Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Travel guide - Introduction to Datong Venues and Tourist Attractions Architectural Layout Characteristics of Datong’s Five Major Venues

Introduction to Datong Venues and Tourist Attractions Architectural Layout Characteristics of Datong’s Five Major Venues

Tourist Attractions in Datong

What are the tourist attractions in Datong? Datong was known as Yunzhong and Pingcheng in ancient times. It was the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the capital of the Liao and Jin Dynasties. It has many historical sites. The famous cultural relics include Yungang Grottoes, Huayan Temple, Shanhua Temple, Hengshan Hanging Temple, Nine Dragon Wall, etc. The following is the information about Datong’s tourist attractions that I have compiled for you. Welcome to read!

Tourist Attractions in Datong

Yungang Grottoes

The Yungang Grottoes are also one of the world-famous treasures of stone carving art and the largest group of grottoes in China. In 1961, the State Council announced it as a national key cultural relic protection unit, and in 2001, it was listed as a world cultural heritage. On May 8, 2007, the Yungang Grottoes in Datong City were officially approved by the National Tourism Administration as a national 5A tourist attraction. Shanxi's 2nd and 28th one in China is listed as a world cultural heritage. It is currently one of the four world cultural heritages in Shanxi. The other three are Pingyao Ancient City, Mount Wutai and Yanmen Pass.

The Yungang Grottoes have a history of more than 1,500 years. They were first built in 460 AD and were excavated by Tan Yao, a Buddhist monk at that time. The existing Yungang Grottoes are divided into three parts: east, middle and west. The Buddhist niches in the grottoes are densely packed like honeycombs, and large, medium and small caves are densely embedded in half of Yungang.

Tickets: 150 yuan.

Beiyue Hengshan (National Scenic Area, National 4A-level Scenic Area)

Hengshan, known as Beiyue, is also known as "Taiheng Mountain", also known as "Yuanyue, Ziyue, Damao Mountain" ", together with Dongyue Taishan, Xiyue Huashan, Nanyue Hengshan, and Zhongyue Songshan, are called the Five Sacred Mountains. They are Chinese geographical indications and are famous overseas. In 1982, Hengshan was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national scenic spots in the name of Shanxi Hengshan Scenic Area. It used to be named Changshan, Hengzong, Yuanyue and Ziyue. It is located 10 kilometers south of Hunyuan County and 62 kilometers away from Datong City. Among them, Daomaguan, Zijingguan, Pingxingguan, Yanmenguan and Ningwuguan are the most dangerous ones. They are the chokepoints from the plateau outside the Great Wall to the Jizhong Plain. They have been battlegrounds for military strategists since ancient times. The main peak, Tianfengling, is located in the south of Hunyuan County, with an altitude of 2016.8 meters. It is known as the "North Pillar of Man and Heaven", "the most famous mountain" and "the second mountain in the world".

Xuankong Temple (national 4A-level scenic spot)

Xuankong Temple, also known as Xuankong Temple, is located in Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province, 65 kilometers away from Datong City. It is the only remaining temple in China. It is a unique temple that combines Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Hengshan Xuankong Temple was built more than 1,400 years ago in the late Northern Wei Dynasty. The Xuankong Temple has been repaired by successive dynasties. The Northern Wei Dynasty moved the Taoist Taoist altar south from Pingcheng, today's Datong. Ancient craftsmen followed the Taoist "Don't hear the crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs" The Hanging Temple was built at the request of "The Voice of China", which is the embodiment of the essence of ancient Chinese architecture. The Xuankong Temple has forty pavilions in total. It uses the mechanical principle of half-inserted flying beams as the base, and cleverly uses the rock concealed support pillars to integrate the upper and lower parts. The corridors are connected to the left and right, and the twists and turns are surprising. There are more than 80 bronze, iron, stone and clay Buddha statues in the temple. The two characters "spectacular" on the rock under the temple are the calligraphy of Li Bai, the poet of the Tang Dynasty.

Tickets: 130 yuan.

Nine Dragon Wall

Nine Dragon Wall is a type of screen wall. That is, the wall outside the gate of a building that faces the gate as a barrier, commonly known as the Zhaoqiang or Zhaobi. The screen wall evolved from "hiding". The inside of the door is called "hiding" and the outside is called "avoiding". From now on, it is often called the screen wall.

Datong Nine Dragon Wall The Nine Dragon Wall is located in the south of Dadong Street (Heyang Street) in the city, facing north. As an ancient building from the Ming Dynasty, it was approved by the State Council to be included in the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Tickets: 10 yuan/person

Transportation: Datong Railway Station can be reached by taking bus No. 4.

