126 km of Bohai coast in one municipality — a working port, two famous resorts, and the only desert dunes that meet this sea. Yesanpo Yesanpo City guide · 12 tours Gorge country where the Taihang and Yan ranges collide — 52.5 km of canyon walls, a cave that spits fish, and a river to fall off. Zhuhai Zhuhai City guide · 12 tours The delta's slow city: a 28 km promenade, 146 islands, oysters fattened where the river meets the sea. Wuyi Mountain Wuyi Mountain City guide · 12 tours Nine bends of clear water, red sandstone cliffs, and the tea that made a mountain's name. Jiuzhaigou Jiuzhaigou City guide · 12 tours 108 mineral-blue lakes in one 55 km valley — the place that ruins water everywhere else for you. Mount Siguniang Mount Siguniang City guide · 12 tours Four snow peaks, three valleys, and the friendliest 5,000 m mountain in China to stand on top of. Hailuogou Hailuogou City guide · 12 tours A glacier that comes down to 2,850 m, hot springs in the forest, and Gongga Shan filling the sky above both. Daocheng Yading Daocheng Yading City guide · 12 tours Three 6,000 m sacred peaks, glacial lakes at 4,600 m and twenty hours of road — the hardest, highest payoff in Sichuan. Shunan Bamboo Sea Shunan Bamboo Sea City guide · 12 tours Seventy thousand mu of bamboo over twenty-eight hills, a red sandstone corridor under a closed green roof, and a banquet made entirely of bamboo. Dujiangyan Dujiangyan City guide · 12 tours Not a monument but a machine: three pieces of engineering with no dam, still doing their job after 2,270 years. Qingcheng Mountain Qingcheng Mountain City guide · 12 tours The mountain where Daoism was organised, and the one Chengdu escapes to when the basin turns into an oven. Qingdao Qingdao City guide · 12 tours Red-tiled roofs, cold beer and a granite mountain that walks straight into the sea — the easiest good time on the Yellow Sea. Mount Tai Mount Tai City guide · 12 tours 1,545 metres, 6,290 stone steps and three thousand years of emperors — the one mountain in China that is also a document. Jinan Jinan City guide · 12 tours A provincial capital with 700 springs under the pavement — people still queue at the spouts to fill their kettles. Weihai Weihai City guide · 12 tours 1,000 km of clean coast, a free bathing beach, the island where the Beiyang Fleet died — and thousands of wild swans every winter. Qufu Qufu City guide · 12 tours One family, two thousand years of steles, and a ¥150 pass that covers the lot — the easiest serious day trip in Shandong. Penglai Penglai City guide · 12 tours China's immortals' coast — a Song-dynasty naval harbour you can walk for free, a mythology nobody ever found, and the ferry to 32 islands. Changdao Changdao City guide · 12 tours 32 islands, one causeway, a ¥150 land pass, tens of thousands of gulls and nowhere you can drive — the place where everything happens by boat. Nanjing Nanjing City guide · 12 tours Capital of six dynasties, capital of the Republic, and the city that eats more duck than anywhere else on earth. Suzhou Suzhou City guide · 12 tours Two thousand five hundred years of canals, sixty surviving gardens, and a city that shuts its gates at half past five. Zhouzhuang Zhouzhuang City guide · 12 tours Nine hundred years, fourteen bridges, one ticket — and a town that only makes sense before eight in the morning. Tongli Tongli City guide · 12 tours Fifteen canals, seven islets, forty-nine bridges — and a town that still gets up at dawn because it lives here. Wuxi Wuxi City guide · 12 tours Taihu on one side, a Grand Buddha on the next hill, and ribs sweet enough to argue about — the most underrated city on the Yangtze delta. Yangzhou Yangzhou City guide · 12 tours A city built by salt merchants who had more money than restraint — gardens, a narrow lake, and the best breakfast in China. Zhenjiang Zhenjiang City guide · 12 tours Three hills, one ferry landing, and an unreasonable share of Chinese literature — the Yangtze city people drive past. Changzhou Changzhou City guide · 12 tours A 2,500-year-old canal city that built a dinosaur park and refuses to apologise for it. Wuzhen Wuzhen City guide · 12 tours A town that is two towns: the older, quieter East Zone and the lit-up West