Attractions:       Yungang Grotto         Yingxian County Wooden Pagoda

Yungang Grotto

Yungang Grotto is located at the northern foot Wuzhou Mountain in Datong. The area was excavated along the mountain, extending 1 kilometer from east to west, revealing 53 caves and over 51,000 stone statues.

Yungang Grotto is a relic of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534A.D). Absorbing Indian Gandhara Buddhist art, Yungang sculptures developed traditional Chinese art incorporated with social features of the time. Yungang Grotto was first built in the year 453A.D in the North Wei Dynasty. Most of the principal caves had been completed by the year 495 A.D.

The Yungang Grotto, a world of Buddhist statues, is composed of the following three parts, namely the west, east and middle 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. Walls and ceilings are covered by embossing relief. The principal statue of the Buddhist in Cave No.20 is 13.7 meters high and the best preserved. Executed in a well filled-out figure, the statue with vivid eyes and broad shoulders is a representative of the sculptural art of Yungang Grotto.

Yingxian County Wooden Pagoda

Yingxian County Wooden Pagoda is the oldest and highest wooden structure in China. It is regarded as the "First Pagoda in the World". It has now also been treated as one of the Cultural Relic Protection Units in China. The pagoda is located in Yingxian County, and about 70 kilometers south of Datong, hence its name Yingxian County Wooden Pagoda.

The history of the pagoda can be traced back to 900 years ago. It was built during the Liao Dynasty (about 1056). It has a height of about 67 meters, and a 30-meter long diameter at its bottom. The Pagoda appears as an octagonal shape and shows 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 tenons and mortises (Dougong in Chinese) 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. The elegance and grandeur of its structure reveal much of the superb workmanship of the Chinese people. It continues to reveal its exquisite quality in a rustic, simple manner, despite the long exposure to the elements, violent earthquakes and intense thunderbolt. There are many wind bells hung under each eave. When the wind blows, the little bells make sweet sounds, which also add more interest to the pagoda itself. There are also the statues of Buddha and Sakyamuni and many Liao Dynasty murals in the wooden pagoda.

With its honored reputation and architecture arts, Yingxian County Wooden Pagoda is really worth seeing.