The Yungang Grottoes are excellent examples of rock-cut architecture. It is one of the three most famous ancient sculptural sites of China. They were built in the period between 460-525 AD during the Northern Wei Dynasty. The grottoes are an outstanding example of Chinese stone carvings from the 5th and 6th centuries. Altogether, the site is composed of 252 grottoes with more than 51,000 Buddha statues and statuettes. In 2001, the Grottoes named a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a "masterpiece of early Chinese Buddhist cave art... [and] ...represent the successful fusion of Buddhist religious symbolic art from south and central Asia with Chinese cultural traditions, starting in the 5th century CE under Imperial auspices."

The Hanging Temple (Xuankong Temple) is a 1,500-year-old cliffside temple near Datong and one of the region’s most famous historical sites, alongside the Yungang Grottoes. Built into a sheer precipice, it is unique for combining Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism in one complex. The temple is supported by hidden wooden beams embedded in the rock and is naturally protected from weather by the surrounding cliff. Peak Season Note (March–October): Visitor numbers are high, and advance reservations (at least one week) are required and highly competitive. If on-site waiting time exceeds 1.5 hours, we recommend viewing the temple from below rather than entering.