Explore the grottoes, worship the ancient temples, climb the ancient city, and enter the ancient capital of Datong in Northern Wei Dynasty

Shanxi Province, referred to as “Jin” for short, is known as Hedong. It is located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and the Loess Plateau in the western part of North China. It is known as “The Cradle of Chinese Civilization,” “Ancient Chinese Cultural Museum,” and “Ancient Chinese Architectural Art Museum.” The key cultural relic protection units are far ahead in the country.
Datong City, formerly known as Pingcheng City, capital of Northern Wei Dynasty and accommodating capital of Liaoning Province, is located in the northernmost part of Shanxi Province. It is a historical military center and the first national historical and cultural city.

Yungang Grottoes

Yungang Grottoes is located in the south of Wuzhou Mountain, which is 16 kilometers west of Datong City. It is one of the three major Buddhist grottoes of the world, including cultural heritage, state-level cultural relics protection units. It began in the first year of the Northern Wei Dynasty peace (AD 460), which has a history of more than 1,500 years. There are 53 existing caves and more than 50,000 stone statues.
Tickets: Off-season tickets 80 yuan, 60 years old and above are free.
Opening hours: 8:30-16: 50
Transportation: Bus rapid travel 603 line, originated by Datong Railway Station, the terminal for the Yungang Grottoes, a total of 11 stations, a journey of about 1 hour, tickets 3 yuan.
The important points of interest are: Cave 5 (Chap 16-20), Cave 3, 5th and 6th Caves, and Wuhua Cave (Chapter 9-13).

After getting off the bus, the first thing I saw was the “Yungang Gate”. It was completed in 2010 and is a heavy stone structure with a title of “Yuangang Grottoes”. It has a strong Northern Wei era atmosphere.

Passing through the “Yungang Gate” to the “Customer Service Center”, there are two floors and there are service measures such as ticket office, deposit office, souvenir shop, small supermarket, tea room, and toilet.

After the ticket examination, he entered the “Squatting Plaza”. He was a monk in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The first five caves in the Yungang Grottoes were hosted by him. Can you!

Through the Yeofu Avenue, there are 13 pairs of "Ride like a quadrangular column". The end is a banyan tree. The surrounding walls are engraved with empresses and empresses.

Across the Qikong Bridge is a group of antique buildings "Lingyan Temple."

Main Hall

Stone carving pagoda behind

On the Yanshi stage, a stone wall was seen first, which was marked with the inscription "Bhikuni's charming figure" that praised the statues of Yungang caves.

Passing through this “into Buddhism” gate, you enter the real Yungang Grottoes.

Cave #1: It is called Shigudong. There is a two-story stone tower in the center.

Cave 2: Known as the Cold Spring Cave, there is a three-story stone tower in the center.

Cave 3: It is called Lingyansi Cave and is the largest cave in the Yungang Grottoes. Its main Buddha Amitabha is 10 meters high.

Cave No. 7 is located in the south wall of the main room of the Yungang six beauty.

Caves 9-13 are called Wuhuadong. Because the Buddha statues in the cave were not allowed to be photographed, the profiles and interior views of Zhang 9th and 10th Caves were found online to let everyone know.

The Cave 5 Cave (16-20 Cave): The first cave is said to be the main Buddha in the five caves carved by the image of the five emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Among them, Cave 20 is an open-air statue of Sakyamuni. It is 13.75 meters high. It is a masterpiece of the statues of Yungang caves.
The figure below is Cave 17: It is called Maitreya Samson Cave. The Buddha's foot is Maitreya, which is 15.5 meters high.

Cave 18: It is called Li San Buddha Cave. The main Buddha is 15.5 meters high.

Cave 19: It is called Baosheng Buddha Cave. The main Buddha hugged the Buddha statue, which was 16.8 meters high.

Cave 20: It is called White Buddha Cave. The main Buddha Sakyamuni was seated like a figure, 13.75 meters high.

The following is the only interior scene with colorful murals stolen. It is not possible to remember the caves.

The scenic spot must go through the “food miscellaneous street”, there are stalls selling souvenirs, small foods, and restaurants (of course, more expensive than the city, it is not recommended to eat in the area). There is also a post office at Yungang Post Office that sells postcards, stamps, etc. on the scenic spots. It is still good. As for other tourist souvenirs, if you want to buy a ticket in the ticket hall of the entrance, the quality and type are better than those at the exit.

Out of the scenic spot on the way back to the station, from time to time there are local women selling bracelets and the like. They only flock to tourists if they come out, push them hard, and follow them all the way. The battle is scary. The proposal can clearly indicate that they do not want to buy. It is important not to stop and go straight to the station. We still take the 603 road and return to the city. We will get off at the “222 Hospital” stop and go to the “Oriental Noodles” in Yingze Street for lunch. This is also a place recommended by netizens, which is inexpensive and tasteful. After walking for more than 20 minutes, you will enter the Huayan Temple in the ancient city.

