Friends, welcome to Datong! We're so happy to show you this city — world-class grottoes and thousand-year-old Liao and Jin temples sit right in and around town, and after dark there's a steaming bowl of lamb offal soup waiting beneath the city wall.
If you have any questions or need help, just reach out to Fei Song (宋斐) or Elisa anytime.
8.7 — 8.9See you in Datong
A quick introduction first: Datong was the capital of the Northern Wei and a secondary capital of the Liao and Jin dynasties — one of China's nine great ancient capitals. What makes it special is this: world-class treasures are within arm's reach in and around town, the old city still hums with everyday life, and — the food is outstanding — at prices that will make you smile.
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Heritage & Ancient Architecture
What Datong is built on
Yungang Grottoes 云冈石窟
Must-see16 km west of town
Datong's crown jewel, no contest. An imperial project of the Northern Wei, begun in 460 CE under the monk Tan Yao, with 45 major caves and more than 59,000 carved figures surviving today — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Head for the Tan Yao Five Caves (Caves 16–20; the famous open-air Buddha is Cave 20), the 17-metre Buddha in Cave 5, and the central pagoda pillar of Cave 6, whose walls of relief carvings tell the life of Shakyamuni — often called "the grandest cave at Yungang."
Do this: book ahead through official channels (tickets ¥100), allow 3–4 hours, and hire a guide or rent an audio guide — without the stories, you're only seeing half of it.
One of the largest surviving Liao–Jin Buddhist monasteries. The Bojiajiaozang Hall is an original Liao-dynasty structure, and among its 31 Liao painted sculptures is the famous "smiling bodhisattva with palms joined," celebrated as the "Venus of the East" — make sure you find her. The Mahavira Hall in the upper temple is magnificent, and the all-wood, mortise-and-tenon Huayan Pagoda can be climbed for a view over the old city, with a bronze hall of a thousand Buddhas in the crypt below.
Handy: Fenglinge and Drum Tower West Street are right outside the gate — sightseeing flows straight into eating. Tickets around ¥40–50.
Far fewer tourists than Huayan Temple, but connoisseurs know its weight: the most complete surviving Liao–Jin monastery complex in China. The Mahavira Hall is an original Liao structure, the Hall of Three Sages and the main gate are Jin-dynasty buildings, and the Jin painted sculptures and bracket sets inside are textbook material. The Five-Dragon Screen out front is worth a look too. Quiet and grand — a place to take slowly. Tickets around ¥40.
Expanded in 1372 by General Xu Da on the foundations of the old Liao–Jin–Yuan city, the wall runs 7.24 km around — taller than Xi'an's, wider than Nanjing's. You can climb up at any of the four gates and rent a bicycle to ride the full loop. Once the lights come on, the wall glows gold and its reflection shimmers in the moat — don't only go in daylight. Free most of the time (bring your passport or ID).
The old city keeps its chessboard lifang (ward) layout — "four main streets, eight lanes, seventy-two winding alleys." Drum Tower East and West Streets are the main commercial drag, but the fun is in ducking into the side lanes: the Nine-Dragon Screen (the Ming-era screen wall of the Prince of Dai's palace — older and bigger than the one at Beihai in Beijing), the White Pagoda of Fahua Temple, the Temple of Guan Yu, Chunyang Palace, and the Confucian Temple are all tucked between the streets, mostly free. Watching locals play chess and stroll at dusk is the best way to meet Datong.
The glazed screen wall that stood before the palace gate of Zhu Gui, Prince of Dai, in the Hongwu era of the Ming — 45.5 m long and 8 m high, it is the largest and oldest nine-dragon screen surviving in China, more than three hundred years older than the one at Beihai in Beijing. The palace burned in the wars at the end of the Ming; this wall alone survived. Nine great glazed dragons writhe through waves and clouds, each striking a different pose — and when you've studied the wall, remember to look down: the "dragons in the water" of the reflecting pool twist with the ripples, an animation effect the ancients designed on purpose.
On your way: it's right on Da Dong Street — any old-city stroll passes it, and the ticket is very cheap.
Few tourists · photogenicNortheast corner of the old city
A small temple in the old city's northeast corner, centered on the only dagoba-style white pagoda surviving in Datong, generally dated between the Yuan and the Ming. White stupa against grey walls and red pillars, with a touch of Tibetan Buddhist character that is rare in northern Shanxi. Modest in size but wonderfully photogenic, with few visitors — one of the old city's quiet corners, and a photographer's dream in good light.
Route: an easy walk from the Prince of Dai's Palace; free or nearly so.
The palace of Zhu Gui, Prince of Dai and thirteenth son of the founding Ming emperor — built to full princely specification as a scaled-down echo of the imperial palace, one of the largest princely residences of the Ming north. It burned in the fighting at the end of the Ming, leaving only the Nine-Dragon Screen before its gate; today's buildings are a recent reconstruction on the original site. By day it reads as a replica stage set; at night, lit up with the light show running, it makes a fine evening stop — don't be too strict about "authenticity," just enjoy it as a live performance of Ming princely life.
Walk Drum Tower East Street to the end and you're there. Eighteen heritage courtyards and sixteen historic buildings, on a ward grid that largely overlaps the outer city of the Northern Wei capital — it's been called "a living fossil of the lifang ward system." The restoration is remarkably restrained and elegant: the texture of old brick and timber is all still there, with cafés, art exhibitions, bookshops, and little bars slipped into the courtyards. Photogenic by day, lively by night, and free to enter.
Its predecessor, Jiusheng Lou, dates to the Zhengde reign of the Ming; the name was changed after the legend of the Zhengde Emperor's romance here, "the wandering dragon and the phoenix." In 1900 Empress Dowager Cixi passed through Datong, ate shaomai shaped like flowers here, and praised them lavishly — the "hundred-flower shaomai" has been famous ever since, and is now listed as municipal intangible heritage. The building itself was rebuilt in 2011, all carved beams and painted rafters — even the restrooms are a sight.
Order: hundred-flower shaomai, sweet-and-sour meatballs, guoyourou (Shanxi fried pork), fengpawo (the "phoenix in the nest" house dish), chilled millet cake (huangmi lianggao).
The queues are brutal: pick up a lunch/dinner queue ticket early in the morning, or eat off-peak in the afternoon.
Same kitchen lineageOutside the walls · Yuhe West Road area
Born of the same house as Fenglinge — the original Fenglinge Weizhuang team, renamed "Xijindao" after a trademark dispute. The craft carried straight over: old-style decor, beautiful tableware, and a vegetarian assorted knife-shaved noodle dish that diners call "the Hermès of daoxiaomian." If you'd rather not brave the Fenglinge queue, coming here is the smart move.
Locals' choiceNW corner of the Drum Tower + other branches
A time-honored shaomai house — homier, cheaper, and no ticket scramble compared with Fenglinge. Locals especially love their pan-fried shaomai, golden and crisp on the bottom.
Order: "blooming flowers" shaomai, pan-fried lamb shaomai, chilled millet cake, Hunyuan liangfen (cold starch noodles), guoyourou. Around ¥50 per person.
Northern Shanxi coarse grains taken to their peak — Instagram-famous and genuinely good, with year-round queues. Oat-noodle honeycombs (youmian wowo), oat noodles with sizzling wild-chive oil, chilled millet cake, the signature eggplant, Huairen lamb offal, old-Datong assorted hotpot… portions are generous — perfect for a big table sharing everything.
Worth a taxi rideOutside the walls · Yingbin East Road etc.
