By bullet train to Datong:
From the city center in Beijing, tours and excursions are offered by various tour operators every weekend.
The city of Datong is a popular destination to visit over a weekend by train.
Traveling by train in China is a comfortable, cheap and punctual way to discover even more distant places. The express train takes just over two hours to travel from Beijing to Datong.
The hanging Temple of Hengshan:
It is the only existing temple complex that combines the three traditional philosophies, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
The Old Town of Datong:
The Yungang Grottoes:
The Yungang Grottoes, formerly known as Wuzhoushan Grottoes, are ancient Buddhist cave temples. They are located almost 20 kilometers west of Datong city center. It is assumed that the main part of the caves was carved out of the sandstone between 460 and 525 AD.
They have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 2001.
A visit to the Yungang Grottoes is also on the schedule for school classes. The students are easily recognizable with their bright yellow caps. These caps are often seen in China when children go on excursions.
In the front part of the complex, which has already been completely renovated, there is an avenue of stylishly decorated monolisks.
The almost symmetrical temple complex consists of several sacred rooms that were used for prayers.
The actual grottoes began behind the temple. There are 42 caves and 210 niches over a length of about one kilometer. In them there were more than 51,000 Buddha statues of various sizes and shapes.
Some of the grottoes are still under construction and renovation. Facades are erected to protect the statues from the weather and environmental influences. These should prevent the ingress of water, sand and dust and contribute to the maintenance of the system.
A look inside the Yungang Grottoes:
Absolutely impressive how detailed the gigantic Buddhas were carved into the sandstone.
The richness of detail on the walls of the caves and grottoes was also fascinating.
Especially under the mild spring sun, when the trees are in bloom and the rush of tourists is still manageable, you can enjoy the time in the complex and marvel at the statues in the Yungang Grottoes in peace.
You should plan about three hours for the tour to be able to see everything worth seeing. After visiting the Yungang Grottoes, we drove back to the center of Datong. After a small meal we visited the Huayan Temple.
The Huayan Temple:
The entrance to Huayan Temple is right in the center of Datong. A square in the pedestrian area is still decorated with traditional lanterns that are erected for special celebrations.
The Buddhist Huayan Temple in Datong is one of the largest and most important of its kind in China. Especially the roof decorations, which could be seen on the buildings of the complex, make the temple unique.
There are always interesting and fascinating figures to be discovered in the premises.
The Buddha statues in the prayer rooms are also impressive.
In addition, the small courtyards and gardens within the temple complex offer a lot to discover. Especially in spring, a walk is very relaxing.
A last look at the center of Datong before we headed towards the train station and back to Beijing. In the foreground you can see the city wall and right behind it the Huayan Temple.
Conclusion:
There are numerous destinations by train that are worth a weekend trip from Beijing. The city of Datong in Shanxi province is just over two hours away by bullet train and offers plenty of sightseeing opportunities.
Especially those who are interested in history and culture will find what they are looking for here. Even though the old town has been rebuilt, you can still put yourself back in the past and imagine what life must have been like in the past.
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