Tag Archives: Shanxi province
Better Know a… Province (Shanxi) Posted by sasha on Jul 14, 2014
It’s been a while since our last post in this ongoing series that’s taking us around China one province at a time. Last time, we visited Shandong province – home of Confucius and Tsingtao beer. From there it only makes sense for us to head next to the province that is “West of the Mountains”…
Hanging Monastery and Mt. Heng Video Tour Posted by sasha on Jul 13, 2013
Take a video of the incredible Hanging Monastery and Mt. Heng, two famous sights in Datong, China. The monastery was built over 1,500 years ago in the side of a cliff, 75 meters above ground. Mt. Heng, meanwhile, is one of the Five Great Mountains in Chinese culture. 大同 – dà tóng Datong 悬空寺 –…
Yungang Grottoes Video Tour Posted by sasha on May 25, 2013
Explore one of the three great Buddhist sculptural sites in China at the incredible Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi province. The 200+ grottoes here contain well over 50,000 Buddhas. You’ll have to see it to believe it! 云冈石窟 – yún gāng shí kū Yungang Grottoes 北魏 – běi wèi Northern Wei Dynasty 灵岩寺 – líng…
A Day in Datong Posted by sasha on May 15, 2013
Explore the old city of Datong in China’s Shanxi province in this short video. An overnight train from Beijing will get you there in just over 5 hours. Check out the old neighborhood and the newly rebuilt City Wall, in addition to some other places of interest such as the Drum Tower, Grand Mosque, and…
Sightseeing in Datong Posted by sasha on Apr 24, 2013
While Datong itself is an interesting city with a long history, the main reasons for traveling there lie outside of the city. Most tourists travel here to visit the Yungang Grottoes (云冈石窟 – yún gāng shí kū), one of the three major Buddhist sculptural sites in China. Way back in the day, the Northern Wei…
An Old, New, Old City – Datong (大同) Posted by sasha on Apr 7, 2013
In the northern part of Shanxi province, not far from Inner Mongolia, you’ll find the city of Datong (大同 – dà tóng). Thousands of years ago – during the Han Dynasty circa 200 BC – it was known as Pingcheng (平城 – píng chéng), and it would eventually become the capital of the Northern Wei…
Pingyao Ancient City – Part One Posted by sasha on Apr 29, 2011
Located in central Shanxi province, Pingyao is an ancient Chinese city that was once at the forefront of the Chinese economy during both the Ming and Qing dynasties. Thanks to its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site, this ancient city has retained much of its traditional look and feel. Surrounded by the old city…