The "culture bearer" of Datong cuisine: dishes researched from the Qimin Yaoshu, the Northern Wei agricultural treatise, under the banner of "a dream of the Northern Wei." The roasted twelve-rib lamb rack has featured on CCTV's Signature Dishes of a Hundred Cities; the red-braised lamb with astragalus uses Hunyuan-grown huangqi — meltingly tender meat in a mellow broth. Setting, story, and flavor all deliver, and it's still not expensive — perfect as the ceremonial dinner of the trip.
A superb Northern Wei collection — the lacquer screen from Sima Jinlong's tomb and the army of Northern Wei pottery figurines are the star exhibits. See it after Yungang and the Northern Wei puzzle clicks into place.
A thousand-year marvel hanging halfway up the cliff of Cuiping Peak in Mount Heng's Jinlong Gorge: forty-odd halls and pavilions carried on crossbeams socketed into the rock, suspended on the cliff face for more than fifteen hundred years — the Ming travel writer Xu Xiake called it "a grand spectacle under heaven." In the Three Teachings Hall at the very top, Shakyamuni, Laozi, and Confucius sit side by side in one shrine — a rarity anywhere in China. Mount Heng is the Northern Peak, one of the Five Great Mountains, its main summit rising to about 2,016 m.
Note: think twice if you fear heights — the walkways are narrow and the drop is real, but even from below it's breathtaking, and the viewing platform at the foot frames a fine panorama.
Timber-architecture meccaYing County, Shuozhou · about 1.5 h by car
Formally the Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple, built in 1056 in the Liao dynasty and 67.31 m tall — the tallest and oldest all-timber tower still standing in the world. Not a single iron nail in the whole structure; dozens of kinds of interlocking bracket sets bite together layer upon layer, and it has come through strong earthquakes and even artillery fire over nearly a thousand years — holy ground for anyone who loves wooden architecture. The classic move is a hired-car day trip pairing it with the Hanging Temple.
This time: the schedule is tight, so let it be something to look forward to — next visit.
Orientation and streets follow the old-city panorama map, with simplified proportions — navigate by searching the place names. Map labels are kept in Chinese on purpose, so you can show them to locals or taxi drivers when finding your way.
Go in right at opening, when it's emptiest. On your way out, grab a dinner queue ticket at Fenglinge next door — don't forget this step.
Drum Tower West Street → Drum Tower (lunch)
Chunyang Palace and the Great Mosque are on the way. Longjuxiang and Zini 369 sit on two corners of the Drum Tower — eat at whichever calls your number first.
The open-air Buddha of Cave 20 · Image: Wikimedia Commons
What it is
An entire cliff face on the southern slope of Wuzhou Mountain, stretching about 1 km east to west, with 45 major caves and more than 59,000 carved figures — one of China's largest ancient cave-temple complexes, ranked alongside the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang and the Longmen Grottoes at Luoyang. It was the product of Northern Wei imperial will — the Buddhas are emperors, the caves a state project — and is celebrated as the classic work of Chinese Buddhist art's first golden age.
History
During the Heping era of Emperor Wencheng of the Northern Wei (from 460 CE), the monk Tan Yao was commissioned to carve five great caves at Wuzhou Mountain — today's Caves 16–20, the "Tan Yao Five Caves," whose five principal Buddhas correspond to five Northern Wei emperors. Imperial construction continued for over thirty years; the middle-period caves of Emperors Xianwen and Xiaowen's reigns (Caves 5, 6, and others) carry the most ornate and intricate carving.
After Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital to Luoyang in 494 CE the imperial works ceased, though private carving continued until around 524, in the Zhengguang era of Emperor Xiaoming. In the Liao and Jin dynasties, "ten temples" of wooden cave-eaves were built for protection, and parts of the Buddha pavilions were restored in the Qing. The site was listed among China's first national key cultural relics in 1961 and inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2001.
How to see it
Focus on the Tan Yao Five Caves (the open-air Buddha, Cave 20, is Yungang's calling card), the 17-metre Buddha of Cave 5, and the central pagoda pillar of Cave 6 — its walls of relief carvings tell the life of Shakyamuni, earning it the title "the grandest cave at Yungang."
Tickets ¥100, book ahead through official channels; allow 3–4 hours; enter before 9 am or after 3 pm to dodge the crowds; and do hire a guide or rent an audio guide. Some caves close in rotation for restoration — check announcements before you go. A taxi from the old city runs about ¥35–50.
A grand imperial monastery of the Liao and Jin on the west side of the old city — one of the largest surviving Liao–Jin Buddhist temple complexes, named after the Avatamsaka (Huayan) Sutra. One curious detail: the whole temple faces east rather than south, generally explained by the Khitan custom of venerating the sun and the east — a complete break from the north-south convention of Chinese temples.
History
The Bojiajiaozang Hall was built in 1038, the seventh year of the Liao Chongxi era — an inscription on its roof beams survives to this day, iron-clad evidence for its dating. Under the Liao the temple also served as an imperial ancestral shrine, housing statues of Liao emperors and empresses. In 1122, at the end of the Liao, Jin troops took the western capital of Datong and most of the temple burned; the Mahavira Hall was rebuilt on its old foundations in 1140, in the third year of the Jin Tianjuan era. From the mid-Ming it split into upper and lower temples, saw repeated Qing restorations, and was listed among China's first national key cultural relics in 1961. The Huayan Pagoda you see today is a recent all-wood, mortise-and-tenon reconstruction in Liao–Jin style — climb it for a view over the old city, and find the bronze hall of a thousand Buddhas in the crypt below.
How to see it
The Bojiajiaozang Hall (lower temple) is an original Liao structure; among its 31 Liao painted sculptures, the "smiling bodhisattva with palms joined" was hailed by Zheng Zhenduo as the "Venus of the East" — make sure you find her. The Mahavira Hall (upper temple) is one of the largest surviving Liao–Jin Buddha halls, utterly magnificent.
Tickets around ¥40–50. Fenglinge and Drum Tower West Street are right outside the gate — sightseeing flows straight into eating.
Highly recommendedChina's most complete Liao–Jin monastery complex
Shanhua Temple · Image: Wikimedia Commons
What it is
An ancient Liao–Jin monastery just inside the south gate (Yongtai Gate), known locally as the South Temple. It is the most complete surviving Liao–Jin monastery complex in China: along a single axis, the main gate (Jin), the Hall of Three Sages (Jin), and the Mahavira Hall (Liao) unfold in sequence, with the Puxian Pavilion standing to the west — four Liao–Jin timber buildings sharing one courtyard, the only such ensemble in the country.
History
Founded in the Kaiyuan era of the Tang as Kaiyuan Temple, it was renamed Dapu'en Temple under the Later Jin of the Five Dynasties. It burned in the fighting of 1122 at the end of the Liao; in the early Jin, between 1128 and 1143, the abbot Master Yuanman led a great reconstruction that fixed the layout you see today. After a restoration in 1445, the Ming court bestowed the name "Shanhua Temple," which it has kept ever since. It was listed among China's first national key cultural relics in 1961. The Five-Dragon Screen in front is a Ming glazed-tile screen wall, moved here from the former site of Xingguo Temple in the city.
How to see it
The Mahavira Hall is an original Liao structure; inside, the Jin-dynasty painted sculptures of the Twenty-Four Devas each wear a different expression, and together with the bracket sets they are textbook material. The splayed "flower-blossom" brackets of the Hall of Three Sages are the signature move of Jin timberwork. Far fewer visitors than Huayan Temple — quiet, grand, made for lingering.