Zone you sleep inside. Xitang Xitang City guide · 12 tours Nine canals, 122 lanes, one long roofed corridor — and a town that still works for a living. Hangzhou Hangzhou City guide · 12 tours A lake in the middle of a city, a tea village in the hills, and two thousand years of getting the mood right. Xixi Wetland Xixi Wetland City guide · 12 tours Ten square kilometres of marsh inside Hangzhou, and the only way into half of it is a boat. Ningbo Ningbo City guide · 12 tours A 7,000-year-old port with Asia's oldest private library, a free waterfront 20 years older than Shanghai's, and the best seafood before the islands. Mount Putuo Mount Putuo City guide · 12 tours A Buddhist island with no cars, three great temples and a ¥10 lunch that is the point of the place. Qiandao Lake Qiandao Lake City guide · 12 tours A thousand islands that did not exist sixty years ago, and the cleanest big-lake water in China. Shaoxing Shaoxing City guide · 12 tours Two and a half thousand years of water-town China, and Lu Xun's house is free. Zhoushan Zhoushan City guide · 12 tours 1,390 islands, one road bridge in, and a harbour that lands more fish than almost anywhere on earth. Hengdian Hengdian City guide · 12 tours A backlot the size of a town, where the palaces are copies and the film crews are real. Yandang Mountain Yandang Mountain City guide · 12 tours A volcano that weathering turned into scenery — 500-odd sights of peak, cave and waterfall across eight scenic areas. Zhejiang Zhejiang City guide · 12 tours One small, mountainous, absurdly rich province that holds a lake, two canal towns, a Buddhist island and a dead volcano. Hong Kong Outlying Islands Hong Kong Outlying Islands City guide · 12 tours Two hundred-odd islands, half an hour of ferry from the financial district, and not a car on three of them. Hong Kong Shopping Hong Kong Shopping City guide · 12 tours A duty-free port where the tag starts lower, two citywide sale seasons knock a third off, and every mall sits on an MTR exit. Macao Macao City guide · 12 tours Four hundred years of Portuguese streets, a fake Venice under a painted sky, and the best egg tart in Asia. Urumqi Urumqi City guide · 12 tours The city furthest from the sea, with a snow range on its doorstep and dinner starting at nine. Hong Kong SAR, China Hong Kong SAR, China City guide · 11 tours A harbour skyline you already know by heart, dim sum trolleys at dawn, and 260 islands an hour from the neon. Taiwan, China Taiwan, China City guide · 11 tours Night-market alleys, high-mountain railways, and a coastline that changes character every hundred kilometres. Qinghai Lake Qinghai Lake City guide · 12 tours A 4,400 sq km inland sea at 3,200 m, ringed by rapeseed gold, prayer flags and the best cycling road in China. Mount Emei Mount Emei City guide · 11 tours A 3,099-metre Buddhist summit you can reach by cable car before lunch — and a mountain full of monkeys that will absolutely rob you. Beijing Beijing City guide · 11 tours Six centuries of imperial red walls, a Great Wall you can climb before lunch, and the best roast duck on earth. Taipei Taipei City guide · 11 tours A 24-hour bookstore, a night market that never stops sizzling, and a city that apologises when you bump into it. North Xinjiang North Xinjiang City guide · 11 tours Alpine lakes the colour of poured enamel, a village of log cabins under birch trees, and the last tear the Atlantic ever sheds. Lanzhou Lanzhou City guide · 11 tours A city split in half by the Yellow River, where beef noodles are a breakfast ritual and the Silk Road still runs through the streets. Mount Hua Mount Hua City guide · 11 tours Five granite peaks, one plank road bolted to a cliff face, and a sunrise that justifies the 2am start. Dunhuang Dunhuang City guide · 11 tours A desert oasis where Buddhist cave art survived a thousand years and a crescent lake refused to dry up. Gannan Gannan City guide · 11 tours 433 kilometres of the Yellow River's first bend, a 3.5 km prayer-wheel circuit, and Tibetan grasslands almost nobody has commercialised yet. Sichuan–Tibet Highway Sichuan–Tibet Highway City guide · 11 tours 2,142 kilometres of cliff-edge switchbacks, four of China's most beautiful mountains, and