大同
Datong
Datong was a Northern Wei capital in the fifth century, and the caves they carved at Yungang are the earliest great Buddhist art in China. Add two Liao-dynasty monasteries in the old town and the Hanging Temple an hour away.
At a glance
- Stay
- 2–2 days
- Best seasons
- May–Oct
- Airports
- Rail or road access
- Region
- North China
China Unhurried editorial team · Owner-authored
Places to begin
Make the city tangible.
大同城墙·九龙壁
City wall and Nine Dragon Screen
A rebuilt Ming wall to walk at dusk, and a genuine Ming glazed-tile screen of nine dragons.
悬空寺
Hanging Temple
A temple on stilts fifty metres up a cliff face, fifteen centuries old. Sixty-five kilometres south-east.
华严寺
Huayan Monastery
A Liao-dynasty monastery facing east, with a sutra library of painted clay bodhisattvas.
善化寺
Shanhua Monastery
A quieter Liao and Jin temple by the south wall, with the twenty-four devas in painted clay.
应县木塔
Yingxian Wooden Pagoda
A 67-metre timber pagoda from 1056, built without nails and leaning slightly. Seventy kilometres south.
云冈石窟
Yungang Grottoes
Fifty-three caves of fifth-century Buddhas in a sandstone cliff. Half a day at least.
大同古城墙
Datong City Wall
Datong's present wall recreates the Ming defensive circuit around a historic urban grid, incorporating archaeological and documented evidence but extensive modern reconstruction. From the top, axes link gates, temples, drum tower and new development, making the city plan legible. Its value is strongest when visitors distinguish surviving historical layers and archaeological remains from the twenty-first-century rebuilding project.
Local snacks
Taste the city, one dish at a time.
These cards describe dishes, not restaurants. Images are added only after their license and attribution are verified.
Chewy, wheaty and deeply savoury
Datong Knife-cut Noodles
大同刀削面
A cook shaves curved pieces directly from a firm wheat dough block into boiling water, producing thick-centred noodles served with meat sauce, broth and pickled vegetables.
Choose sauce and portion before ordering. Noodles contain gluten; meat toppings may contain pork or lamb and broths vary.
Grainy, chewy and mildly sweet
Steamed Yellow Millet Cake
大同黄糕
Milled broomcorn millet is steamed into a dense, elastic yellow staple, sometimes eaten plain with savoury dishes or filled and fried for celebrations.
The texture is dense and sticky; eat small bites slowly. Ask whether the version is fried and what filling it contains.
Juicy, savoury and aromatic
Datong Shaomai
大同烧麦
Thin wheat wrappers are gathered around a juicy filling, commonly lamb or pork with scallion, then steamed so the pleated top stays delicate.
Confirm the meat before ordering and beware of hot juice inside. It contains gluten and is best shared while freshly steamed.
Rich, peppery, savoury and warming
Lamb Offal Soup
羊杂汤
Mixed lamb offal is simmered in a seasoned broth and served hot with herbs, chilli and sometimes local starch noodles, especially valued in cold weather.
Offal selection and noodle type vary. Ask about ingredients and choose a busy shop with thorough cooking and clean hot holding.
City essentials
The practical details, when you need them.
Places and local food come first. Open these notes for context, arrival and neighbourhood advice.
Overview+
HEBEIJIANGSUSHANDONGHENANSHAANXIGANSUNINGXIADatong
The Tuoba rulers of the Northern Wei made Datong their capital in 398 and, over the next century, cut fifty thousand Buddhist figures into a sandstone cliff west of the city. Yungang is where Indian and Central Asian styles first became Chinese, and the big exposed Buddha of Cave 20 is one of the country's great faces.
The city itself rebuilt its Ming walls and old town in the 2010s, controversially and completely. Inside, the Huayan and Shanhua monasteries are the real thing: Liao and Jin halls from the eleventh and twelfth centuries with painted clay figures to match.
The Hanging Temple, pinned to a cliff face in a gorge south-east of the city, and the wooden pagoda at Yingxian, the oldest and tallest timber tower in the world, make one long day. Datong is high, dry and cold from November to March.
Getting there+
High-speed trains from Beijing North take about two hours to **Datong South** ; from Taiyuan about an hour and a half, from Pingyao Ancient City around two and a half with a change at Taiyuan. The old **Datong** station is closer to the walls. **Yungang (DAT)** airport, 15 kilometres east, has a few domestic flights.
**Rail tip.** Your passport is your ticket. Book on 12306 or [Trip.com](/go/trip?to=trains&from=city-rail), then go straight to the gate. See [Getting around](/guides/getting-around). The Trip.com link earns us a small commission at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).
**Stay online.** Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked on Chinese networks; a travel eSIM that roams gets around it. Install one before you fly — [Saily](/go/saily?from=city-esim) takes US$5 off a first plan with the code **CHINA**. See [Staying online](/guides/staying-online). The code earns us the same amount in Saily credits, at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).
Where to stay+
Old town
古城
Inside the rebuilt walls, near the two monasteries. Courtyard hotels, quiet nights.
The Drum Tower and Huayan Monastery are the centre. Hotels in reconstructed courtyard houses; the wall walk is minutes away.
first visitatmospherewalking
Around Datong South
大同南站
The new district by the high-speed station. Practical, characterless.
Chain hotels and a twenty-minute taxi to the walls. Only for very early trains.
transit
**Booking.** Compare hotels in Datong on [Trip.com](/go/trip?to=hotels&city=datong&from=city-stay), filtered to its China travel essentials list: English-speaking staff, foreign cards, guest rating 8 or higher. See [Where to stay](/guides/where-to-stay). Booking through this link earns us a small commission at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).
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