Our driver will pick you up from your Beijing city hotel, then you will be transferred to the train station. Enjoy a 2 hour bullet train ride on your own, once arrive at Datong. Your local tour guide will greet you upon arrival at the train station, then go over the day’s itinerary on your way to the first stop of the day - Yungang Grottoes.

As an UNESCO World Cultual Heritage Site, Yungang Grottoes is deemed as the Three Largest and Most Famous Grottoes Clusters together with Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, and Longmen Grottoes of Henan. With their 252 caves and 51,000 status, the Yungang Grottoes art represent the successful fusion of Buddhist religious symbolic art from south and central Asian with Chinese cultural traditions, starting in the 5th century CE under Imperial auspices. The power and endurance of Buddhist belief in China are vividly illustrated by the Yungang gottoes. Spend some quality time with your experienced tour guide to admire the site, get to know the histories and stories behind it.

Enjoy lunch in the local restaurant, afterwards visit the Nine-Dragon Screen which was built for the Prince Hongwu. It is presently the oldest and largest glazed screen in China.  Built over 600 years ago, Datong Nine Dragon Screen is made up of 426 specially-fired colorful glazed bricks, with 8 meters high, 2.02 meters thick and 45.5 meters long. It is covered with 41 sets of “two dragons playing with a pearl”. Then, you will be transferred to your accommodation in Datong (please book your own accommodation in Datong in advance)

Your tour guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel in the morning, then head to the Hanging Temple directly which is around 1.5 hours drive, enjoy the countryside when driving, your tour guide will share some histories and stories along the way. The hanging temple is the only existed temple hosting worship for the Taoists, Confucians and Buddhists. Built in 491 A.D, Hanging Temple is an architectural wonder because it hangs on the west cliff of Jinxia Gorge more than 50 meters above the ground. It has established its unique position among the various temples and monastery with its characteristics of “peril, workmanship and miracle”. Follow your tour guide to explore the temples and get to know the detailed stories and histories. Next, stop at a local restaurant for a quick lunch. Then heading directly to Yingxian Wooden Pagodas.

You will stop at a local restaurant for lunch. In the afternoon, continue your trip to Yinxian County to visit the famous Wooden Pagoda. The Wooden Pagoda was built in 1056 (Liao Dynasty). It is one of the planet's oldest wooden buildings in the world.  Not a single nail was used in the construction of the nine-story, 67m-high structure, which has thus far survived seven major earthquakes. After your tour finished, you will take the bullet train back to Beijing, our driver will pick you up from the train station and you will be transferred back to your hotel in Beijing. Note: You may have a Chinese-speaking driver from Beijing to Datong and back, your local English speaking tour guide will meet you in Datong to show you around the sites for two days.