Hangzhou Special Forces Budget 2k Shanxi Datong Weekend Trip

🕰️-Itinerary- D0 2215-0020 Hangzhou Xiaoshan - Taiyuan Wusu, stay near Taiyuan Station D1 1007-1146 Taiyuan Station - Datong South Station 1300-1400 Datong - Yingxian: Wooden Pagoda, Jingtu Temple 1600-1700 Yingxian - Datong 1900-2130 Datong Ancient City: Huayan Temple, Bell and Drum Towers, Nine-Dragon Wall, Southeast City D2 830-900 Datong - Yungang Grottoes 1100-1230 Yungang - Hunyuan: Hanging Temple, Yong'an Zen Temple, Yuanjue Temple 1530-1645 Hunyuan - Datong South Station 1719-1936 Datong South Station - Taiyuan South Station 2120-2320 Taiyuan Wusu - Hangzhou Xiaoshan 🚘-Transportation- Main transport: flight from Hangzhou to Taiyuan, high-speed train from Taiyuan to Datong, car rental at the parking lot after arriving in Datong, pick up and return at the same location. ⛰️-Attractions- Yingxian Wooden Pagoda: pure mortise and tenon wooden pagoda, ticket 50 RMB, shuttle bus between parking lot and attraction 10 RMB. Stunning, a highly representative ancient building and pagoda in northern Shanxi. Jingtu Temple: next to the Wooden Pagoda, ticket 15 RMB, the caisson ceiling in the Mahavira Hall is very beautiful and worth seeing. Yungang Grottoes: the main focus of this trip, ticket 100 RMB. Extremely impressive, very well preserved, caves 3 to 20 are large in scale, dating from the Northern Wei dynasty to present, some have later painted decorations, can be complemented with documentaries for repeated appreciation. Hanging Temple: entrance ticket 15 RMB, climbing ticket 100 RMB. Did not plan well and did not buy the climbing ticket in advance, so could only walk around below in the strong wind before leaving. Currently off-season, with low traffic, parking is available at the entrance parking lot. Yong'an Zen Temple: ticket 20 RMB. A simple and ancient temple, the wall painting of Acala in the Mahavira Hall is beautiful, with a nice atmosphere. Yuanjue Temple: ticket 20 RMB. The pagoda inside the temple is beautiful. 🍚-Food- A breakfast in Taiyuan at Old Mom’s Da Lu Noodles, delicious. Two meals of knife-cut noodles and one meal of Shaomai in Datong, also delicious. 💻-Summary- 1. The temperature in Datong dropped several degrees below zero on the second day, combined with biting cold wind, so be sure to keep warm and prepare hats, especially at the Hanging Temple where the valley wind is very strong. 2. The overall difficulty of self-driving is low, highways are basically three lanes with light traffic. The most notable caution is coal trucks with large trailers overtaking recklessly, especially be careful. 3. The night view of Datong Ancient City is beautiful, but Shanhua Temple and Huayan Temple inside the ancient city should be visited during the day (not enough time on this trip). 4. Yingxian Wooden Pagoda can be combined with Hunyuan attractions for a one-day loop (originally planned this way, but time was insufficient on this trip). 5. This trip was indeed off-season, even the busiest Yungang Grottoes were not crowded, providing a very good experience. Yes, the charm of off-peak travel for special forces shows. p1-3 Ancient City and Huayan Temple entrance p4-5 Yingxian Wooden Pagoda p6 Jingtu Temple caisson ceiling p7-13 Yungang Grottoes p14-15 Yuanjue Temple p16-18 Yong'an Zen Temple