Mt. Hengshan Scenic Spot

Chinese recorded history tells us that Emperor Shun (circa 2372 BC) toured his northern domain years ago, and he was so impressed by the sight of Mt. Hengshan that he proclaimed it the 'North Mountain' (Bei Yue). Many later emperors had also come to visit Mt. Hengshan. The renowned traveler Xu Xiake came to visit in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and left behind Hengshan-inspired writings. Others did similar things. Mt. Hengshan, one of the most famous 'Five Sacred Mountains (Wu Yue)' in China, is located about 62 kilometers south to Datong City of Shanxi Province. It attracts people by its natural sceneries and man-made landscaping. Ancient battleground: Mt. Hengshan has been an age-old battleground. It is the bottleneck to Central Hebei Plain from Plateau beyond the Great Wall. Many emperors utilized Mt. Hengshan in national defense planning. Emperors and generals went down in history on battles won and lost right here. Plenty of ancient battlefield relics litter the landscape with passes, fortresses, castles and beacon towers. These make Mt. Hengshan unique among the famed mountains. Overhanging Temple: Overhanging Temple, at the mountain's foot, was built in Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), on the high cliff hemmed in by a precipice on either side. It sits up there beyond reach in abject solitude. From the bottom you see range upon range of pavilions supported by dozens of wooden pillars. Entering the temple, people will be surprised by its half-house and half-cave inner structures. Overhanging Temple deserves a visit. Tianfeng Summit: At 2016.1 meters (6,617 feet), Tianfeng Summit, in Hunyuan County, Datong City, is the highest peak. The steep north slope is covered with verdant pine trees. Climbing onto the top of the mountain, you will see endless pine trees, some of them growing on the cliff with roots burrowing in the rocks, exotic flowers and rare herbs and odd-shaped stones, and so forth. The tourists are too delighted to return home. The south slope is studded by lots of temples where emperors worshipped the North Mountain. Mt. Hengshan Scenic Spots has temperate semiarid continental climate and distinct four seasons. It features cold-dry winters, windy springs, short rainy summers, and short sunny autumns. There is extreme temperature difference between daytime and at night. Annual average temperature in Mt. Hengshan is 6.1 degree centigrade.

Yungang Grottoes

Yungang Grottoes, one of the three major cave clusters in China, punctuate the north cliff of Wuzhou Mountain, Datong. The area was excavated along the mountain, extending 1 km (0.62 miles) from east to west, revealing 53 caves and over 51,000 stone statues. The Caves are divided into east, middle, and west parts. Pagodas dominate the eastern parts; west caves are small and mid-sized with niches. Caves in the middle are made up of front and back chambers with Buddha statues in the center. Embossing covers walls and ceilings. Started in 450, Yungang is a relic of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). Absorbing Indian Gandhara Buddhist art, Yungang sculptures developed traditional Chinese art melded with social features of the time. During the reign of Emperor Xiao Wen a monk named Tanyao took charge of the construction of Yungang Grottoes. The largest cave is No.6. In the 20-meter (65.6-foot)-high cave stands a 15-meter (49.2-foot)-high pagoda-like column decorated with Buddha statues and designs. On the four sides of the tower pillar, and on the east, south and west walls of the cave, 33 embossed panels depict the story of Saykamuni. Caves worth special attention are No.16, 17, 18, 19, and 20. Upon Tan Yao's suggestion, five statues of Emperors Taizu, Taizong, Shizu, Gaozong, and Gaozu as Buddha express the religious theme that the Emperor is Buddha. Caves housing these statues are known as the Five Tan Yao Caves, similar in style but not identical. The statue in Cave 20 is martial and stately, No.19 handsome and elegant, while No.18 is dignified but lively. Their similarity lies in their thick lips, big noses, slanted eyes and broad shoulders depicting the ethnic culture of the time. Yungang Grottoes graphically tell the story of past glory.