Huayan Temple

Huayan Temple is the first Buddhist temple in the Silla era among the ten major Huayan temples. Founded in 544, today's Huayan Temple was rebuilt by Master Biyan in 1636. There are many national treasures and precious cultural relics such as Kyokhwangjeon, a typical wooden building in Korea, the three-story stone pagoda with four lions, the Daeungjeon, which was built without using nails, and the majestic five-story stone pagoda. In addition, its beautiful mountains and cherry blossoms, azaleas, red leaves and other natural features are even more interesting.

Ticket: 80 yuan

Shanhua Temple

Shanhua Temple was built in the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty. It was later destroyed by war and rebuilt in the Jin Dynasty. It is the largest and most complete Liao and Jin temple in existence.

The main hall of the temple is the main hall of the temple. It was built in the Liao Dynasty. The platform, bell pavilion and archway in front of the hall were all built in the Ming Dynasty. In the center of the hall, the Five Directions Buddha, the Eastern Ashen Buddha and the Southern Baosheng Buddha are enshrined. Buddha, Vairochana in the center, Amitabha in the west, and Subtle Hearing Buddha in the north. There are statues of the twenty-four heavens on the brick platforms on the east and west sides of the hall, with different expressions and distinctive personalities. On the west and south walls of the hall, there are murals painted from the 25th to the 47th year of Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty. The contents are all Buddhist stories, with beautiful shapes and high aesthetic value.

Ticket: 50 yuan

Famous tourist attractions in Datong, Shanxi

Datong, a municipality under the jurisdiction of Shanxi Province, is one of the first 24 national historical and cultural cities in China. , one of the first 13 larger cities in China, and one of the nine ancient capitals in China. Below are the famous tourist attractions in Datong, Shanxi that I compiled. Welcome to read.

Location: Hengshan South Road, Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province

"The bells at Henglu are beautiful and beautiful, and the mountains and waters are reflected in the sky." Across the fortress, there are vast green mountains and steep cliffs. , strange caves hide beauties, smoke and clouds are lingering, streams are flowing, and hundreds of birds are chirping. Tianfeng and Cuiping Mountains are full of strange rocks, and ancient buildings and palaces are scattered among the pines and cypresses. Standing on the top of the mountain, looking down thousands of miles away, you can have a panoramic view of all kinds of scenes. The majesty of Beiyue is amazing.

Hengshan Mountain, also known as Beiyue, also known as "Taiheng Mountain", also known as "Yuanyue, Ziyue, Damao Mountain", with an altitude of 2017 meters, is combined with Dongyue Taishan, Xiyue Huashan, Nanyue Hengshan and Zhongyue Songshan. Known as the Five Sacred Mountains, it is famous at home and abroad. Hengshan Mountain stretches 150 kilometers from east to west, spanning Shanxi and Hebei provinces. It leads to Yanmen Pass in the west, spans the Taihang Mountains in the east, blocks the three Jin Dynasties in the south, overlooks Yun and Dai Erzhou in the north, and stands tall and majestic. Tianfengling and Cuiping Peak are the east and west peaks of the main peak of Mount Hengshan. The two peaks face each other, and the green belt on the cliff has clear layers and is as beautiful as a picture scroll. Guolaoling, Gusao Rock, Feisho Cave, Huanyuan Cave, Hufengkou, Dazi Bay and other places are full of magical colors. The hanging root pine, Zizhi Valley, and Bitter Sweet Well are miracles in the natural landscape. The Bitter Sweet Well is halfway up Mount Hengshan. The two wells are one meter apart, but the water quality is completely different. The water in one well is sweet and cool and is called a sweet well; the water in the other well is bitter and hard to drink. The Tianshui Well is several feet deep, but it is inexhaustible and can be drunk by ten thousand people. During the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty once gave the Tianshui Well a plaque as "Longquan Temple". The Hanging Temple at the foot of Hengshan Mountain, the Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple in Yingxian County, the brick pagoda of Yuanjue Temple in Hunyuan City, and Yong'an Temple all occupy an important position in the history of ancient Chinese architecture. During the Liao and Jin Dynasties, Hengshan was a cultural state at that time. There are many academy buildings, cliff inscriptions and couplets on steles. In addition, Hengshan Mountain is high and windy, and the climate changes drastically. Therefore, most of the buildings are built on the cliffs or carved out of the rocks, forming a unique and dangerous feature.

