【Oct-Nov】Datong:Yungang Grottoes & Hanging Temple

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Datong (大同, Dàtóng) today is fascinating, and charming to boot. As one of the twenty-four famous historical cities in China, Datong is known for its abundant historical relics and natural beauty. 

Datong was originally the capital of Northern Wei (386~534) and the 'support capital' of Liao (916~1125) and Jin (1115~1234). 

Yungang Caves, one of China’s most outstanding Buddhist treasures, as well as a launchpad to the photogenic Hanging Monastery.Come nighttime, the old-town sensations – with red lanterns swinging in the breeze and wind chimes tinkling on the illuminated city walls

Let's enjoy Datong's past glories as an ancient capital with FCN

ITINERARY

  DAY 1  

>>>Oct 19/Nov 2/Nov 16/Nov 30<<<

 Hanging Monastery & Ancient City

Early morning:Pickup

This morning, you will meet your tripmates at the appointed time. 

At noon Hanging Monastery (Xuankong Si)

Your first stop is Hanging Monastery.The Hanging Monastery is one of China's most unique and remarkable feats of wooden architecture. The monastery is also the only one built in honor of Sakyamuni, Laozi, and Confucius, who are founders of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, respectively. It will be a thrilling experience to go along the hanging walkways to visit each hall of the temple.

Afternoon  Leave for Ancient City Wall

We will drive for around 1.5 hours to our next destination :Ancient City Wall

Evening Entry Datong ancient city

At 7.2km in circumference, the wall makes an ambitious jogging circuit, or you can hire a bicycle or sit on an electric buggy. Passport required.

And come nightfall, it truly is an amazing sight, the dramatic spectacle of the regularly spaced, illuminated watchtowers stunning to behold.

Beside that ,You can also enjoy your free time in Datong ancient city;   

At Night:Check in

We might check in the hotel first ,It depends on the specific situation at that time. in this Five-star hotel, there's a swimming pool inside.

Meals：None

Accommodation：Five-star hotel with pool

  DAY 2  

>>>Oct 20/Nov 3/Nov 17/Dec 1<<<

 Huayan Monastery & Yungang Grottoes

Early morning Check out

Morning Huayan Monastery

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.

At noon Yungang Grottoes.

Upon arrival at the Yungang Grottoes, you can go around viewing more than 59,000 solemn Buddha statues made during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 - 534).  You are sure to feel astonished by the magnificent scene there.

Afternoon Back to Beijing

Our 2 days tour will draw a perfect ending. We will take a high-speed rail back to Beijing

Meals：Breakfast(buffet)

Accommodation：None

Notice：In case of rain, traffic jam or any other unpredictable situations, FCN reserves the rights to adjust the schedule‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

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Hanging Monastery stands at the foot of Mt. Hengshan, 5 kilometers (3 miles) south of Hunyuan County, and 65 kilometers (40 miles) from downtown Datong City. Since it hangs on the west cliff of Jinxia Gorge more than 50 meters above the ground, it is called Hanging Monastery.

Built in 491, it has survived more than 1400 years. The extant monastery was largely rebuilt and maintained in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Yungang Grottoes, one of the three major cave clusters in China, punctuate the north cliff of Wuzhou Mountain, Datong. The area was excavated along the mountain, extending 1 km (0.62 miles) from east to west, revealing 53 caves and over 51,000 stone statues.

Started in 450, the grottoes is a relic of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). Absorbing Indian Gandhara Buddhist art, the sculptures here developed traditional Chinese art melded with social features of the time.

As most of the important ancient cities in northern China, the ancient city of Datong still remains its traditional city layout dating back from the Tang and Song Dynasties and fully developed in the Ming Dynasty, conforming to a typical layout of residential wards which the plan of the city takes look as chessboard.  These four roads divide the ancient city into four wards with different function. The areas of northwest and northeast are official sites, the area of southwest is the religious area and the southeast is the cultural area. It used to be the busiest downtown quarter in old times which traditional residential house and famous shops located along the two sides of the road. The traditional residential houses located along Gulou Street are mainly in the architecture style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. 

The Huayan Monastery complex is located on Daxi Street on the south western side of Datong City, Shanxi Province. There are two separate sections to the monastery, the upper one referred to as the Grand Hall housing five large Ming Dynasty Buddhas, and the lower section referred to as the Sutra Temple containing a library of some 18,000 volumes of Buddhist writings. Built during the Liao Dynasty (907 - 1125), it is the largest and best preserved monastery of the Liao Dynasty in existence in China. It was built according to the Huayan Sutra Sect of the Huayan School and is unique in that it faces east instead of south.

