Datong & Pingyao Guide: Shanxi's Ancient Cities Without the Crowds
Yungang Grottoes, the Hanging Temple, and China's best-preserved walled city — a 5-day Shanxi itinerary that skips the Beijing/Shanghai crowds.
datong pingyao shanxi
Ancient Capitals & Cliff Temples
Shanxi
🗓️ Best time: April–October | ⏱️ 3–5 days
About Shanxi
Shanxi is where China keeps its pre-Beijing history. The Yungang Grottoes near Datong contain 51,000 Buddha statues carved into sandstone cliffs — one of the world's greatest Buddhist art sites. The Hanging Temple (Xuankong Si) near Mount Heng clings to a vertical cliff face 75 meters above the ground, held by wooden beams wedged into the rock. Pingyao's intact Ming dynasty city walls enclose a grid of streets that haven't changed much in 600 years. If Beijing feels too polished, Shanxi is where you go for the raw, dusty, magnificent original.
Articles about Shanxi (1)
🗺️ Itinerary