Featured Landscape

Jinlong Gorge

Jinlong Gorge is located between Tianfengling and Cuiping Peak. The narrow part is less than three feet. This has been a natural barrier and a transportation hub throughout the ages. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Emperor Daowu sent tens of thousands of troops to cut through the mountains and dig roads here as a gateway to the Central Plains. During the Song Dynasty, Yang Ye and his son defended this place with great danger to resist foreign invasion. In Jinlong Gorge, there is an ancient plank road winding in the middle of the cliff, called "Yun Pavilion".

Hengshan Pine

Hengshan Pine has a unique style and strange shape. Among them, there are four ancient pine trees from the Tang Dynasty with peculiar shapes, which are called the "Four Big Fu Ge". These four ancient pines, with their roots hanging out of the stone, clinging to the rock, stand proudly with extraordinary momentum and unique style.

Hengshan Temple

Hengshan Temple, headed by Beiyue Temple, is firmly seated on the west peak, among the pines, either hidden or exposed. Hanging Temple is the first scenic spot in Mount Hengshan. There is a folk proverb that says, "The Hanging Temple is half a sky high, with three horsetails hanging in the air."

Hengshan Cloud

Hengshan Cloud is ever-changing. Izumo Cave is located on the mountainside not far from Houtufu Temple. The sunny day is bright and the entrance of the cave is quiet. When the rain comes, wisps of white clouds swim out of the cave entrance, which makes people daydream.

Immortal Cave House

According to legend, Taoism has thirty-six caves and seventy-two blessed places, all of which are places where immortals live and relax. The world thinks that the realm that reaches the sky is auspicious and blessed, and they admire it with all their hearts. Taoist practitioners who are latent and silent practitioners like to live in secluded mountains and forests, so they often choose places where there are legends of immortal miracles to build palaces and temples, hoping to create a harmonious atmosphere with the immortal atmosphere and the harmony of Taoist gardens. Over the past dynasties, Taoist couples have lived there, and pilgrims and tourists have flocked to it. Therefore, Dongtian Blessed Land has become a scenic spot among China's embroidered rivers and mountains.

Beiyue Temple

Built during the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty (1501-1502 AD), it is the most magnificent of the Hengshan temples. It is located under the stone wall south of Dafeng Ridge, the main peak of Hengshan Mountain. There are 103 stone steps in front of the door leading down to the mountain gate. There are four characters "Zhenyuan Palace" on the gate of Beiyue Temple. There is a long couplet on the side of the door. The first couplet reads: "Heng Yue, the eternal barrier in the Central Plains, is the only one who has returned to his holy pilgrimage to teach horses and shepherd sheep for three hundred years." sky". In Beiyue Temple, there is a statue of Emperor Beiyue. Under the front porch of Beiyue Temple, there are more than 20 inscriptions on the Qing Dynasty imperial sacrifices to Hengshan. These inscriptions serve as historical evidence and are valuable information for the study of Hengshan.

Must-visit attractions in Datong. Recommended attractions

1. Hanging Temple. A national 5A tourist attraction, it was built in the late Northern Wei Dynasty. It has exquisite architectural concepts and unique and spectacular structures.

2. Yungang Grottoes. A world cultural heritage, the statues are majestic and rich in content.

3. Beiyue Hengshan. The must-visit attractions in Datong are the majestic mountains that stretch for hundreds of miles. The main attractions are: Hanging Temple, Jiutian Palace, Huixian Mansion, etc.

4. Ancient city wall. It is a relatively complete ancient city wall building in China, with moats, arrow towers, turrets and other military facilities.

5. Huayan Temple. It was built based on the Huayan Sutra, a classic of Buddhism. Its architecture, statues, murals, etc. can be regarded as a model of Liao Dynasty art.

6. Jinhuagong Coal Mine. A national 4A-level tourist attraction, it is an excellent place to learn about Datong’s coal culture.

7. Shanhua Temple. It is the largest and most complete temple building of the Liao Dynasty existing in China.

8. Guangling Paper-cut Art Museum.

The only characteristic tourist attraction in Shanxi Province, it exhibits more than 1,600 exquisite paper-cuts of various genres and styles at home and abroad.

Take stock of the most interesting tourist attractions in Datong

Datong is located in the temperate continental monsoon climate zone. Affected by the monsoon, Datong has four distinct seasons. Below I have compiled a guide to the most interesting tourist attractions in Datong, I hope you will like it.

