During the Dragon Boat Festival three-day holiday, my wife and I decided to visit Datong in Shanxi. It is close to Beijing and rich in history, with attractions like the Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Temple. That is why we chose it.
An unexpected change#
If we had three or four days, it would not be a “special forces” trip. But my wife’s company suddenly changed its leave policy, so she could not take an extra day off. We bought tickets late and could not get a return ticket for the third night, only the morning. So the trip was shortened from three days to two.
We had to re-plan. The city center is far from Mount Heng, the Hanging Temple, and the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, so we joined a one-day local tour. That was the main reason we ended up with a “special forces” experience.
Day 1#
We bought tickets late, so we could only get a morning high-speed train ticket on the first day, and only standing tickets. The ride was about two and a half hours. Standing for two and a half hours was more exhausting than walking the same time.
We arrived around 12:30. The taxi line was very long and there were barely any taxis. Ride-hailing also had long waits. We finally took a bus. (We could have booked a car in advance but did not.)
We reached the hotel after 1 pm. The hotel was not remote, but there were no restaurants within a few hundred meters, so we ordered delivery. We left for the Yungang Grottoes after 2 pm.
At 3 pm we finally arrived. The grottoes take about two hours to visit. We had planned to visit Huayan Temple and Datong Ancient City afterward, but Huayan Temple closes at 6 pm, so we had to skip it on day one.
Some caves were closed, but the open ones were still impressive. The largest Buddha is about 17 meters tall. Photos are not allowed inside, so here are a few of the exterior statues.
We finished around 5 pm and went straight to dinner. Standing on the train drained our energy, so we skipped the next attraction.
After dinner, it was nearly 10 pm, so we returned to the hotel.
Day 2#
Because we joined a one-day tour, we left early: up at 4:30 am, at the meeting point before 5:30, and on the bus at 5:40. The first stop was Mount Heng (the Northern Sacred Mountain).
Mount Heng is over 2,000 meters high. We could not climb from the base to the top. There are two options: take a cable car to mid-mountain and climb, or take a bus to mid-mountain and climb. This half-climb is fine for short trips but not for mountain lovers. We took the cable car for the view, but once up, the scenery was not that impressive.
Reaching the summit was still tiring. By the time we walked back down to the cable car station, our legs were shaking (mostly because of lack of exercise).
We left Mount Heng around 11 am. The Hanging Temple is only a 10-minute drive away (it is part of the Mount Heng scenic area). I had high expectations, but we arrived too late to enter. The wait time was estimated at two to three hours. So we only viewed it from below. Still, it was impressive: a temple built on a cliff supported by wooden pillars a thousand years ago.
We left around 1 pm. The guide took us to eat local knife-cut noodles, which were not enough (only 10 RMB per person). Then we took the bus to the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda.
Yingxian is not under Datong but under Shuozhou, yet it is nearby, so many tours combine it with Mount Heng and the Hanging Temple. Many travel guides still list it as a must-see in Datong.
We arrived around 2 pm and left after 3 pm. The site is small; a half hour is enough. The pagoda is nearly 1,000 years old, and only the first level is open for protection. It is the tallest wooden pagoda in the world, built entirely with mortise-and-tenon joints. The most stunning part was the swallows circling the pagoda, said to feed on insects that also protect it.
By 3 pm we had finished the tour. The bus dropped us near Datong Ancient City around 5 pm. We still had energy to explore.
Datong Ancient City is a reconstructed commercial area with attractions like Huayan Temple, the Nine-Dragon Screen, and the Prince Dai Mansion, plus many shops and restaurants. We still missed Huayan Temple, but at least we saw the Nine-Dragon Screen from outside.
Around 6 pm we got hungry and ate inside the ancient city. Then we walked on the city wall. The scenery inside was ordinary, but the sunset and clouds were beautiful.
After dark we wanted to rent a tandem bike but the queue was too long. We kept walking and called a car, but traffic control in the ancient city made it hard. We were at the South Gate and wanted to exit, but it was closed. We walked a long way through a crowded commercial street and finally exited from the West Gate to get a taxi. It felt like the route was designed to make tourists spend more in the commercial street.
We took the high-speed train back to Beijing early the next morning. The two-day “special forces” trip was over.
Reflections#
First, if you have enough time, do not do a “special forces” trip. It is exhausting and you do not get enough rest. After returning, I slept all afternoon and still felt tired.
Second, if you must do a tight-schedule trip and you are not used to exercise, avoid hiking. Your legs will hurt for days, especially going downstairs.
There is a saying: “To see 5,000 years of civilization, go to Shanxi.” Datong’s major attractions are only about a thousand years old but still rich in culture. If you like history, Datong is a good place. A weekend is enough (just skip Mount Heng).
Our trip was not even that intense compared with people who climb a sacred mountain in one day.