Huayan Temple

Huayan Temple, located in the southwest corner of Datong Ancient City, is a national key cultural relics protection unit. It was built in the 7th year of Liao Chonghee (AD 1038) and has a history of nearly a thousand years. Its name is derived from the classic Hua Yan Jing of the Buddhist school Hua Yanzong. The entire temple is located west to east, which is related to the customs and habits of the Khitans of the Liao Dynasty, “Worshiping the Psalms and Sacrificing the East.”
Fares: Off-season tickets are 65 yuan, and seniors over 60 are free.
Opening hours: 8:30 to 17:00
Transportation: Fast travel to line 603 and multiple bus trips.
Important Aspects:
    1 is China's largest existing and most complete preservation of the ancient buildings of Liao and Jin.
    2 The architectural orientation and architectural features of the Khitan national characteristics of the Liao Dynasty.
    3 It has the largest Buddhist temple in China's traditional wooden religious architecture.
    4 The Tibetan scriptures temple of the Liao Dynasty, which was preserved for millennia, is known as the "Liao Dynasty Art Museum."
    5 It has the largest all-copper-built Thousand Buddha Palace in the country.

First, we will take a picture of the network. This is an aerial view of Huayan Temple. We can basically understand its layout.

This is a plan of Huayan Temple

Huayan Temple is divided into upper and lower temples, entering the temple from the ticket gate. The temple on the temple is the "Heavenly King Palace," and there are four kings. There is a bell tower around.

Passing through the gate of the gate is the new antique building "Puguang Ming Hall," which houses the Hua Yan San San. The temples of Yakyu and Amitabha are located on the left and right sides of the temple, and the three Sanctuaries of the East and the Three Sanctuaries of the West are provided.

In front of "Puguangmingdian", there is a caisson well built in the Fangting-style building projected outside the buildings.

The frescoes of the "Famous Boy Fifty-three Senate" in the hall.

Going further inside is the old gate of the temple, built in the Qing Dynasty. The paintings on its roof beams, after years of baptism, still faintly reveal its exquisite beauty.

Behind is a Buddhist temple, with a small courtyard on both sides. In the temple there are statues of Bodhisattvas and two hippos. Right and left with the temple as "Wen Shue Club" and "Pu Xian Court."

Going forward, a platform five meters high is visible. Above it is the "Main Hall", the main hall of the Upper Huayan Temple. Built in the Jin Dynasty, it is one of the two largest Buddhist temples in China.

There are 32 Buddha statues in the main hall. The main Buddha is a five-party Buddha built in the Ming Dynasty. Both sides have the “Twenty Heavens and Angels” built in the Ming Dynasty, all leaning forward 15 degrees to the direction of the Lord Buddha to show respect for the Buddha. At the top of the hall, there are a total of 973 painted ceilings painted with various patterns; the surrounding walls are full of huge murals, and the scale is rare in China. Unfortunately, because of the protection of cultural relics, the temple is very dark. Hall can not take pictures, so find two pictures of the network for users to see their style.

Go south to enter the temple. The first thing that catches the eye is the Huayin Pagoda, which houses the largest copper underground palace in the country. The Huayen Pagoda can be reached, but the stairs are very steep. Fortunately, we are traveling off-season. If the season is long, we must pay attention to safety.

Standing outside the corridor, you can see the ancient city of Datong.

This is the most shocking place to me - the all-copper-built underground palace for the four main Buddhas, thousands of small Buddha statues, and stupa.

Continuing to the east is the main hall of the lower temple, the “Bengka Temple,” built in the Liao Dynasty, which is a temple of the Tripitaka and also built on a platform of 4 meters in height.

There are 31 statues of the Liao Buddha in the temple. Among them, the "total of the tooth with buds" is called the Venus of the East. The temples built for the extension of the wall are called by the architect Liang Sicheng as an orphan. They can be said to be all Chinese. Temple Temple treasure. Learn from two network pictures for everyone to enjoy.

Further east is the gate of the temple and it is also the exit of the entire scenic area. From the "Huayan Temple", we went to "Datong Ancient City Wall."

Datong Ancient City Wall

Datong Ancient City Wall, located in Datong city center, was built in Ming Hongwu for five years (AD 1372). The wall is 14 meters high, 12 meters wide, 18 meters wide and 7.2 kilometers in circumference. There are four main city gates on all sides: Dongyangyangmen, Nanyongtaimen, Xiqingyuan Gate and Beiwuding Gate.
Fares: Free.
Opening hours: 7:00-22:00
Traffic: There are several buses available to see which door you want to get up and down.
Important Aspects: The main gate is the main floor, turrets, dry buildings, wild goose pagodas, Yucheng and so on.

Due to worry that Dad was too tired and he had to take the train to Taiyuan, we chose the route from the South Gate to the East Gate. Did not take any pictures, simply visit it and take a bus back to the hotel to rest. In fact, there are still many things to watch around the Datong City Wall: In addition to the Wild Goose Pagoda, the northwest corner of the dry building is also very beautiful; in addition there is a "Chinese Sculpture Museum" under the North Gate, "Liang Sicheng Memorial Hall" outside the East Gate, "Wenchang Court "And so, friends who have time can go and see.

The Datong Tour was completed on this day. Although due to limited time, some other scenic spots did not go, but overall it was satisfactory. Datong was innocent of the Buddha capital. He not only appreciated the exquisite masterpieces of ancient craftsmen but also baptized his soul.