华严寺位于大同古城西南隅下寺坡街,始建于辽重熙七年（公元1038年），是我国现存年代较早、保存最为完整的一座辽、金时期寺庙建筑群。1961年华严寺被国务院公布为第一批全国重点文物保护单位。华严寺大雄宝殿是我国现存两座最大的佛殿之一。薄伽教藏殿是我国现存辽代殿堂式建筑的典型作品，殿内的佛坛上完整地保存着29尊辽代塑像。2008年，大同市启动“名城复兴”工程，对华严寺进行了大规模整修。修复后的华严寺山门、普光明殿、大雄宝殿、薄伽教藏殿、华严宝塔等30余座单体建筑分别排列在南北两条中轴线上，重现了其辽金时期的鼎盛格局。

Datong Dining 

What to Eat

Local staple in Datong is mainly noodles and other food made of flour. In addition to the commonly seen Shanxi Noodles, various local snacks may give you a different experience of taste.

 Yangza Soup: Yangza Soup is quite a popular snack in Shanxi for its strong flavor. 'Yangza' is the entrails of a sheep. The clean dressed entrails are stewed and cut into slices, then again stewed with shallot, chilli, salt and other flavorings. That is the Yangza Soup. Some vermicelli made of Chinese yam flour is usually added into the soup. From the view of Chinese medicine, entrails of sheep have the function of warming the stomach and fending off chill. Thus, the steaming Yangza Soup with chewy vermicelli may be quite a good dish in winter for its medical function as well as the strong fragrance.

 Ya Jiu Qiezi: 'Qiezi' is eggplant; 'ya' means 'press'; 'jiu' is leek. The Ya Jiu Qiezi is a kind of pickle. The eggplant are steamed after making several incisions on it; lay the steamed eggplant between two boards and put some heavy objects on the upper board to press the water out of the steamed eggplant; then mix it with some garlic, leek, ginger and some other flavorings and, pickling for three months, the Ya Jiu Qiezi is ready. With quite a refreshing taste, it is not bad a dish for spring and summer.

 Zha Yougao (Fried Yellow Rice Pie): Zha Yougao is a kind of important dim sum in Shanxi. It is a must for local people during the New Year days or other important festivals. The steamed half-dried yellow rice dough is kneaded until smooth while it is hot, divided into small blocks and wraps the black sugar, dates or bean paste in the small blocks of dough. Then they are fired to a golden color. These fried yellow rice pies are eaten with some sugar. The crisp outside and soft sweet inside may give you an impressive taste.

 Yingzhou Niuyao (Yinzhou Kidney): It is the local snack of Ying County in Datong. Though called kidney, it is just a kind of fried food made of flour. The dough used in Yingzhou Niuyao is made from flour and syrup but not water. After frying, the color and appearance is much like kidney. It is thus called Yinzhou Niuyao. With soft and sweet taste, this snack is much popular in Ying County.

 Liangfen (Cool Agar): Liangfen is made of potato flour or Chinese yam flour. It is a bit softer than vermicelli and chewier than common noodles. The liangfen can be blocks as well as strips according to people's liking. Adding in salt, bean sauce, vinegar, chilli oil and some shredded cucumber and caraway, the liangfen tastes much cool and refreshing.

 Shaomai (Pork Dumplings) in Datong is also worth mention. As one of the main dishes in the feast of Datong, Shaomai satisfies people's appetite by its flower-like appearance and strong flavor meat stuffing.

👇 For One-day Tour

👇 For Long-term activities for two days or more

Please let us know immediately if your plans change!

Due to the particularity of some tourist resources which need to be booked in advance and cause actual losses, the specific losses include but are not limited to train tickets, air tickets, hotels, etc. If tourists need to cancel their orders, they should contact FCN in time to assist tourists in reducing losses and refund other losses that have not actually occurred in accordance with the principle of refund. 

In the rare event that FCN cancels a trip, or we are unable to serve you, all fees are immediately refunded, including the deposit.

More pics for you 

While influenced by Buddhist cave art from South and Central Asia, Yungang Grottoes have also interpreted the Buddhist cave art with distinctive Chinese character and local spirit. As a result, Yungang Grottoes have played a vitally important role among early Oriental Buddhist grottoes and had a far-reaching impact on Buddhist cave art in China and East Asia.

Criterion (i): The assemblage of statuary of the Yungang Grottoes is a masterpiece of early Chinese Buddhist cave art.

Criterion (ii): The Yungang cave art represents the successful fusion of Buddhist religious symbolic art from south and central Asia with Chinese cultural traditions, starting in the 5th century CE under Imperial auspices.

Criterion (iii): The power and endurance of Buddhist belief in China are vividly illustrated by the Yungang grottoes.

Criterion (iv): The Buddhist tradition of religious cave art achieved its first major impact at Yungang, where it developed its own distinct character and artistic power.

👆night view