The most interesting tourist attractions in Datong

1. Moon Flower Pond

The Moon Flower Pond is located inside the Ming Dynasty Great Wall in the north of Zuoyunweilu Village, but it is separated from the Great Wall. tightly connected. It is a unique small town built on the Great Wall. The Moon Flower Pond uses the Great Wall as the north wall and builds three other walls on the southeast and west sides to form a castle with a circumference of about 260 meters, which is about the size of Xiaotuan City in Beijing. It is a combination building with a beacon tower and is also the smallest castle in the world. This miniature castle is as small as it can be, but it integrates multiple military functions such as stationing troops, watching, calling the police, and even fighting. On the north wall is a beacon tower that is two feet higher than the wall. There is a cave ladder in the belly, which can be climbed up. The cave ladder has 81 steps.

There is only a single gate under the south wall of Yuehua Pond. Above the arch, there is a stone plaque embedded in the city wall, with three Chinese characters "Yuehua Pond" engraved on it in vigorous and powerful fonts. Unfortunately, the stone plaque peeled off and was lost in the last century.

The Moon Flower Pond is shaped like a "bow". The east, south and west sides are curved walls, like the back of a bow; the wall in the north is straight, but like the "string" of the bow. ".

Moon Flower Pond is the gateway to Weilukou and one of the passages to the west entrance.

The name Moon Flower Pond is beautiful and charming. It is said that it was named because there is a green pond next to Xiaoguan City that reflects the moon and stars, and it is said that there were military girls who often came to live here. name.

2. Shili River Mixed Forest Ecological Zone

Address: Shili West of Zuoyun County, Datong City, Shanxi Province

Shili River Mixed Forest Ecological Zone from Zuoyun It starts from the Shilihe Reservoir in the west of the city and ends at the old Gaoshan City. It is about 20 kilometers long from east to west, about 3 kilometers wide from north to south, and has a wetland area of ??60 square kilometers.

Along the Shili River, it was still a barren land at the beginning of liberation. Over the past half century, under the strong call of the country for afforestation and greening, the people of Zuoyun have carefully managed and promoted it, coupled with the natural growth advantages of wetlands, to form today's ecological environment of lush greenery and tranquility.

Take a tour along the sightseeing road on the north bank of the Shili River. To the north is a high-yielding poplar forest planted in the 1970s, which has now grown into a dense forest. It is mixed with shrubs such as sea buckthorn, vinegar willow, wild rose, and sleeping willow, and grows prosperously. To the south is the Shili Riverbed. The trees and shrubs on the riverbed are purely natural vegetation. There are mainly poplars, willows, sea buckthorns, wild roses, pine trees and other trees and shrubs mixed together. They look scattered in height and have clear layers, giving visitors a strong visual impact. Especially in autumn, the ecology is affected by the special climate of the frontier fortress, with red, yellow, white, green, blue and purple colors. It is called colorful ecology. It is a unique scenery of the frontier fortress and rare in the south.

3. Motianling Great Wall

Address: Wulu Mountain, Zuoyun County, Datong City, Shanxi Province

Motianling in Ninglukou is the highest peak of Wulu Mountain , the winding and undulating Ming Great Wall was built on this mountain, about 10 kilometers long, and is commonly known locally as Little Badaling.

Xiaobadaling, with its lofty battlements and steep beacons, is a relatively well-preserved and majestic section of the Great Wall to the west of Juyongguan. The Great Wall extended to Ninglukou. Because the seasonal river was inconvenient to build and pass through, two archery towers (enemy towers) had to be built along both sides of the ditch to use arrows to attack enemies invading from the river valley. Nowadays, the brick-clad archery tower on the east bank of the river is still intact. The arch of the archery tower has a stone plaque with the word "Zhenning" embedded in it. The Ninglukou Pass was built under the archery tower, forming a complete pass defense system with the archery tower. During the peace in the history of the border fortress, a horse market was established here to facilitate trade inside and outside the border, so it was also called "horse market building".

Due to the dangerous location of Little Badaling, the uniqueness of the archery tower, and the simple and majestic frontier fortress, as well as the wild feeling of the ancient world, have attracted Hong Kong Jackie Chan, the protagonist of "Titanic", the famous Australian singer and movie star Olivia and Hong Kong's chief photographer Kan Hing-fu and other famous people came to watch it. It is the most attractive section of the Great Wall in Datong.

4. Baiyandun Temple

Baiyandun Temple was built in the Qing Dynasty. It has three main halls, namely Nainai Temple, Longwang Temple and Mawang Temple. The temple can be preserved intact because of the production team's work as a granary in the last century; but now it is seriously damaged.

Although the appearance of Baiyandun Temple is dilapidated, the murals in the temple are well preserved. The murals are based on the offerings of the three main halls, and depict stories and other content related to the gods. The murals have elegant brushwork, smooth lines, bright colors, great skills, and strong folk art characteristics. In particular, Lord Ma of Mayu Temple has a solemn expression and glaring forehead and eyes, which is rarely seen in other temples. The "Three Eyes of Lord Ma" that people often say may only be seen here.

