Clio -
Thank you for all your help with our vacation planning. We had a fabulous time - even with my Dad's little side tour to the hospital.
We would like to send a letter of praise about our tour guide, Simon, to his boss. Can you tell me who to send it to?
Please tell Simon that we said hello and that he should hurry and get his own email account so we can keep in touch :)
Thanks again for all your help!
David, Maria, Casey, Lisa, and Michael Schwegel
and Jil Crosier
Datong, located at the northern part of Shanxi province, is one of the old and famous historical and cultural cities in China. It covers a total area of 14,112.56 square kilometers, and averages at 700 to 1,400 meters in altitude.
Datong is a city with a long history. It was the political, economic and military center of ancient North China. It attracted many people from various places for trade or business. These prosperous days left Datong with a series of splendid historic and cultural relics like Yungang Grottoes and Hanging Monastery.
The famous mountain Hengshan is in Datong, it is one of the five holy mountains of Taoism. Datong has been listed one of the hottest tourist cities in China, and the best time to visit Datong is July and August.
Datong is an eight hour away by train from Beijing,the second largest city in Shanxi Province, situated in the far north, near the border with Inner Mongolia.In a valley at Yungang, some 10 miles west of Datong and easily reached by taxi or public bus, more than 50 recesses have been dug into the hills and filled with Buddhist statues of various sizes and shapes, 51,000 altogether. From the 56-foot Seated Buddha to tiny figures just a few centimeters tall, every wall and archway is crammed with carvings, including serial-type representations of scenes from Buddhist mythology and the lives of famous monks.
Huayan Temple
The Huayan Temple lies in the southwest comer of Datong.,is the largest and most perfectly preserved temple of the Liao (916-1125) and Jin (1115-1234) dynasties in China.
The Nine Dragon Screen
The Nine Dragon Screen is the oldest one, located in Datong city, Shanxi Province. It was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Hanging Monastery
The temple hangs on the west cliff of a hill with over 50 meters above the ground, hence Hanging Monastery.
The Wooden Pagoda
Yingxian Wooden Pagoda was first built in 1056 during the Liao Dynasty . It is the oldest wooden Buddhist pagoda in existence.
Yungang Grottoes
The Yungang Grottoes are known as one of the three major cave complexes in China, with the other two being the earlier Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang in Gansu and the later Longmen Caves at Luoyang in Henan.
Shanhua Temple
Shanhua Temple is so called the South Temple because it lies in the southern section (Nan mian) of town, just within the confines of the old city walls.That temple covers greatly area, the courtyard is broad, and the buildings are grandiosity. The monastery sits in the north faces to south.
Tour Testimonials