Tickets around ¥40. The light on the Liao and Jin halls is best around four or five in the afternoon, which flows perfectly into the city wall at night.
The south gate (Yongtai Gate) · Image: Wikimedia Commons
What it is
The Ming military fortification that wraps the entire old city — 7.24 km around, taller than Xi'an's wall and wider than Nanjing's. All four gates — Heyang in the east, Yongtai in the south, Qingyuan in the west, Wuding in the north — give access to the top, which is broad enough to rent a bicycle and ride the full loop.
History
Datong has been a northern stronghold ever since the Northern Wei made it their capital, Pingcheng; today's wall stands on layered ramparts of the Northern Wei, Tang, Liao, Jin, and Yuan. In 1372, the fifth year of the Ming Hongwu era, General Xu Da expanded the old walls with rammed earth faced in brick, setting today's scale — Datong became the foremost of the Ming's nine frontier garrisons, the "mighty stronghold" and "lock and key of the north" of the old epithets.
Through the Qing and the Republican years the wall decayed and much of its brick facing was carted off. From 2008 Datong launched an old-city revival, restoring the wall to its Ming form; the circuit was closed and fully connected in 2016. The restoration has always had its critics — but what happens when the lights come on is beyond argument: a ring of golden city shimmering in the moat. Save an evening for it.
How to see it
Go up after the lights come on — by day you see bricks, by night you see grandeur. Free most of the time (bring your passport or ID); some gates or lantern-show periods may charge, so go by what's posted on site.
A colossal glazed-tile screen wall on the south side of Da Dong Street: 45.5 m long, 8 m high, over 2 m thick, with nine great glazed dragons writhing through waves and clouds. It is the largest and oldest nine-dragon screen surviving in China — more than three hundred years older than the one at Beihai in Beijing, and far older than the Forbidden City's.
History
Around 1392, Zhu Gui — thirteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding Ming emperor — took up his fief in Datong as Prince of Dai, and the screen stood before the gate of his palace. The palace burned to the ground in the wars at the end of the Ming; this screen alone survived, the palace's only remaining structure above ground. A reflecting pool sits before the wall, where the dragons ripple and twist in the water — an "animation effect" the ancients designed on purpose.
How to see it
It's right on Da Dong Street, an easy stop on any old-city stroll, with a very cheap ticket. Each of the nine dragons strikes a different pose — and when you've studied the wall, remember to look down: the dragons in the reflecting pool twist with the ripples, animated just as the ancients intended.
Few tourists · photogenicDatong's only dagoba-style white pagoda
The white pagoda of Fahua Temple · Image: Wikimedia Commons
What it is
A small temple in the northeast corner of the old city, centered on its white dagoba-style pagoda with a glazed-tile crown — the only pagoda of this type surviving in Datong. White stupa against grey walls and red pillars: modest in size but wonderfully photogenic, with few visitors — one of the old city's quiet corners.
History
The pagoda takes its name from the Lotus (Fahua) Sutra once kept at the temple. Its exact founding date is unsettled — generally placed between the Yuan and the Ming. The body is white, the crown glazed in color, with a small pagoda-shaped pillar at each of the four corners — a form with a Tibetan Buddhist air that is rare in northern Shanxi. The rest of the temple halls are recent reconstructions in the old style; the pagoda is the true antique here.
How to see it
An easy walk from the Prince of Dai's Palace; you can see it all in fifteen minutes or so, but in good light the white pagoda is a photographer's dream. Free or nearly so.
The Lingxing Gate of the Prince of Dai's Palace · Image: Wikimedia Commons
What it is
The palace of the Ming Princes of Dai — built to full princely specification, its layout a scaled-down echo of the imperial palace, and one of the largest princely residences of the Ming north. What stands today is a recent reconstruction on the original site: by day it reads as replica architecture, but at night, lit up and with the light show running, it makes a fine evening stop.
History
In 1392, Zhu Gui — thirteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang — was enfeoffed as Prince of Dai and took up residence in Datong, conscripting soldiers and civilians to build his palace on the former grounds of the Liao–Jin imperial academy. The Dai line held Datong for over ten generations across some two hundred and fifty years. The palace burned in the chaos at the end of the Ming, leaving almost nothing above ground but the Nine-Dragon Screen before its gate. In recent years it has been rebuilt on the original site from historical records, restoring the old central axis.
How to see it
Don't be too strict about architectural "authenticity" — enjoy it as a full-scale stage set of Ming princely life. There's a light show in the evening, and it's just across the street from the Nine-Dragon Screen, so it slots right into your route.
Go at duskHistoric district · "a living fossil of the lifang ward system"
What it is
The historic quarter in the old city's southeast corner — walk Drum Tower East Street to the end and you're there. Within it are 18 heritage courtyards and 16 historic buildings, the texture of old brick and timber fully preserved, with cafés, art exhibitions, bookshops, design stores, and little bars slipped into the courtyards — the weathered old city and its new life mingling in one place.
History
Datong's chessboard streets carry on the lifang (ward) layout of ancient Chinese cities, and the ward fabric of the Dongnanyi quarter largely overlaps the outer city of Northern Wei Pingcheng — hence the name "a living fossil of the lifang ward system." Recent conservation has taken the "micro-renewal" path: no wholesale demolition, courtyards restored one by one, old repaired as old, new functions set gently into old houses — one of the most restrained historic-district renewals in China.
How to see it
Plan it for dusk into evening: good photos by day, nightlife atmosphere after dark. Free to enter — and when your legs give out, it's the perfect place to sit with a coffee and browse the courtyards and exhibitions.
No Wikipedia article for this one yet — it has, after all, only just come back to life.
The city museum out in Yudong New District, its greatest strength the artifacts of the Northern Wei Pingcheng era — see it after the Yungang Grottoes and the Northern Wei puzzle clicks into place. The spiral-shaped building is worth a look in its own right.
History
Founded in 1959 as the Datong Museum, it was long housed inside the lower Huayan Temple before moving to its current home in Yudong New District in 2014. Datong served as the Northern Wei capital for nearly a century, and finds from Pingcheng-era tombs form the collection's foundation: the painted lacquer screen from Sima Jinlong's tomb (a national treasure), the array of Northern Wei pottery figurines, and the gilt bronzes and glassware of Pingcheng aristocrats — star pieces you won't see anywhere else.
How to see it
Free; online booking usually required in advance, and it's typically closed Mondays (confirm before you go). Make straight for the Northern Wei galleries: the lacquer screen and the figurine array first, then the Liao and Jin if time allows.
The Hanging Temple · Image: Wikimedia CommonsMount Heng, the Northern Great Mountain · Wikimedia Commons
What it is
The Hanging Temple clings halfway up the cliff of Cuiping Peak in Mount Heng's Jinlong Gorge: forty-odd halls and pavilions carried on crossbeams socketed into the rock — most of the poles beneath are just for show. It looks precarious, and it has hung there for more than fifteen hundred years. Better still, it unites three faiths: in the Three Teachings Hall at the very top, Shakyamuni, Laozi, and Confucius sit side by side in one shrine — a rarity anywhere in China.
History
Founded in 491 CE, the fifteenth year of the Northern Wei Taihe era, with most of the surviving structures dating to Ming and Qing restorations. The mid-cliff site was not chosen only for spectacle: the cliff blocks rain, the overhanging rock shades the sun, and the height escapes floods — the ancients had the engineering figured out precisely. When the Ming travel writer Xu Xiake came here, he called it "a grand spectacle under heaven" in his diaries; the two characters "壮观" (magnificent) carved below the cliff are attributed by legend to the poet Li Bai.
