Datong

May 16-18

Day 13

Yugang Grattos are a series of around 50 caves in the Wuzhou mountain. These caves feature 50,000+ stone statues from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 C.E.). Most of these statues are of Buddha in a variety of positions, but some are of emperors or tell stories.

The Hua Yan Monastery was developed during the Liao dynasty (907-1125 C.E.) and was destroyed and rebuilt several times because of wars. It houses thousands of Buddhists texts/writings but was originally built as the imperial family's temple and to offer sacrifices for the emperors. Today, the upper and lower monasteries are joined and visitors are able to go up in the recently-built pagoda.

Day 14

Free time and train to Beijing

Day 12

Our first stop on our way to Datong was the well-known Wooden Pagoda. Built during the Liao Dynasty, around 1056 C.E., it is China's oldest and tallest wooden structure. Due to the elements and regular wear and tear over time, it now leans slightly. Impressively, it was built without metal reinforcements such as nails. Following Buddhist's special numbers, it is 9 stories tall with 4 hidden floors. The pagoda itself is 67 meters tall and houses an 11 meter tall wooden statue of Buddha.

Next was the Hanging Monastery/ Monastery in the Air. It was built into the side of the Jinxia Gorge over 50 meters above ground. It was built in 491 C.E. but was modified in both the Ming and Qing dynasty almost 1000 years later. This Monastery is special because each segment of it features the various religions of China and often times combines elements from each of them.