[20-Person Small Group] Datong Yungang Grottoes - Huayan Monastery - Datong Museum

▲ Huayan Monastery is located within the ancient city of Datong. Originally built during the Liao Dynasty (1038 AD), it stands as one of China's largest and most well-preserved temple complexes from the Liao and Jin periods. The monastery is renowned for its "Oriental Venus" Liao Dynasty sculptures in the Sutra Hall, the giant murals of the Mahavira Hall, and its celestial pavilions. Facing east in accordance with the Khitan people's sun-worshipping tradition, it was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1961.

▲ Located 17 kilometers west of Datong in Shanxi Province, at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain, lies an awe-inspiring grotto complex carved into the mountainside. Stretching approximately 1 kilometer from east to west, this magnificent site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. Alongside the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, Longmen Grottoes of Luoyang, and Maijishan Grottoes of Tianshui, it forms China's "Four Great Grottoes" - this is the Yungang Grottoes.

▲ Datong Museum, a national first-class museum, houses over 170,000 cultural relics, including more than 3,000 precious artifacts. Its collection is renowned for showcasing the cultural characteristics of northern ethnic minorities, frontier strongholds, and religious traditions, with a special focus on the historical integration of ethnic groups during the Northern Wei, Liao, and Jin dynasties. As a prefecture-level museum, its rich and valuable exhibits rival those of any provincial museum. Particularly impressive are its pyramid-shaped display cases and immersive lighting, making it exceptionally suitable for viewing and photography—far surpassing most museums.