Mount Heng is the Northern Peak, one of China's Five Great Mountains, its main summit Tianfeng Ridge rising to about 2,016 m. In the Shunzhi era of the Qing, the imperial rites of the Northern Peak were moved here from Quyang in Hebei, and Hunyuan's Mount Heng formally became the Northern Peak of state ritual.
How to see it
Think twice if you fear heights — the walkways are narrow and the drop is real, but even from below it's breathtaking, and the viewing platform at the foot frames a perfect panorama. The classic move is a hired-car day trip pairing it with the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda — with a bowl of Hunyuan liangfen at the source, naturally.
Timber-architecture meccaPagoda of Fogong Temple · Ying County, Shuozhou · about 1.5 h by car
The Pagoda of Fogong Temple · Image: Wikimedia Commons
What it is
Formally the Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple, 67.31 m tall — the tallest and oldest all-timber tower still standing in the world. Not a single iron nail in the whole structure; dozens of kinds of interlocking bracket sets bite together layer upon layer. It is the pinnacle of ancient Chinese timber engineering, and holy ground for anyone who loves wooden architecture.
History
Built in 1056, the second year of the Liao Qingning era, and completed with additions in the Jin Mingchang years. It shows five stories and six tiers of eaves outside, but is actually nine stories — five visible, four hidden — and the diagonal bracing concealed in the hidden stories is the secret of its earthquake resistance: it has survived repeated strong quakes over nearly a thousand years, and even artillery fire in the Republican era. The great Shakyamuni statue and Liao murals on the ground floor survive to this day; during repairs in 1974, a Liao-era cache was discovered inside the statue — including a tooth relic of the Buddha and Liao printed sutras — electrifying the scholarly world.
The plaques on the tower are a show of their own: the Yongle Emperor inscribed "峻极神工" (Divine Craft of Towering Height), and the Zhengde Emperor "天下奇观" (Wonder of the World). Because the tower now leans, only the ground floor is open.
How to see it
Time is tight this round, so let it be something to look forward to — the classic move is a hired-car day trip pairing it with the Hanging Temple. Next visit.
Teman-teman, selamat datang di Datong! Kami senang sekali bisa memperkenalkan kota ini kepada kalian — gua Buddha kelas dunia dan bangunan kuno era Liao-Jin ada di dalam dan sekitar kota, dan malamnya masih ada semangkuk sup jeroan kambing hangat di bawah tembok kota.
Kalau ada pertanyaan atau butuh bantuan apa pun, jangan sungkan hubungi Fei Song (宋斐) atau Elisa.
8.7 — 8.9Sampai jumpa di Datong
Perkenalan singkat dulu: Datong pernah menjadi ibu kota Wei Utara dan ibu kota kedua era Liao-Jin, salah satu dari sembilan ibu kota kuno besar Tiongkok. Serunya kota ini: peninggalan sejarah kelas dunia ada dalam jangkauan tangan di dalam dan sekitar kota, kota tuanya masih hidup dengan suasana keseharian yang kental, dan — makanannya luar biasa enak dengan harga yang murah.
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Warisan Kuno
alasan Datong ada di peta
Gua Yungang 云冈石窟
Wajib16 km sebelah barat kota
Bintang utama Datong, tanpa saingan. Proyek kekaisaran Wei Utara yang mulai dipahat tahun 460 M di bawah pimpinan biksu agung Tan Yao; kini tersisa 45 gua utama dengan lebih dari 59.000 arca, berstatus Situs Warisan Dunia. Fokuskan ke Lima Gua Tan Yao (gua 16–20; Buddha raksasa di udara terbuka adalah Gua 20), Buddha setinggi 17 meter di Gua 5, dan pilar pagoda pusat di Gua 6 — dindingnya penuh relief kisah hidup Buddha Sakyamuni, dijuluki "gua teragung Yungang".
Wajib: pesan tiket lewat kanal resmi jauh-jauh hari (tiket ¥100), sisihkan 3–4 jam, dan sewa pemandu atau audio guide — tanpa penjelasan, separuh keindahannya lewat begitu saja.
Salah satu kuil Buddha era Liao-Jin terbesar yang masih berdiri. Aula Bojiajiaozang adalah struktur asli Dinasti Liao; di antara 31 arca berwarna era Liao di dalamnya ada "Bodhisattva tersenyum memperlihatkan gigi dengan telapak menyatu" yang dijuluki "Venus dari Timur" — wajib dicari. Aula Mahavira di kuil atas megah luar biasa, dan Pagoda Huayan di kompleks ini dibangun murni dengan sambungan kayu tanpa paku — bisa dinaiki untuk memandang kota tua, dengan aula perunggu seribu Buddha di ruang bawah tanahnya.
Rute: keluar pintu langsung ketemu Fenglinge dan Jalan Gulou Barat — jalan-jalan dan makan nyambung tanpa jeda. Tiket sekitar ¥40–50.
Sangat direkomendasikanDekat gerbang selatan kota tua
Turisnya jauh lebih sedikit daripada Kuil Huayan, tapi yang paham tahu bobotnya: kompleks kuil era Liao-Jin paling utuh yang tersisa di Tiongkok. Aula Mahavira adalah struktur asli Liao, sedangkan Aula Tiga Suci dan gerbang utamanya bangunan era Jin; arca berwarna era Jin dan konstruksi konsol kayunya sekelas buku teks. Tembok Lima Naga di depan kuil juga layak dilihat. Tenang, megah, cocok dinikmati pelan-pelan. Tiket sekitar ¥40.
Diperluas Jenderal Xu Da tahun 1372 (era Ming) di atas fondasi kota lama era Liao-Jin-Yuan; kelilingnya 7,24 km — lebih tinggi dari tembok Xi'an, lebih lebar dari tembok Nanjing. Keempat gerbangnya bisa dinaiki, dan di atas tembok bisa sewa sepeda untuk berkeliling kota. Begitu lampu menyala, temboknya berkilau keemasan dengan pantulan yang indah sekali di parit kota — jangan cuma datang siang hari. Sebagian besar waktu gratis (bawa kartu identitas/paspor).
Tata kota papan catur ala lifang (sistem blok kota kuno): "empat jalan besar, delapan gang kecil, tujuh puluh dua lorong panjang". Jalan Gulou Timur-Barat adalah poros komersialnya, tapi justru menyusup ke gang-gangnya yang seru: Jiulongbi (tembok tabir bekas Istana Pangeran Dai era Ming — lebih tua dan lebih besar dari yang di Beihai, Beijing), stupa putih Kuil Fahua, Kuil Guandi, Chunyanggong, dan Kuil Konfusius bersembunyi di antara lorong, kebanyakan gratis. Sore hari menonton warga main catur dan jalan santai — itulah cara terbaik membuka Datong.
Tembok tabir berglasir di depan gerbang istana Pangeran Dai, Zhu Gui, dari era Hongwu Ming; panjang 45,5 m dan tinggi 8 m — tembok sembilan naga terbesar sekaligus tertua yang masih ada di Tiongkok, lebih tua tiga ratus tahun lebih dari yang di Beihai, Beijing. Istana musnah oleh perang di akhir Ming; hanya tembok ini yang selamat sampai sekarang. Sembilan naga glasir raksasa menggeliat di antara ombak dan awan, posenya berbeda-beda; setelah menatap temboknya jangan lupa menunduk — "naga air" di kolam pantulan yang meliuk mengikuti riak adalah efek animasi rancangan orang zaman dulu.