Hanging Monastery (Xuankong Si)

Hanging Monastery stands at the foot of Mt. Hengshan, 5 kilometers (3 miles) south of Hunyuan County, and 65 kilometers (40 miles) from downtown Datong City. Since it hangs on the west cliff of Jinxia Gorge more than 50 meters above the ground, it is called Hanging Monastery. Hanging Monastery, built in 491, has survived more than 1400 years. The extant monastery was largely rebuilt and maintained in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). How could a building like this withstand the winds and storms of so many years? Hanging Monastery is an architectural wonder. A unique mechanical theory was applied to building the framework. Crossbeams were half-inserted into the rock as the foundation, while the rock in back became its support. Seen from below, Hanging Monastery appears to be a tumble-down castle in the air. Inside, Hanging Monastery provides the same scene as other temples. Construction experts from countries including Britain, Germany, and Italy, come to see the monastery. In their words, Hanging Monastery, which mixes mechanics, aesthetics, and Buddhism, is rare. The monastery and everything it symbolizes embodies a great cultural achievement of Chinese people. The second attraction of Hanging Monastery is that it includes Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Inside the monastery, the sculptures of Sakyamuni, Confucius and Laotzu appear together, which is unusual. There are 40 halls and cabinets, which contain about 80 sculptures made of copper, iron, terracotta, and stone. The features are vividly carved. Why build a monastery like this? Location is the first reason; building a monastery on the cliff could shield it from floods. In addition, the mountain peak protects it from rain and snow; and the mountain around it also diminishes damage from long-time sunshine. The second reason is that the builders followed a principle in Taoism: no noises, including those from rooster crowing and dog baying; so from the upper ground, all noises drop away.

Wooden Pagoda

Located in Yingxian County, and about 70 kilometers south of Datong, the Wooden Pagoda is the oldest and highest wooden structure in China. It is regarded as the 'First Pagoda in the World' and a gem in the architectural field. It has now also been placed under national emphases under the Cultural Relics Protection Units. Built during the Liao Dynasty (about 1056), this wooden pagoda has about 900 years of history. It has a height of about 67 meters, and a 30 meter long diameter at its bottom. The Pagoda appears as a five-storey structure, but in fact it has a total of nine stories with four hidden inside. The Wooden Pagoda was built with about 54 different kinds of brackets, and jointed only by the tenors and mortises without any nails or rivets at all! With a unique octagon structure in each tier, and a special designed lightning top, the pagoda can still stand firmly and remains intact. It continues to reveal its exquisite quality in a rustic, simple manner, despite the long exposure to the elements, violent earthquakes and intense thunderbolt. The wind bells hung under each eave add more interest to this wooden pagoda. When the wind blows, the little bells make sweet sounds, which also add spice to your tour. What's more, the large Buddha statues hosted in the Wooden Pagoda show different countenances and postures, and display a very high level of craftsmanship. The statue of Sakyamuni of the 1st floor stands at the height of 11 meters is particularly impressive. If look itup inside the pagoda, you will feel its grandeur. The exquisite and vivid mural around it depicts the guardians, disciples and donors in a lifelike and meticulous manner and in the typical Liao painting style. The Wooden Pagoda is a perfect combination of science, art and religion. It is also the wonder of the wooden architecture field. It should be a necessary stop in your Shanxi tour.

Huayan Monastery

The Huayan Monastery complex is located on Daxi Street on the south western side of Datong City, Shanxi Province. There are two separate sections to the monastery, the upper one referred to as the Grand Hall housing five large Ming Dynasty Buddhas, and the lower section referred to as the Sutra Temple containing a library of some 18,000 volumes of Buddhist writings. Built during the Liao Dynasty (907 - 1125), the Huayan Monastery is the largest and best preserved monastery of the Liao Dynasty in existence in China. This monastery was built according to the Huayan Sutra Sect of the Huayan School and is unique in that it faces east instead of south. Emperors in the Liao Dynasty sincerely believed in Buddhism, so they built many monasteries. The Huayan Monastery was originally the ancestral temple of the imperial family, offering sacrifices for emperors of the Liao Dynasty. In the middle period of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), the temple was divided into two parts, the Upper Huayan Monastery and the Lower Huayan Monastery and was renovated and enlarged several times to its present form. Now, the upper and lower monasteries are connected together, but each has a main hall. The main hall of the upper monastery is the Hall of Sakyamuni. It was first built in the Liao Dynasty and renovated in the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234). Occupying an area of 1,553 square meters (about 0.4 acres) it is one of the largest Buddha halls of the Liao period still in existence in China. In the middle of the hall, there are five sculptures standing in a row at the bottom of a lotus flower. Another twenty sculptures of gods, standing bowing to show their respect accompany the five main gods. Paintings on the wall depict sutra stories. The total area of the well-preserved color frescos is 890 square meters (about 0.2 acres) which is rare in China. On top of the hall are color paintings from the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasties (1644 - 1911) portraying dragons, cranes, flowers, all of which are images often found in Chinese legends on Buddhism. The Lower Monastery is simple and unsophisticated. Its main hall is the Bhaga Repository Hall in which Buddhist sutra is kept. The wooden library containing the Buddhist scriptures is exquisitely and elaborately designed. There are thirty-one sculptures in the hall among which the Bodhisattva with a pious prayer pose is the most famous; it possesses a lifelike human likeness rather than that of a god.

