🏛️ 5A National Attractions
Last verified 30 Jun 2025
Datong boasts 2 国家5A级 scenic areas. They sit 60 km apart but knit together perfectly: a day with 51 000 sandstone Buddhas in the west, and another on North-China's sacred peak where a timber monastery clings to a sheer cliff.
1 Quick Metrics
Total 5A sites
2
Source: mct.gov.cn
Themes
UNESCO Buddhist cave-art • Daoist sacred mountain + cliff-hanging monastery
Contrasting experiences
Entry-fee range
¥ 125 (Hanging-Temple + Mount Heng combo) – ¥ 120 (Yungang)
Both sites have combo tickets
Core hours
08:30 – 17:30 (Yungang) • 08:00 – 17:00 (Hengshan)
Last entry 1 hour before closing
Real-name QR
Required for Yungang Grottoes (WeChat "云冈石窟预约")
Passport/ID mandatory
2 Why It Matters
Northern Wei zenith — Yungang's 45 main caves and 51 000 statues (460-525 AD) mark Buddhism's first colossal art boom on Chinese soil.
Gravity-defying faith — the Hanging Temple, wedged into Hengshan's cliff at 65 m, fuses Daoist, Buddhist and Confucian shrines in one timber lattice that has braved 1 400 winters.
Twin-day circuit — high-speed rail + shuttle put both icons within a 48-hour loop from Beijing or Zhangjiakou—no overnight buses needed.
3 Pro Tips
1
Yungang early light – Book the 08:30 slot; caves 5–6 glow gold until 10:00, shadows later flatten carvings.
2
Skip Cave 20 queue – Enter south side first; loop clockwise to hit the Vairocana colossus after group tours pass.
3
Hanging Temple batches – 30-person catwalk slots every 15 min; buy ¥125 combo (Temple + Hengshan ticket) at monastery gate, then hop temple first, summit second.
4
Wind chill alert – Hengshan summit (2 017 m) feels 10 °C colder; pack wind-shell even in July.
4 The Full 5A List
🏯
Buddhist Caves · Datong
Yungang Grottoes / 云冈石窟景区
UNESCO; 45 major caves, 51 000 statues; ¥120; 08:30–17:30; real-name QR via "云冈石窟预约".
⛰️
Sacred Mountain · Hunyuan
Mount Heng & Hanging Temple / 恒山—悬空寺景区
Beiyue summit 2 017 m; 6th c. temple on 65 m cliff; ¥125 combo; 08:00–17:00.