Itinerary
5:30 a.m.: Beijing hotel pickup.
6:40 a.m.: Bullet train from Beijing North Station to Datong.
11:00 a.m.: Arrive in Datong South Station. Pickup by your English-speaking guide and driver. Drive to Yungang Grottoes. Start the tour here for two hours.
The caverns are excellent examples of rock-cut architecture and one of the three most famous ancient sculptural sites of China. They were mainly constructed in the period between 460-525 AD during the Northern Wei Dynasty. They are an outstanding example of Chinese stone carvings from the 5th and 6th centuries. Altogether, the site is composed of 252 grottoes with more than 51,000 Buddha statues and statuettes. In 2001, the Yungang Grottoes were announced as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Yungang Grottoes is considered by UNESCO as a "masterpiece of early Chinese Buddhist cave art... [and] ...represent the successful fusion of Buddhist religious symbolic art from south and central Asia with Chinese cultural traditions, starting in the 5th century CE under Imperial auspices."
1:00 p.m.: Gourmet Chinese northern style dishes and noodles. :)
2:00 p.m. - Drive to Hanging Temple.
2:45 p.m.: Tour Hengshan Hanging Temple (Xuankong si)
The Hanging Temple, also known as Xuankong Temple, is built into a cliff near Datong. More than 1,500 years old, it brings together Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian traditions. Oak beams fitted into the rock support the structure, while the overhanging cliff shelters its buildings and painted interiors.
4:00 p.m.: Drive to Datong South Station.
4:45 p.m.: A brief dinner.
6:07: Bullet train leaves Datong.
8:25 p.m.: Beijing South Station pickup and transfer to your hotel.
