The main reason many folks go to Datong is to see the Yungang Caves(云冈石窟) or as some call them the Yungang Grottoes and the beautiful, but precariously placed Hanging Monastery(悬空寺). These famous Buddhist sites are great for a weekend trip from Beijing. Two or three days in Datong is a good length of time to see all the sights.
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[edit] Getting There and About
The central facility for tourists in Datong is the Datong Train Station (Datong huo che zhan or Datong zhan). The train station has a place to leave small luggage (ask for Xiao jian ji cun) where you can leave luggage for around 5 kuai per day. We took the 2603 to Datong from Beijing Main Railway Station for 65 Kuai, and took the K44 from Datong to Beijing Main Railway Station for 50 Kuai.
In front of the train station is the "local bus terminal" - which isn't a building at all, but rather a collection of busses that hang out in front of the train station. Many of the local busses originate and end there. Look for bus #4 - your key for getting around the city, and to the Yungang Caves(云冈石窟). Cost of the bus is 1 RMB.
If you get in trouble, robbed, etc, make sure to go to the Public Security Bureau - Datong.
[edit] Accommodation
We stayed Feitian Binguan whic is located right next to the train station. Walk out to the and turn to the left. There are 2 hotels, Feitian and Phoenix right next to each other. Here are some more hotels:
[edit] Restaurants
[edit] Tourist Attractions
There are several tourist attractions in the city, as well as a quaint "old area" of town which is fun to walk around. In the old area, there are several vendors of street food which sell delicious fried snacks, sticky rice snacks cakes and fruits. To get there tell your taxi driver to take you to the hair salon (card below) - which is at the intersection of the street with the good snacks and another commercial street.
Huayan Temple - Upper Temple and Huayan Temple - Lower Temple are also in this area.
The Nine Dragon Screen is another attraction which you may be interested in seeing. It is a big blue wall with 9 dragons on it built in the 1300's. There is a small trough in front of the wall, but it has no water in it. This sight should not take you much longer than 20-30 minutes to see.
Other sites:Shanhua Tepmple
[edit] Around Datong
The caves and the monastery are the reason to go to Datong, but are a considerable ways out of the city.
To get to Yungang Caves(云冈石窟) you can start from in front of the Datong Train Station (Datong Huo Che Zhan or Datong Zhan) where all the busses congregate. Get on the #4 bus and take it to the last stop. From there (caddy corner across the intersection) you need to catch the #3 bus to the Yungang stop - which is approximately 10 stops from where you get on the beginning bus. The #4 and #3 bus both seem to be very frequent, as on our trip we never waited more than 10 minutes. All in all it took around 45 minutes to 1 hour to get from the main train station to the Yungang caves by bus. It is probably reasonably cheap to get a taxi out to the caves. Taxi fare in Datong starts at 6RMB.
Getting to the Hanging Monastery or Xuankong si (悬空寺) is not as simple as getting to the Yungang caves, and takes a good deal longer, around 2-3 hours. You need to go to the Datong Long Distance Bus (in Chinese??) station and request a ticket to Hunyuan Cheng shi (Hunyuan city). Hunyuan really isn't much of a city, but rather a strip of stores, a gas station, a bus stop and a coal mine, very close to Hengshan Mountain and the Hanging Monastery(Xuankongsi or 悬空寺). Once you get to Hunyuan there are many (unlabeled) taxis that can help you get to the Hanging Monastery and to Hengshan mountain, both of which are around 10-15 minutes away from the town.
In April 2008, Mr Wu (Phone #13935264209) ran a ring of taxis in the area and can bring you between the Hanging Monastery, Hengshan Mountain and Hunyuan. You can also spend the night at a guest house on Hengshan Mountain, you can read more on its page.
You can also catch a bus back from Hunyuan to Datong for 25RMB, the bus does not leave on a regular schedule, but rather when it gets full of people. The bus leaves from near the Hunyuan gas station.
[edit] Travel Agencies
The China International Travel Service - Datong is no longer in the train station, but has moved to the Tajia hotel.
[edit] Map
- (A) Pingguoyuan Street
- (B) Shanghuangzhuang Village
- (C) Xiahuangzhuang Village
- (D) Qianjing Village
- (E) Wanshou Road
Categories: Datong | Map | Shanxi