The Yungang Caves reside outside the city of Datong in northern Shanxi Province. The caves are ancient Buddhist grottoes and a UNESCO World Heritage site, appealing to those into history and art.
The Yungang Caves were carved into a sandstone cliff and contain over 51,000 Buddhist statues. The largest of these stands 17m, while the smallest is mere centimeters in height. They were the grandest of China’s three Buddhist grottoes - the others being the Mogao Caves in Gansu and the Longmen Caves in Luoyang.
The Yungang Caves are set out in three sets - east, central, and west - numbering 1 to 51. Ardent historians will need to wander around the grottoes sequentially, although they don’t go from 1 to 51 through time. The oldest are numbers 16 to 20 and caves 1, 2, and 3 were carved last.
Simply wandering at will is generally the best way to see the caves. The 5th century Yungang Caves are open daily and buses run directly to them from Datong.
Getting There & Away
Buses run all day from Datong to the Yungang Caves. The best way to get to Datong is to take the overnight train from Beijing (6 hours). Services run from Beijing’s West (Beijing Xi Zhan) and East (Beijing Zhan) stations. The nearest major airport is in Beijing, a 4 or 5-hour drive along the G112 and G110 highways. Foreigners need to hire cars with drivers.