Datong - Buddha’s, Buddha’s, Buddha’s

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After the Great Wall we spent our final day in Beijing checking out some of the local markets. We bargained hard and found that if you’re really not interested in what you’re buying and are willing to walk away you can get things for an absolute steal because they chase you down and virtually give it away! We picked up some small souvenirs and Faye got some jewellery.

Later in the evening we headed over to the railway station to catch our first ever sleeper train to Datong. We were in a hard sleeper which consists of small compartments with two sets of three bunks. We were on the bottom bunk so luckily we didn’t have to climb and we could actually sit down without banging our heads on the bunk above or the ceiling. The train set off at 11:30 so it was lights out almost as soon as the train got moving. We settled down and tried to get some sleep. Normally I can sleep with Faye’s snoring but when it’s combined with that of four other people (not to mention all the other compartments) it was not going to be an easy night. I probably managed to get a few hours before we reached Datong at 6:50 and it was a hell of a lot better than sitting or standing!

While we were exiting we walked into a representative for the CITS (China International Travel Service) who was kind of fishing out all the western tourists that were being carried past in the surging crowd. He showed us a tour which would take in the two sights that we came to see and then asked if we wanted to book a sleeper out of there that evening. We planned to stay the night but this seemed a much better option and I’m sure I can get another day’s wear out of these pants! We organised everything with the gent, he showed us where to stash our stuff and we headed out to find breakfast as we had some time before the tour started at 9:00. Mmmm steamed dumplings!

We set off (not promptly, unlike the trains which are impeccably efficient) towards the Hanging Monastery, this lies 75km southeast of Datong and took a few hours, but I fell asleep so it felt like minutes. This monastery is built perilously on sheer cliffs above Jinlong Canyon. It used to reside 100m above the river bed but over time the river has deposited silt, soil and rocks in the canyon (before being dammed) so now the monastery is only 50m up. The monastery dates back more than 1400 years (pretty old) and is resting on beams that are drilled 2/3 of the way into the cliff face with the rest sticking out supporting the buildings. The buildings contain bronze, iron and stone statues of Gods and Buddha’s from Chinas three principal religions/philosophies, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. We walked and climbed all over the monastery following our tour group leader as she described the meaning behind a lot of the statues and artefacts within the different rooms. I was a little disappointed to find out that the monastery literally hangs out on the cliff edge as I thought maybe they would have excavated within the cliff, the part that we see being a front for a much bigger structure within.

After a quick lunch we hopped back aboard the minibus and headed back towards the town. Yungang Caves lie 16km west of Datong. These caves have been cut into the cliffs and contain over 50,000 Buddhist statues (also carved out of the cliffs); they also stretch for about 1km. Our tour guide showed us around the best caves (~caves 5-20) and described the treasures within each. The first one we entered had sitting carved from the stone a colossal seated Buddha over 17m high. Also every wall within the cave was also intricately carved leaving no blank stone anywhere. This pretty much set the tone for every cave we entered. Each had its own story to tell, some were better preserved than others but all were amazing. As expected the light within the caves was quite dim and trying to take pictures of huge statues when you’re standing at their feet in the gloom is quite difficult so no photos could really do them justice. Luckily one of the caves further down had completely eroded away leaving the huge carved Buddha out in the open, just perfect for taking photos. Our tour guide joked that they called him China’s foreign minister as there were photos of him everywhere, in China and abroad.

After the caves we made our way back to the bus and were dropped back off at the train station. We picked up our onward train tickets (yay, bottom bunks again) and headed off to collect our bags back!

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Photos

Yungang Caves
China's Foreign Minister!

Yungang Caves
China's foreign minister!