Datong,a city in the northern Shanxi Province, 379km (236 miles) West of Beijing, 284km (176 miles) Southeast of Hohhot (capital of Inner Mongolia), 350km (217 miles) North of Taiyuan.

The town was founded as Pingcheng in 200 BC during the Han Dynasty. Located near the Great Wall Pass to Inner Mongolia it blossomed during the following period and became a stop-off point for Camel Caravans moving from China into Mongolia and beyond. Later from 398 AD until 494 AD it served as the capital of Northern Wei. The famous Yungang Grottoes were constructed during the later part of this period (460 – 494 AD). The city was renamed Datong in 1048 AD and sacked again at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1649 AD), but promptly rebuilt in 1652 AD.

Modern Datong is an industrial center with an abundance of coal that is both a blessing and a curse. Without it, Datong's economy would collapse; with it, skies are rarely clear and lung disease is common. But in 2001, the city began implementing pollution-control measures, and some industries have been closed.

Yungang Grottoes. The greatest attraction of Datong is the 1,500-year-old Yungang Grottoes, the oldest one of its kind in China. These mountain-side caves and recesses number more than 50 in all and are filled with 51,000 Buddhist statues - the largest being a 56-foot Seated Buddha while the smallest is only a few centimeters tall. In addition to the carvings of the Buddha, there are also scenes depicting Buddhist teachings and famous monks. The Yungang Grottoes are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Caves 16 through 20 are the most impressive. Made in part to honor the reigning emperor, Wen Cheng, and his four predecessors, each cave contains one central Buddha figure (representing an emperor) and his attendants. The best of them, Cave 18, contains the colossal image of Sakyamuni, the 10 arhats (enlightened disciples) associated with him, and two attendant Buddhas. The Buddha to the right of Sakyamuni has a webbed hand -- one of the 32 marks of a superior being. His robe was originally red, his face white, and his hair black. Traces of his green mustache and beard can still be seen.

Largest of the Buddhas in the Tan Yao caves is the sitting figure in Cave 20, now exposed by the collapse of the top and sides of the cliff. Holes for beams indicate that a wooden structure was built to protect the Buddha, but that, too, is long gone. The squared figures and static style are typical of this early period of Northern Wei statuary; they also suggest that the artists may have worked from sketches or drawings brought back by pilgrims from Indian holy sites.

Hanging Temple, clinging to the side of a cliff, is composed of some 40 connected halls that appear to be supported by toothpicks. Looking more like a wooden model than anything weight-bearing, it is actually supported by sturdy timbers that extend deep into the mountain. Founded in the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534), the temple contains Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian chambers, along with a chamber, the Sanjiao Dian, that combines all three. Sakyamuni is in the center with Confucius to his right and Laozi to his left.

Ying Xian Wooden Pagoda. Built in 1056 during the Liao dynasty, this impressive building is China's oldest surviving wooden pagoda. From the outside, it appears to have only five stories, though it actually has nine; and its complex system of supports includes 54 kinds of brackets. Frescoes on the ground floor and a gilded statue of Sakyamuni date to the Liao dynasty. During a 1974 renovation, engraved sutras and documents related to the construction of the pagoda were discovered inside one of the statues of Buddha. Unfortunately, visitors are now only allowed to climb to the second level of this delicate structure.