Searah: persis di tepi Jalan Dadong, keliling kota tua pasti lewat; tiketnya sangat murah.
Kuil kecil di pojok timur laut kota tua; intinya adalah satu-satunya stupa putih gaya dagoba yang masih ada di Kota Datong, umumnya diperkirakan dibangun antara era Yuan dan Ming. Stupa putih berlatar tembok abu-abu dan pilar merah, dengan sentuhan nuansa Buddhisme Tibet yang jarang ditemui di Shanxi utara. Mungil tapi sangat fotogenik, turisnya pun sedikit — sudut kota tua yang tenang, dan saat cahayanya bagus hasil fotonya juara.
Rute: bisa jalan kaki dari Istana Pangeran Dai; gratis atau tiketnya sangat murah.
Istana Pangeran Dai Zhu Gui, putra ke-13 pendiri Dinasti Ming Zhu Yuanzhang; dibangun menurut aturan pangeran kekaisaran meniru istana kaisar, dan termasuk istana pangeran terbesar di Tiongkok utara pada masa Ming. Musnah oleh perang di akhir Ming — hanya tembok sembilan naga di depan gerbangnya yang tersisa; kompleks sekarang adalah rekonstruksi baru di situs aslinya. Siang hari tampak seperti latar bergaya kuno, malam hari lampunya menyala dengan pertunjukan cahaya — lumayan dinikmati sebagai pemandangan malam. Soal "keaslian" tak usah terlalu serius; nikmati saja sebagai pertunjukan panggung hidup tentang kehidupan pangeran era Ming.
Susuri Jalan Gulou Timur sampai ujung, itu dia. Ada 18 pekarangan cagar budaya dan 16 bangunan bersejarah; pola lifang-nya bertumpuk hampir persis dengan kota luar era Wei Utara, sampai dijuluki "fosil hidup sistem lifang". Pemugarannya sangat menahan diri dan berkelas: tekstur bata dan kayu tuanya tetap utuh, sementara kafe, pameran seni, toko buku, dan bar kecil disisipkan ke dalam pekarangan. Siang bagus untuk foto, malam ada suasana nightlife. Gratis.
Cikal bakalnya, "Jiushenglou", berdiri sejak era Zhengde Dinasti Ming dan berganti nama karena legenda "naga bermain dengan phoenix" Kaisar Zhengde. Tahun 1900 Ibu Suri Cixi singgah di Datong dan memuji habis shaomai (dimsum kukus) berbentuk bunga yang disantapnya di sini — sejak itu "Shaomai Seratus Bunga" tersohor, kini berstatus warisan budaya takbenda tingkat kota. Bangunannya dipugar tahun 2011, penuh ukiran dan lukisan — sampai toiletnya pun serasa objek wisata.
Wajib pesan: shaomai seratus bunga (baihua shaomai), bakso asam manis, guoyourou (tumis babi khas Shanxi), fengpawo, kue dingin milet (huangmi lianggao).
Antreannya ganas: ambil nomor untuk makan siang/malam sejak pagi, atau makan di jam sepi sore hari.
Saudara seperguruanLuar kota tua · sekitar Jalan Yuhe Barat
Satu perguruan dengan Fenglinge — tim asli Fenglinge Weizhuang yang berganti nama "Xijindao" karena sengketa merek. Ilmu masaknya sama persis, interiornya klasik, peralatan makannya niat; mi daoxiaomian (mi serut khas Shanxi) sayur campurnya sampai dijuluki pelanggan "Hermes-nya mi serut". Kalau malas antre panjang di Fenglinge, ke sini adalah pilihan cerdas.
Pilihan warga lokalBanyak cabang · a.l. barat laut Menara Genderang
Kedai shaomai legendaris — lebih merakyat, lebih murah, dan tak perlu rebutan nomor dibanding Fenglinge. Warga lokal paling suka shaomai shengjian-nya (digoreng di wajan), dasarnya keemasan dan renyah.
Wajib pesan: shaomai "seratus bunga mekar", shaomai kambing shengjian, kue dingin milet, liangfen Hunyuan (agar pati kentang dingin), guoyourou. Sekitar ¥50 per orang.
Bintang media sosial sekaligus jagoan sungguhan yang mengangkat biji-bijian kasar Shanxi utara ke level tertinggi — antre sepanjang tahun. Youmian wowo (mi oat kukus), mi oat siram minyak shacong (bawang liar gurun), kue dingin milet, terong andalan, jeroan kambing Huairen, hotpot campur ala Datong lama… porsinya besar, pas untuk datang ramai-ramai dan pesan semeja penuh.
Restoran tua favorit warga lokal untuk menjamu tamu; masakan rumahan Shanxi utara yang mantap dan otentik, sekitar ¥50 per orang. Sedikit turis, rasa lokalnya kental.
Layak naik taksi khusus ke siniLuar kota tua · Jalan Yingbin Timur dll.
"Duta budaya" masakan Datong: menunya digali dari Qimin Yaoshu, kitab pertanian era Wei Utara, dengan tema "kembali ke masa Wei Utara". Iga kambing panggang dua belas tulangnya pernah tampil di acara CCTV "Baicheng Toupai Cai"; kambing merah huangqi-nya memakai huangqi (astragalus) dari Hunyuan — dagingnya empuk, kuahnya pekat. Suasana, cerita, dan rasanya sama-sama juara, harganya pun tak mahal — pas dijadikan "makan besar seremonial" perjalanan ini.
Warisan budaya takbenda, sarapan wajib warga lokal. Jangan cuma makan di restoran besar — masuk saja ke kedai tua pinggir jalan yang ramai, di situlah esensinya.
Lembut kenyal, sedikit asam manis, disiram saus bunga osmanthus — pencuci mulut sejuta umat yang ada di hampir semua restoran.
Shijin huoguo (hotpot campur)
Panci tembaga berisi babi panggang, bakso, buncis kering, dan soun tersusun rapi berlapis-lapis — teknik pembuatannya masuk daftar warisan budaya takbenda.
Tutou (kepala kelinci)
Jiwa tengah malam orang Datong — pedas menggigit, bumbunya meresap. Yang berani, wajib coba.
Jus shaji (sea buckthorn)
Minuman lokal, asam manis penawar enek, pasangan sempurna untuk hidangan daging.
Koleksi artefak Wei Utara-nya juara: panel pernis makam Sima Jinlong dan barisan figurin tanah liat Wei Utara adalah bintangnya. Kunjungi setelah Yungang — kepingan puzzle Wei Utara pun jadi lengkap.
Trip sehari ke luar kotaHunyuan · ±1,5 jam berkendara
Keajaiban seribu tahun yang dibangun di tengah tebing Puncak Cuiping, Lembah Jinlong di Gunung Hengshan: empat puluhan ruang dan paviliunnya ditopang balok kayu yang ditancapkan ke badan tebing, dan sudah menggantung di dinding tebing lebih dari seribu lima ratus tahun — petualang era Ming Xu Xiake menjulukinya "pemandangan raksasa dunia". Di Aula Tiga Ajaran di titik tertingginya, Sakyamuni, Laozi, dan Konfusius duduk berdampingan dalam satu ruang — langka di seluruh Tiongkok. Hengshan adalah Yue Utara, satu dari lima gunung suci Tiongkok, dengan puncak utama setinggi sekitar 2016 m.