5. Baiyang Ancient City

Baiyang Ancient City is located 4 kilometers east of Zuoyun County. National Highway 109 passes through the city. It is the earliest and oldest ancient city in Zuoyun County and even Datong City. City outline. It has a history of more than 2,000 years.

The ancient city was built by the Beidi Aries tribe, a nomadic tribe in the Spring and Autumn Period, so it was called Aries City and was the command center of the Aries tribe at that time.

At the same time, Baideng Mountain was also named after the Beidi Aries people lived there.

Aries City is 600 meters long from east to west and 300 meters wide from north to south, covering an area of ??180,000 square meters. Zuoyun was called Wuzhou Fortress in the Han Dynasty. It was rebuilt in the year of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty (33 BC) and renamed Wuzhou City. Legend has it that Zhaojun lived here during his last stop before leaving the fortress, and then walked out of Wuzhou Fortress via Wulu Mountain. After the fourth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1371), the city became the headquarters of Datong Duwei, Datong Dudu Commandery Division, and Zhenshuo Guards. Before the Ming Dynasty, the ancient city was always an important town in the north. Although it has been washed away by wind and rain for more than 2,000 years, the ruins are still well-defined and the city walls are majestic. Only the north wall was washed away by the Shili River, and the east wall was dug up and leveled for the new gas station.

6. Surangama Temple

Surangama Temple is located at the highest point in the southeast corner of Zuoyun County. The whole temple has five courtyards, facing north to south, covering an area of ??7,000 square meters. The temple was first built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. It was expanded and renovated six times during the Zhengtong and Hongzhi periods. Some of the buildings are well preserved to this day. The music of Surangama Temple was a classic of temple music at that time. The music absorbed Buddhist music from India and the Western Regions such as "Tianzhu Music" and "Qiuci Music". The monks of Surangama Temple adopted local folk music and absorbed Buddhist music from the Western Regions and India. It is created using music performance techniques from the Central Plains region. Its music belongs to the northern system of temple music and belongs to the eastern and western styles of the northern system. Due to its deep starting melody and ancient and elegant melody, it has formed its own unique style. The 11 instruments used in the performance include pipes, shengs, tambourines, gongs, chimes, thailands, and cymbals. There are currently 10 songs of music and praise from Surangama Temple and 28 pieces of music and tunes from Surangama Temple. According to old artists from Surangyan Temple, the music of the temple was introduced from Ning Ning Temple in Liangcheng, Inner Mongolia. The temple music of Surangyan Temple is of great historical value for the study of ethnic cultural exchanges, folk music culture, and local temple Buddhist rituals and Buddhist songs in Pingcheng, the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

Things to note when traveling in Datong

1. Weather: The most notable feature of Datong is the large temperature difference between day and night. It is best to bring an extra layer of clothing to resist the cold in the morning and evening.

2. Diet: Datong’s diet is mainly pasta, which has a strong taste and they like to drink vinegar. The water and soil in Shanxi are highly alkaline. It is recommended to drink a small spoonful of Shanxi mature vinegar before three meals a day to combine the saltiness and prevent intestinal fatigue.

3. Language: There are still differences between Datong dialect and Mandarin in many aspects. It is best for outsiders to study properly before traveling to Taiyuan on their own to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

4. Accommodation: There is a certain gap between hotels and cars in Datong area compared with developed cities, and various infrastructure and reception conditions are slightly behind those in developed areas.

5. Items recommended to bring: long-sleeved clothes and pants, as well as sunglasses, sun hat, sunscreen, lip balm, cold medicine, gastrointestinal medicine, aspirin and other items. Prepare camera batteries, cash, mobile phones, wet wipes, personal hygiene products, etc. before traveling.

6. Touring scenic spots: When visiting scenic spots in Datong (such as Yungang Grottoes, etc.), pay attention to abide by relevant regulations and do not graffiti on or damage cultural relics.

Local transportation guide in Datong

Bus

The entire bus fare in Datong is 1 yuan. The suburban bus fare starts at 1 yuan, and the price varies depending on the distance, with a maximum of 3 yuan.

Operating hours: 6:30-20:30.

Taxi

The starting fare within 3 kilometers is 7 yuan, and then it is divided into 1.4 yuan and 1.6 yuan per kilometer according to different models. Taxi usage in Datong is very high, so taking a taxi is very convenient.

Datong City taxi-hailing phone number: 0352-5025588.