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Beijing

Datong

With the opening of the high-speed train, it is now possible to easily arrive in Datong from Beijing in just over two hours, and take a day trip to the World Heritage Site, the Yungang Grottoes.DaidoIt is located in northern Shanxi Province, 50 km inside the Great Wall.More than a thousand wars have been fought in this area between the Han Chinese and the nomadic tribes to the north.Once you leave the town, you can see remnants of beacon towers scattered across the loess earth.In 398, the Xianbei Tuoba clan established the Northern Wei Dynasty with its capital in Datong. In 495, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, the capital was moved to Luoyang. During the intervening century, the Dynasty prospered greatly, and the construction of the Yungang Grottoes also began during that time.Yungang GrottoesLocated 16 km west of the city of Datong, at the southern foot of Mount Bushu, this cave temple stretches 1 kilometer from east to west.With 53 existing major caves and over 51,000 statues, it is not only one of the largest grottoes in China but also a world-famous art treasure trove.It was first excavated in the 12th year of the Xing'an era (453) of the Northern Wei Dynasty.In Chinese history, there have been four edicts to abolish Buddhism, the first of which was issued by Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty in 446. It was then restored by the next Emperor Wencheng, who also began the excavation of the Yungang Grottoes.Among the three great caves in China, this one has a high artistic appeal even today due to the grandeur of its stone statues and the richness of its contents. The other two are the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang and the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, and are often compared with "Dunhuang Art, Cloud and Dragon Sculptures."The oldest of the Yungang Grottoes are the Five Danyao Caves (caves 16-20), which are said to have been built to resemble the figures of the Five Dynasties of Northern Wei emperors (Dao Wu, Ming Yuan, Tai Wu, Jing Mu, and Wencheng). Among them, the exposed Great Buddha in cave 20 is also the symbol of the Yungang Grottoes.Caves 5 and 6 are a pair of caves, and the seated Buddha in the center of Cave 5 is 17 meters tall, making it the largest. The walls of Cave 6 are carved with Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhat, and flying celestial beings, and the ceiling is carved with 33 heavenly deities and horse riders, making it a masterpiece of Yungang art.<img src="https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/100214000000wdhr6451A_Z_1000_0.jpg" source="gs" imageid="314524642" sourcewidth="1000" sourcehight="1333"><img src="https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/fd/tg/g2/M01/89/51/CghzgVWwxvCADfokAA1EBph_EeY879_Z_1000_0.jpg" source="gs" imageid="272757308" sourcewidth="1000" sourcehight="666">Kegonji TempleIt is located in the western part of Datong City.There are two Huayan temples, one above the other, built on the same site, but they are separate and each was one of the important Huayan temples in China during the Liao and Jin dynasties.The Great Hero Hall of Shanghua Temple is said to be one of the most important temples in China, and is a vast 1,477m2, making it the largest surviving building from the Liao and Jin dynasties. The 9.5m high hipped roof is also beautiful, with glazed tiles. Inside the hall are five Ming dynasty Buddhas and 20 clay statues of heavenly beings, as well as wall paintings from the Qing dynasty.The main building of Xia Huayan Temple, the Bokkakyozoden, houses 31 clay statues from the Liao Dynasty, all of which are said to be masterpieces representing Chinese Buddhist art.Within the Huayan Temple is the Datong City Museum, which is known for its collection of excavated artifacts from the Northern Wei Dynasty and art from the Liao Dynasty.<img src="https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/35071b000001awxnuA941_Z_1000_0.jpg" source="gs" imageid="267831316" sourcewidth="1000" sourcehight="1002"><img src="https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/100s0s000000i4ohaCF8B_Z_1000_0.jpg" source="gs" imageid="267831316" sourcewidth="1000" sourcehight="666">Kowloon WallIt is located on the east side of downtown Datong.This is a shadow wall (a privacy wall erected just inside the main gate) built in the 25th year of Hongwu (1392) during the Ming Dynasty in front of the mansion of Zhu Gui, the 13th son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty.The mansion was destroyed by fire at the end of the Chongzhen period, and only the Nine Dragon Wall remains.It is 45.5 metres long, 8 metres high and 2 metres thick.The lower part is a stepped platform, and on the waistband are carved animals such as lions, tigers, elephants, Chinese lions, rinrin, and Pegasus, each with a different and dynamic appearance.The top resembles a wooden building, and the hipped roof has a ridge ornament.The walls are decorated with nine giant dragons, symbols of nobility, stacked together with five-colored (yellow, rim, vermilion, purple, and indigo) glazed roof tiles.There is a reflection pond in front of the building, and when the dragon on the wall is reflected in the water, it looks as if it is alive.There are only three Nine Dragon Walls remaining in China; the other two are in Datong, the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, and Beihai Park.<img src="https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/fd/tg/g1/M00/7B/F6/CghzfVWwxuqAUIz8AA4C4Gel2Fc991_Z_1000_0.jpg" source="gs" imageid="46938754" sourcewidth="1000" sourcehight="666">

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Go by high-speed train! World Heritage Site [Yungang Grottoes], Huayan Temple, Kowloon Wall, etc. Day trip to Datong with lunch <Datong Station pick-up/Japanese guide/1 person departure/Departure from Beijing>