a road the Tibetans walk on their knees. Kangding Kangding City guide · 11 tours The town that gave Asia its most famous love song, a 7,556m sacred peak on its doorstep, and the last real Tibetan town before the road climbs to Lhasa. Lhasa Lhasa City guide · 12 tours A city of prayer wheels and butter lamps at 3,700 metres, where the sun shines 3,000 hours a year and the world's highest palace watches over it all. Nyingchi Nyingchi City guide · 11 tours Tibet's greenest corner — peach blossom valleys, a 7,782 m peak that hides from almost everyone, and the world's deepest canyon. Namtso Namtso City guide · 11 tours A 1,920-square-kilometre sheet of impossible blue at 4,718 metres, ringed by snow peaks and prayer flags. Chongqing Chongqing City guide · 12 tours A vertical city of fog, cable cars and cliff-side stilt houses, where the火锅 never stops boiling and the night skyline outshines Hong Kong. Qiandongnan Qiandongnan City guide · 11 tours A thousand Miao households stacked up a mountainside, drum towers and wind-rain bridges in Dong villages, and a 600-year-old Ming garrison town on the road to Guiyang. Libo Libo City guide · 11 tours Emerald rivers threading through karst peaks, a 600-metre forest growing out of a riverbed, and China's largest wild plum grove. Guiyang Guiyang City guide · 11 tours China's summer capital at 1,100 metres, where the nights run on sour fish soup, street-side barbecue and mahjong that never quite stops. Zhenyuan Zhenyuan City guide · 11 tours A 2,000-year-old river town where the Wuyang River carves an S through the mountains and every lane hides a story. Huangguoshu Huangguoshu City guide · 11 tours Asia's biggest waterfall, and the only one on earth you can walk behind, above and around — plus 600-year-old Ming dynasty villages a short drive away. Harbin Harbin City guide · 11 tours Minus 30 degrees, a frozen river you can walk across, and a cathedral built by Russians who never went home. Yunnan Yunnan City guide · 11 tours Snow mountains, tropical rainforest, twenty-five minorities and a plate of rice noodles — all in one province. Shanghai Shanghai City guide · 11 tours A 1920s waterfront of colonial banks facing a science-fiction skyline, soup dumplings you eat with a straw, and 20 million people moving like clockwork. Zhangjiajie Zhangjiajie City guide · 11 tours Three thousand sandstone pillars straight out of Avatar, a glass skywalk bolted to a cliff, and a cable car that leaves from downtown. Guangzhou Guangzhou City guide · 11 tours A 2,200-year-old trading port where dim sum is a religion, colonial islands sit beside 600-metre towers, and the food never stops. Guilin Guilin City guide · 11 tours Karst peaks rising straight out of a green river, rice terraces carved into mountainsides, and the best bowl of noodles you'll eat in China. Shenzhen Shenzhen City guide · 11 tours A fishing village that became a megacity in forty years — and it still has 500-year-old banyans, empty beaches and dim sum worth the border crossing. Chengdu Chengdu City guide · 11 tours A 3,000-year-old city where the schedule is tea, mahjong and hotpot — and the pandas are just the opening act. Xinjiang Xinjiang City guide · 11 tours Snow peaks, grassland, desert and oasis — one-sixth of China, and the longest road you will ever ride. Xi'an Xi'an City guide · 14 tours Thirteen dynasties of emperors, a terracotta army buried for 2,200 years, and a walled city you can cycle in 100 minutes. Qinghai Qinghai City guide · 11 tours China's high-altitude blue heart: a salt lake you can walk on, a 3,200-metre sea, and yak butter tea at the roof of the world. Tibet Tibet City guide · 11 tours A plateau the size of Western Europe where the sky starts at your feet, prayer flags carry the wind, and the roads run past 8,000-metre peaks.

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  • High-speed rail from Beijing reaches Datong in about 100 minutes — easy as an overnight.
  • Yungang has 51,000 statues; Caves 5 and 6 and the open-air Buddha of Cave 20 are the must-sees.
  • The Yungang site is a full kilometre long — take the shuttle bus in and walk back through the caves.

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