Catatan: takut ketinggian? Pikir dua kali sebelum naik — jalur papannya sempit dan tebingnya tinggi, tapi dari jauh pun tetap menggetarkan; memotret panorama dari dek pandang di bawah sudah bagus sekali.
Kiblat para pencinta struktur kayuYingxian, Shuozhou · ±1,5 jam berkendara
Nama resminya Pagoda Sakyamuni Kuil Fogong, dibangun tahun 1056 (era Qingning Dinasti Liao), tinggi 67,31 m — bangunan menara kayu murni tertinggi sekaligus tertua yang masih berdiri di dunia. Seluruh pagoda tak memakai sebatang paku besi pun; puluhan jenis dougong (konsol kayu bertumpuk) saling mengunci lapis demi lapis, dan selama hampir seribu tahun ia bertahan dari gempa-gempa kuat bahkan tembakan meriam tanpa roboh — tanah suci para pencinta struktur kayu. Paket lazimnya sewa mobil sehari "Kuil Gantung + Pagoda Kayu Yingxian".
Kali ini: waktunya mepet, simpan dulu sebagai kerinduan — lengkapi di kunjungan berikutnya.
Arah dan tata letak jalan mengikuti peta panorama kota tua, skalanya disederhanakan — di lapangan, cari langsung nama titiknya di aplikasi peta. Label pada peta sengaja dibiarkan dalam aksara Tionghoa supaya mudah ditunjukkan saat bertanya arah.
Keluar Kuil Shanhua langsung ketemu Gerbang Yongtai; naiklah saat langit mulai gelap. Turun, lalu ke Fenglinge — santap makan malam dengan nomor yang sudah diambil pagi tadi.
WajibYungang Grottoes · Situs Warisan Dunia UNESCO (2001)
Buddha raksasa Gua 20 · Foto: Wikimedia Commons
Apa ini
Satu bentang tebing di kaki selatan Gunung Wuzhou yang memanjang sekitar 1 km dari timur ke barat, dengan 45 gua utama dan lebih dari 59.000 arca besar-kecil — salah satu kompleks gua Buddha kuno terbesar di Tiongkok, disandingkan dengan Gua Mogao di Dunhuang dan Gua Longmen di Luoyang. Ia lahir dari kehendak kekaisaran Wei Utara — arca Buddha adalah kaisar, gua adalah proyek negara — dan dianggap karya klasik dari puncak pertama seni Buddha Tiongkok.
Sejarah singkat
Pada era Kaisar Wencheng dari Wei Utara (mulai 460 M), biksu agung Tan Yao atas titah kaisar memahat lima gua besar di Gunung Wuzhou — kini gua 16–20, "Lima Gua Tan Yao"; lima Buddha utamanya masing-masing melambangkan lima kaisar Wei Utara. Pembangunan kekaisaran berlanjut lebih dari tiga puluh tahun; gua-gua periode tengah dari masa Kaisar Xianwen dan Xiaowen (gua 5, 6, dll.) berhias paling mewah dan rumit.
Setelah Kaisar Xiaowen memindahkan ibu kota ke Luoyang tahun 494, proyek kekaisaran berhenti; pemahatan oleh rakyat berlanjut hingga era Zhengguang Kaisar Xiaoming (sekitar 524). Pada era Liao-Jin dibangun "sepuluh kuil" beratap kayu untuk melindungi gua-gua ini, dan sebagian paviliun Buddha dipugar pada era Qing. Tahun 1961 masuk gelombang pertama Situs Cagar Budaya Nasional, dan tahun 2001 tercatat dalam Daftar Warisan Dunia UNESCO.
Tips berkunjung
Fokuskan ke Lima Gua Tan Yao (Buddha di udara terbuka adalah Gua 20, "kartu nama" Yungang), Buddha 17 meter di Gua 5, dan pilar pagoda pusat di Gua 6 — dindingnya penuh relief kisah hidup Sakyamuni, dijuluki "gua teragung Yungang".
Tiket ¥100, pesan lewat kanal resmi jauh-jauh hari; sisihkan 3–4 jam; masuk sebelum jam 9 pagi atau setelah jam 3 sore untuk menghindari keramaian; wajib sewa pemandu atau audio guide. Sebagian gua ditutup bergiliran untuk restorasi — cek pengumuman sebelum berangkat. Taksi dari kota tua sekitar ¥35–50.
Kuil agung kekaisaran era Liao-Jin di sisi barat kota tua, salah satu kuil Buddha Liao-Jin terbesar yang masih berdiri, dinamai dari Sutra Avatamsaka (Huayan). Satu hal menarik: seluruh aulanya menghadap timur — umumnya dikaitkan dengan tradisi orang Khitan yang memuja matahari dan arah timur, berbeda total dari kelaziman kuil Tiongkok yang menghadap selatan.
Sejarah singkat
Aula Bojiajiaozang dibangun tahun 1038 (tahun ke-7 era Chongxi Dinasti Liao); prasasti pada rangka kayunya bertahan sampai sekarang dan menjadi bukti keras penanggalan aula ini. Di masa Liao, Kuil Huayan juga berfungsi semacam kuil leluhur kekaisaran dan pernah menyimpan arca para kaisar serta permaisuri Liao. Tahun 1122, di akhir Liao, pasukan Jin merebut Datong — ibu kota barat — dan sebagian besar kuil musnah terbakar; tahun 1140 pada era Jin, Aula Mahavira dibangun ulang di fondasi lamanya. Sejak pertengahan Ming kuil terbagi menjadi kuil atas dan kuil bawah, era Qing berkali-kali dipugar, dan tahun 1961 masuk gelombang pertama Situs Cagar Budaya Nasional. Pagoda Huayan yang terlihat sekarang adalah bangunan baru bergaya Liao-Jin dengan sambungan kayu murni tanpa paku — bisa dinaiki untuk memandang kota tua, dan di ruang bawah tanahnya ada aula perunggu seribu Buddha.
Tips berkunjung
Aula Bojiajiaozang (kuil bawah) adalah struktur asli Liao; di antara 31 arca berwarna era Liao di dalamnya, "Bodhisattva tersenyum memperlihatkan gigi dengan telapak menyatu" dijuluki Zheng Zhenduo sebagai "Venus dari Timur" — wajib dicari. Aula Mahavira (kuil atas) termasuk aula Buddha Liao-Jin terbesar yang masih ada — megahnya luar biasa.
Tiket sekitar ¥40–50. Keluar pintu langsung ketemu Fenglinge dan Jalan Gulou Barat — jalan-jalan dan makan nyambung tanpa jeda.
Sangat direkomendasikanShanhua Temple · kompleks kuil Liao-Jin paling utuh
Kuil Shanhua · Foto: Wikimedia Commons
Apa ini
Kuil kuno era Liao-Jin di dekat gerbang selatan kota tua (Gerbang Yongtai), akrab disebut Kuil Selatan. Inilah kompleks kuil era Liao-Jin paling utuh yang tersisa di Tiongkok: pada satu poros, gerbang utama (Jin), Aula Tiga Suci (Jin), dan Aula Mahavira (Liao) berderet berurutan, dengan Paviliun Puxian berdiri di sisi barat — empat struktur kayu Liao-Jin hidup berdampingan dalam satu pekarangan, satu-satunya di seluruh Tiongkok.
