2-Day Datong Highlights

Day 1 Datong
Hanging Monastery
Hanging Monastery
Photo by our client Mr. Alan Streeter
This morning, you will meet our guide at the lobby of your hotel at the appointed time. Should you arrive in Datong by a morning train, our guide will wait for you outside the railway station and start our journey from there. After a warm greeting, we will set out for our 2-day private Datong tour to the Yungang Grottoes.

Upon arrival at the Yungang Grottoes, our guide will accompany you as you to go around viewing more than 59,000 solemn Buddha statues made during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 – 534). Considered to be a treasure house of Buddhist arts, Yungang Grottoes took over 70 years to reach the present scale. The sculptures there integrate the superb artistry of Northern Wei and showcase the atmospheric and imperial style. You are sure to feel astonished by the magnificent scene there.

After admiring the sculptural arts of the Northern Wei Dynasty, you will then be guided to Huayan Monastery to appreciate the architectural style created during the Liao Dynasty (907 – 1125). You will also see a statue of Bodhisattva with a grin on her face, which makes it stand out from the rest.

After lunch, we will head for the Nine-Dragon Wall which used to be a giant screen in front of a prince’s mansion 600 years ago. At the end of the day, we will round off today’s Datong tour with the Ancient City Wall and then take you back to your hotel.

Meals: Lunch

Day 2 Datong
Wooden Pagoda in Yingxian County
Wooden Pagoda in Yingxian County
After breakfast, our guide will come to pick you up at your hotel and then transfer you to the renowned Hanging Monastery, which looks like a grand relief inlaid on the steep cliff. It will be a thrilling experience to go along the hanging walkways to visit each hall of the temple. Then we will take a car ride to Yingxian County to see the famous Wooden Pagoda. It is the oldest wooden tower in China, which has been around for nearly 1,000 years, and not a single nail was used during its construction.

The often-hostile nomadic tribes to the north meant that some regions of Shanxi Province used to be vital battlefields in the past. After lunch, we will continue our journey to the military fortresses in rural areas. Firstly, we will stop at the Guangwu Fort with tall walls surrounding the present Guangwu Village. After that, the guide will accompany you to take a one-hour hike on the wild Baicaokou Great Wall which has experienced the great vicissitudes of history and retains its original appearance.

At this time, our Datong 2 days tour will draw a perfect ending. You will take a 2-hour car ride back to your hotel or the railway station in Datong.

Meals: Lunch