Datong

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About Datong

Datong lies on the windswept plateau of northern Shanxi, close to the Great Wall and the border with Inner Mongolia, and few Chinese cities pack so much early Buddhist art into one region. As Pingcheng it was the capital of the Northern Wei dynasty from 398 to 494, and that era left the Yungang Grottoes, one of the great cave-temple sites of Asia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Later the Liao and Jin dynasties made the city a secondary capital, which is why Huayan and Shanhua temples still preserve wooden halls and statues more than 900 years old. Under the Ming it became a frontier garrison town, and the Nine-Dragon Wall and the rebuilt city walls date from that period. For much of the 20th century Datong was best known as a coal city.

Today the restored walled old town is easy to explore on foot or by bike, and the region's famous day trips lead to the cliff-hung Hanging Temple and the sacred peaks of Mount Heng. Local food leans on wheat and oats, with knife-cut noodles and lamb dishes.

Best seasonMay to October; winters are long and very cold

Ideal stay2-3 days including the Hanging Temple

ArrivingHigh-speed rail from Beijing, or Datong Yungang Airport

Top 11 Experiences in Datong

History 1

Yungang Grottoes

Carved into a sandstone cliff about 16 km west of the city in the 5th and 6th centuries, these caves hold tens of thousands of Bud...

Temples and Shrines 3

Hanging Temple

The Xuankong Temple clings to a sheer cliff above Jinlong Canyon near Mount Heng, about an hour's drive southeast of Datong. Its w...

Huayan Temple

Founded under the Liao dynasty, Huayan Temple in the old town is split into upper and lower monasteries. The upper Mahavira Hall i...

Shanhua Temple

Near the southern gate of the old town, Shanhua Temple keeps a calm, uncrowded set of Liao and Jin dynasty buildings arranged alon...

Nature 2

Mount Heng

Hengshan is the northern mountain of China's Five Great Mountains, long a pilgrimage site for Taoists. Steep paths and a cable car...

Datong Volcanic Group

East of the city, dozens of extinct volcanic cones rise from the plain around the Sanggan River basin, protected as a national geo...

Landmarks 3

Datong Nine-Dragon Wall

This long spirit screen of glazed tiles was built in the early Ming dynasty in front of the palace of Zhu Gui, Prince of Dai and a...

Datong City Wall

The thick Ming walls around the old town were extensively rebuilt in recent years and now form a complete circuit of several kilom...

Datong Drum Tower

Rising over a crossroads in the heart of the walled town, this three-storey wooden tower once marked the hours with its drum. The...

Museums 2

Datong Museum

Housed in a large modern building in the city's eastern district, the Datong Museum tells the region's story from prehistoric find...

Jinhuagong National Mine Park

Close to the road to Yungang, this former working coal mine has been turned into a park that explains why Datong was long called C...

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