Sejarah singkat
Didirikan pada era Kaiyuan Dinasti Tang dengan nama Kuil Kaiyuan, lalu berganti nama menjadi Kuil Dapu'en pada masa Jin Akhir (zaman Lima Dinasti). Tahun 1122 di akhir Liao hangus oleh perang; pada awal Jin, tahun 1128–1143, kepala biara Yuanman memimpin pemugaran besar yang meletakkan tata letak hari ini. Setelah renovasi tahun 1445 era Ming, kuil dianugerahi nama "Shanhua" yang dipakai sampai sekarang. Tahun 1961 masuk gelombang pertama Situs Cagar Budaya Nasional. Tembok Lima Naga di depan kuil adalah tembok tabir berglasir era Ming, dipindahkan ke sini dari bekas Kuil Xingguo di dalam kota.
Tips berkunjung
Aula Mahavira adalah struktur asli Liao; di dalamnya 24 arca dewa era Jin ("Ershisi Zhutian") masing-masing berekspresi unik, dan bersama konstruksi dougong-nya (konsol kayu bertumpuk) sekelas buku teks. Konsol miring Aula Tiga Suci mekar bagai bunga — gaya khas konstruksi kayu era Jin. Turisnya jauh lebih sedikit daripada Kuil Huayan; tenang, megah, cocok dinikmati pelan-pelan.
Tiket sekitar ¥40. Cahaya jam 4–5 sore yang jatuh di aula Liao-Jin paling cantik — dan pas disambung dengan pemandangan malam tembok kota.
Paling cantik saat malamDatong City Wall · keliling 7,24 km
Gerbang selatan tembok kota (Gerbang Yongtai) · Foto: Wikimedia Commons
Apa ini
Benteng militer era Ming yang memeluk seluruh kota tua, kelilingnya 7,24 km — lebih tinggi dari tembok Xi'an, lebih lebar dari tembok Nanjing. Keempat gerbangnya — Heyang (timur), Yongtai (selatan), Qingyuan (barat), Wuding (utara) — semuanya bisa dinaiki; puncak temboknya lebar, bisa sewa sepeda untuk berkeliling satu putaran penuh.
Sejarah singkat
Sejak Wei Utara beribu kota di Pingcheng, Datong selalu menjadi kota kunci di utara; posisi tembok sekarang menumpuk di atas tembok-tembok era Wei Utara, Tang, Liao, Jin, dan Yuan. Tahun 1372 (tahun ke-5 era Hongwu Ming), Jenderal Besar Xu Da memperluasnya di atas kota lama — tanah padat berbalut bata — dan meletakkan skala hari ini; Datong pun menjadi yang terdepan dari sembilan kota garnisun perbatasan Ming, dijuluki "benteng nan megah" dan "gembok utara".
Pada era Qing dan masa Republik tembok memudar, batanya banyak dipreteli. Mulai 2008 Datong menjalankan proyek kebangkitan kota tua, memugar penuh mengikuti bentuk era Ming, dan tahun 2016 seluruh lingkarnya tersambung kembali. Perdebatan soal pemugaran selalu ada, tapi efek lampu malamnya tak terbantahkan: satu lingkaran kota keemasan terpantul di parit — layak disisihkan satu malam khusus.
Tips berkunjung
Naiklah setelah lampu-lampu menyala — siang hari yang terlihat batanya, malam hari yang terasa wibawanya. Sebagian besar waktu gratis (bawa kartu identitas/paspor); beberapa gerbang atau saat festival lampu bisa berbayar, ikuti ketentuan di lokasi.
Wajib mampirNine-Dragon Screen · terbesar dan tertua di Tiongkok
Jiulongbi Datong · Foto: Wikimedia Commons
Apa ini
Tembok tabir berglasir raksasa di sisi selatan Jalan Dadong di kota tua: panjang 45,5 m, tinggi 8 m, tebal lebih dari 2 m, dengan sembilan naga glasir raksasa menggeliat di antara ombak dan awan. Inilah tembok sembilan naga terbesar sekaligus tertua yang masih ada di Tiongkok — lebih tua tiga ratus tahun lebih dari yang di Beihai, Beijing, apalagi yang di Kota Terlarang.
Sejarah singkat
Sekitar tahun 1392 (era Hongwu Ming), Zhu Gui — putra ke-13 Kaisar Zhu Yuanzhang, pendiri Dinasti Ming — dinobatkan sebagai Pangeran Dai dan bertakhta di Datong; tembok ini adalah tabir di depan gerbang istananya. Perang di akhir Ming meruntuhkan istana menjadi puing, tapi tembok tabir ini justru selamat sampai sekarang — satu-satunya peninggalan istana yang tersisa di atas tanah. Di depannya dibuat kolam pantulan: bayangan naga meliuk mengikuti riak air, "efek animasi" yang memang dirancang orang zaman dulu.
Tips berkunjung
Persis di tepi Jalan Dadong, searah saat keliling kota tua, tiketnya sangat murah. Kesembilan naganya berpose berbeda-beda; setelah puas menatap temboknya, jangan lupa menunduk — "naga air" di kolam pantulan yang meliuk mengikuti riak itulah animasinya.
Sepi turis · fotogenikFahua Temple · satu-satunya stupa putih gaya dagoba di Datong
Stupa putih Kuil Fahua · Foto: Wikimedia Commons
Apa ini
Kuil kecil di pojok timur laut kota tua; intinya adalah stupa putih gaya dagoba bermahkota glasir warna-warni — satu-satunya stupa gaya ini yang masih ada di Kota Datong. Stupa putih berlatar tembok abu-abu dan pilar merah: mungil tapi sangat fotogenik, turisnya pun sedikit — sudut kota tua yang tenang.
Sejarah singkat
Namanya berasal dari Sutra Teratai (Fahua Jing) yang pernah tersimpan di kuil ini; tahun pendiriannya tak ada kepastian, umumnya diperkirakan antara era Yuan dan Ming. Badan stupanya putih, puncaknya berglasir warna, dan di keempat sudutnya berdiri menara-menara kecil — bentuk bernuansa Buddhisme Tibet yang jarang ditemui di Shanxi utara. Aula-aula lain di kuil ini dibangun ulang belakangan mengikuti tata lama; stupanya lah barang antik sejati di sini.
Tips berkunjung
Bisa jalan kaki dari jalur Istana Pangeran Dai; belasan menit sudah selesai dilihat, tapi saat cahayanya bagus stupa putih ini sangat fotogenik. Gratis atau tiketnya sangat murah.
Nikmati saat malamDai Prince's Palace · rekonstruksi istana pangeran era Ming
Gerbang Lingxing Istana Pangeran Dai · Foto: Wikimedia Commons
Apa ini
Istana Pangeran Dai era Ming, dibangun menurut aturan pangeran kekaisaran — tata letaknya meniru istana kaisar dalam skala lebih kecil, dan termasuk istana pangeran terbesar di Tiongkok utara pada masa Ming. Kompleks yang terlihat sekarang adalah rekonstruksi baru di situs aslinya: siang hari tampak seperti bangunan bergaya kuno, malam hari lampunya menyala dengan pertunjukan cahaya — lumayan dinikmati sebagai pemandangan malam.