Nine-dragon Screen

The Datong Nine Dragon Screen, built over 600 years ago, is presently the oldest and largest glazed screen in China today. It is three times larger than that in Beihai Park , Beijing City. The screen, built for the thirteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), has been well preserved and remains intact to this day. It is made up of 426 specially-fired glazed bricks, with a height of 8 meters (about 26 feet), 2.02 meters (6.6 feet) thick and 45.5 meters (149 feet) long. The Screen can be divided into three parts, the pedestal, body and roof. The pedestal is rectangular shaped with a height of 2.09 meters (6.9 feet). Its narrow middle section is composed of 75 glazed tiles with images of oxen, dogs, deer rabbits and other animals. The design of the body is that of a green wave on the lower part and a blue and yellow cloud on the upper part. It consists of nine flying dragons, with a golden-scaled, shiny-eyed dragon located in the center. On each side of the central dragon is a pair of light yellow dragons with their heads pointed East and tails pointed towards the central dragon. A second pair of elegant yellow dragons is next with their heads and tails pointed west. A third pair is ferocious-looking purple dragons which seem to be wrestling with the sea. The fourth pair is highly spirited dragons. The nine dragons are life-like and illustrating their ability of calling the wind and controlling the rainfall. The areas around the dragons are supplemented with images of plants, mountains, stones, water and grass. These patterns along with the nine dragons compliment each other. The roof is covered with glazed tiles. There is a pond with a stone bridge located in front of the screen. The reflection of the dragons becomes dynamic, especially when a breeze disturbs the surface of the water. Tip: The best time to visit the Nine Dragon Screen is from June to October due to monsoon season. You may take bus No.4 at the Datong Railway Station.

Shanhua Temple

Located inside the south gate of Datong City in Shanxi Province, is Shanhua Temple (also called Nan Temple or South Temple). Shanhua Temple was originally founded during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) but it was destroyed by war at the end of the Liao Dynasty (916 - 1125). During the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234) it was rebuilt on a large scale. The extant layout is the best-preserved temple of the Liao and Jin dynasties. Covering an area of nearly 14, 000 square meters (over 16, 700 square yards) Shanhua Temple has three main buildings: the Gate, the Hall of the Three Saints and the most important building, Da Xiong Bao Dian (Da Xiong Bao Dian is the most important building in a Buddhist temple. Da means 'including everything'; Xiong means 'vanquishing and taming demons', Bao refers to the three treasures of this religion: Buddha, the Buddhist doctrines and the Buddhist monks. Dian means 'a palace'). In the Hall of the Three Saints, stand three statues representing Sakyamuni, Bodhisattva Puxian and Bodhisattva Wenshu--the Three Saints of Huayan in Buddhism. In Da Xiong Bao Dian reside five gold-coated statues of Tathagata Buddha, called Wu Fang Fo, which are original statues from the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234). On the eastern and western sides of these five statues, there are 24 gods, beautifully and realistically shaped. Among them, the God of the Sun's Palace and the God of the Moon's Palace are artistic masterpieces from the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234). There is one palace on each side of the Da Xiong Bao Dian. One is the palace of Bodhisattva Puxian and the other is the palace ruins of Bodhisattva Wenshu. The temple looks very spiritual and solemn. Only a Five-Dragon Screen made from a colored glaze adds a trace of cheerful atmosphere.