Hanging Temple and Yungang Grottoes.

June 3, 2023, sunny Day 5 of our 6-day, 5-night road trip from Lanzhou to Shaanxi and Shanxi We set off at 6:30 am from the Yingxian Toll Station → Hunyuan West Toll Station in Datong (CNY 14.78) → Tianshen Line → Hanging Temple (CNY 24 + 200) → Hunyuan West in Datong → Datong Toll Station (CNY 25.65) → Yungang Grottoes (CNY 273) → Datong Toll Station → Jinjie Toll Station in Shenmu, Yulin, Shaanxi (CNY 182) → Hanting Hotel in Dabaodang Town, Shenmu, Yulin (CNY 250) (584 km) We visited the Hanging Temple at 8 am. The Hanging Temple, originally called Xuankong Pavilion, is located on the cliff of Mount Heng in Hunyuan, Datong, Shanxi. It was built in the late Northern Wei Dynasty, more than 1,500 years ago. The Hanging Temple consists of one courtyard, two buildings, and three parts. Each part has three floors, with a total of 40 pavilions and halls. The entire building is supported by vertical and horizontal wooden beams. These support points were carefully calculated by the ancients, and the location was chosen to receive 3 hours of sunlight per day to reduce sun exposure (it is recommended to visit the Hanging Temple in the morning). The Longxian Bridge connecting the South Building and the North Building is 10 meters long. A building was built on the bridge, a hall was built inside the building, and a Buddha statue was enshrined in the hall. This is the most dangerous and ingenious part of the entire building. It is the painstaking efforts of the ancients that created this unique aerial pavilion that has been suspended for thousands of years without falling. The Hanging Temple integrates mechanics, aesthetics, and religion to achieve perfection. This Chinese treasure is worth a visit. We visited the Yungang Grottoes at around 1 pm. The Yungang Grottoes are located on Mount Wuzhou in Datong, Shanxi. Originally called Lingyan Temple and Shifo Temple, it is one of the four famous grottoes in China. The construction began in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and it was the first grotto authorized by the royal family. It has gone through the Wei, Qi, Sui, and Tang dynasties. There are 45 main grottoes and more than 50,000 stone statues. Unlike other grottoes with statues in the style of the Wei, Jin, and Tang dynasties, the statues in the Yungang Grottoes have a strong Western style, with a strong Hu style and Hu charm. They have Indian and Central Asian artistic elements, as well as Greek and Roman architectural shapes and decorative patterns, making them unique in grotto art. The large statues in the Yungang Grottoes are majestic, while the small statues are diverse, with dance and acrobatic postures full of life. There are statues of couples and mothers and children sitting together, fully reflecting the political status of women at that time. A guided tour is recommended to fully understand the historical background and aesthetic achievements of the statues.