Sejarah singkat
Tahun 1392 (tahun ke-25 era Hongwu Ming), Zhu Gui, putra ke-13 Zhu Yuanzhang, dinobatkan sebagai Pangeran Dai dan bertakhta di Datong, mengerahkan tentara dan rakyat membangun istana di bekas lahan akademi kekaisaran era Liao-Jin. Garis Pangeran Dai kemudian bertahan di Datong lebih dari sepuluh generasi, dua ratus lima puluh tahun lebih. Perang di akhir Ming memusnahkan istana; bangunan di atas tanah nyaris tak tersisa, hanya tembok sembilan naga di depan gerbangnya yang selamat. Baru belakangan istana dibangun ulang di situs aslinya berdasarkan catatan sejarah, menghidupkan kembali poros tengah masa itu.
Tips berkunjung
Soal "keaslian" bangunan bersejarahnya tak usah terlalu serius — nikmati saja sebagai panggung hidup tentang kehidupan pangeran era Ming. Malam ada pertunjukan cahaya, dan letaknya hanya seberang jalan dari Jiulongbi — searah.
Datang sore hariDongnanyi Historic District · "fosil hidup sistem lifang"
Apa ini
Kawasan bersejarah di sudut tenggara kota tua — susuri Jalan Gulou Timur sampai ujung, itu dia. Di dalamnya ada 18 pekarangan cagar budaya dan 16 bangunan bersejarah; tekstur bata dan kayu tuanya terjaga semua, sementara kafe, pameran seni, toko buku, toko kreatif, dan bar kecil disisipkan ke dalam pekarangan — patina kota lama dan usaha-usaha baru berbaur jadi satu.
Sejarah singkat
Pola jalan papan catur kota tua Datong meneruskan tata kota "sistem lifang" (blok kota) Tiongkok kuno, dan jejak lifang di kawasan Dongnanyi bertumpuk hampir persis dengan kota luar Pingcheng era Wei Utara — karena itulah ia dijuluki "fosil hidup sistem lifang". Pembaruan beberapa tahun terakhir menempuh jalur "renovasi mikro": tanpa bongkar-bangun besar-besaran, tiap pekarangan dipugar satu per satu, yang lama tetap tampak lama, dan fungsi baru diletakkan pelan-pelan ke dalam rumah tua — salah satu contoh revitalisasi kawasan bersejarah paling terkendali di Tiongkok.
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Jadwalkan sore sampai malam: siang bagus untuk foto, malam ada suasana nightlife. Gratis; pas kaki lelah, tinggal duduk minum kopi, keliling pekarangan dan pameran.
Kawasan ini belum punya artikel Wikipedia — maklum, ia baru "hidup lagi" beberapa tahun terakhir.
Museum tingkat kota di distrik baru Yudong; koleksi unggulannya adalah artefak era Pingcheng dari masa Wei Utara — datanglah setelah Gua Yungang, dan kepingan puzzle Wei Utara pun lengkap. Gedungnya yang berbentuk spiral juga layak dilihat.
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Cikal bakalnya adalah Museum Kota Datong yang berdiri tahun 1959 dan lama menumpang di Kuil Huayan Bawah; tahun 2014 pindah ke gedung sekarang di Yudong. Hampir seabad Datong menjadi ibu kota Wei Utara, dan temuan makam era Pingcheng menjadi dasar koleksinya: panel lukis pernis kayu dari makam Sima Jinlong (artefak kelas harta nasional), barisan figurin militer Wei Utara, serta bejana perunggu sepuhan emas dan barang kaca milik bangsawan Pingcheng — bintang-bintang pameran yang tak bisa dilihat di tempat lain.
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Gratis, biasanya perlu reservasi daring lebih dulu; umumnya tutup hari Senin (pastikan sebelum berangkat). Serbu galeri Wei Utara duluan: panel pernis dan barisan figurin dulu, kalau waktunya longgar baru lanjut galeri Liao-Jin.
Kuil Gantung menempel di tengah tebing Puncak Cuiping, Lembah Jinlong di Gunung Hengshan: empat puluhan ruang dan paviliunnya ditopang balok kayu yang ditancapkan ke badan tebing — tiang-tiang di bawahnya kebanyakan hanya hiasan. Kelihatannya genting, nyatanya sudah menggantung lebih dari seribu lima ratus tahun. Yang lebih unik lagi, ia "tiga ajaran satu atap": di Aula Tiga Ajaran di titik tertingginya, Sakyamuni, Laozi, dan Konfusius duduk berdampingan dalam satu ruang — langka di seluruh Tiongkok.
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Didirikan tahun 491 (era Taihe Wei Utara); bangunan yang ada kini kebanyakan hasil pemugaran era Ming-Qing. Memilih tengah tebing bukan sekadar demi spektakuler: dinding tebing menahan hujan, batu menjorok menaungi dari matahari, ketinggian menghindarkan banjir — orang dahulu menghitung tekniknya dengan sangat rapi. Petualang era Ming Xu Xiake datang ke sini dan menyebutnya dalam catatan perjalanannya "pemandangan raksasa dunia"; ukiran dua aksara "Zhuangguan" (menakjubkan) di bawah tebing konon goresan tangan Li Bai.
Hengshan adalah Yue Utara, satu dari lima gunung suci Tiongkok; puncak utamanya, Tianfengling, setinggi sekitar 2016 m. Pada era Shunzhi Dinasti Qing, ritus kenegaraan Yue Utara dipindahkan dari Quyang, Hebei ke Hunyuan — sejak itu Hengshan di Hunyuan resmi menjadi Yue Utara dalam upacara negara.
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Takut ketinggian? Pikir dua kali sebelum naik — jalur papannya sempit dan tebingnya tinggi, tapi dari jauh pun tetap menggetarkan; memotret panorama dari dek pandang di bawah sudah bagus sekali. Paket lazimnya sewa mobil sehari "Kuil Gantung + Pagoda Kayu Yingxian", sekalian mencicipi liangfen Hunyuan versi tanah asalnya.
Nama resminya Pagoda Sakyamuni Kuil Fogong, tinggi 67,31 m — bangunan menara kayu murni tertinggi sekaligus tertua yang masih berdiri di dunia. Seluruh pagoda tak memakai sebatang paku besi pun; puluhan jenis dougong (konsol kayu bertumpuk) saling mengunci lapis demi lapis — puncak tertinggi teknologi konstruksi kayu Tiongkok kuno, tanah suci para pencinta struktur kayu.
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Dibangun tahun 1056 (era Qingning Dinasti Liao) dan dirampungkan pada era Mingchang Dinasti Jin. Dari luar tampak lima lantai dengan enam lapis atap, padahal sebenarnya sembilan lantai — lima terlihat, empat tersembunyi; lantai-lantai tersembunyi itu menyimpan rangka penopang diagonal, rahasia ketahanan gempanya — hampir seribu tahun ia melewati banyak gempa kuat, bahkan tembakan meriam pada masa Republik, dan tetap berdiri. Buddha Sakyamuni besar di lantai satu dan mural era Liao masih terjaga; saat pemugaran 1974, di dalam arca ditemukan simpanan rahasia era Liao — termasuk relik gigi Buddha dan sutra cetakan Liao — yang menggemparkan dunia akademik.
Papan-papan nama di pagoda juga tontonan: Kaisar Yongle menulis "Junji Shengong" (karya dewata nan menjulang), Kaisar Zhengde menulis "Tianxia Qiguan" (keajaiban dunia). Karena badan pagoda sudah miring, saat ini hanya lantai satu yang dibuka.
Tips berkunjung
Kali ini waktunya mepet — simpan dulu sebagai kerinduan. Paket lazimnya sewa mobil sehari "Kuil Gantung + Pagoda Kayu Yingxian"; lengkapi di kunjungan berikutnya.