2-Day Datong Classic Tour: Yungang Grottoes & Hanging Temple

Guide and driver will meet you in your hotel lobby around 8:30am.

We will then travel via private vehicle (car or van), around 40 minutes drive to Yungang Grottoes. Morning to visit one of the largest stone caving art treasury - Yungang Grottoes, after the local lunch, further to visit another 2 sights seeing in Datong downtown city - Huayan Temple and Nine-Dragon Screen.

Yungang Grottoes - one of the largest stone caving art treasury famous both home and abroad, which was listed as a world heritage site in 2011. It is located at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain, the grotto area was excavated along the mountain, imposingly stretching 1 kilometer with rich contents. Covering over 18,000 square meters engraving area, there are existing 45 main caves, 209 subsidiary caves, more than 1,100 niches, and more than 51,000 stone statues, among which the largest statue measures 17 meters and the smallest only 2 centimeters.

Huayan Temple -  located in the center of the ancient city area of Datong, occupies an important position in the history of Buddhist culture and architecture of China. It is the largest and best perfectly preserved temple of the Liao (916-1125AD) and Jin (1115-1234AD) dynasties in China. It was separated into an upper and lower temple, and there is a 1,559-square-meter-large main hall in it that is the one of the two giant Buddha halls in China.

Nine-Dragon Screen - has 600 years history. It is the oldest and largest glazed screen in China today. There are 2 Nine-dragon Screen in China, one is located in Beihai Park of Beijing, Datong Nine-Dragon Screen is three times larger than the one in Beihai Park.

This day go ahead to first visit the China Architecture Wonder - Hanging Temple and then, afternoon to visit Yingxian Wooden Tower that is the highest and oldest wooden tower building in China.

Hanging Temple - it is a 5th-century temple built into the side of a cliff, then move on to the Wooden Pagoda. Hanging Temple is not only the oldest and largest wooden Buddhist pagoda in existence in the world, but also as the only surviving temple combining all three Chinese traditional religions/philosophies: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Seeing it from the distance, you could find it hanging in the mid air miraculously, hence the name "Hanging Temple”.

Yingxian Wooden Tower - located from 85 kilometers south of Datong City in western Yingxian County. It is a masterpiece of carpentry and the oldest surviving wooden pagoda in the world without any Having been built without a single nail or rivet. The tower was originally built in 1056 by Emperor Daozong of the Liao Dynasty (907–1125), so far around 1000 year old history. If you are a "enthusiast of ancient architecture", Yingxian Wooden Tower is the place you must see.

The tour will finish at around 16:30pm-17:00pm, we will drop you off at your hotel in the end.