Datong Ancient City | The Ultimate Guide

🔔Introduction: Datong Ancient City was originally built during the Northern Wei dynasty. The existing scale was expanded upon the old city foundation by the Ming dynasty general Xu Da. After restoration in 2008, the glory of the 'Northern Wei imperial capital and Ming-Qing stronghold' was revived. ---- 📷Tour Guide: ✅The city wall is 7200 meters long and has four gates: the east gate is Heyang Gate, the south gate is Yongtai Gate, the west gate is Qingyuan Gate, and the north gate is Wuding Gate. ✅Within the ancient city, you can visit in the following order: East Gate (Heyang Gate) ➡️ Fahua Temple ➡️ Taiping Tower ➡️ Guandi Temple ➡️ Daiwang Mansion ➡️ Nine Dragon Screen ➡️ Sipailou ➡️ Bell Tower ➡️ Huayan Temple ➡️ Chunyang Palace ➡️ Drum Tower ➡️ Shanhua Temple ➡️ South Gate (Yongtai Gate) to climb the city wall. ✅Must-visit spots: the three temples of Datong and the Nine Dragon Screen. 1⃣️Huayan Temple: One of the three remaining Liao dynasty temples in China, with exquisite Liao-Jin architecture, colored sculptures, and murals, the entrance fee is 50 yuan. 2⃣️Fahua Temple: Named for the Lotus Sutra stored within its glazed pagoda, it combines multi-ethnic integration with exotic colors. 3⃣️Shanhua Temple: With a complete layout and large scale, it is considered the pinnacle of Liao-Jin temple architecture. 4⃣️Nine Dragon Screen: The foremost of China's three Nine Dragon Screens, the other two are located in the Forbidden City Museum and Beihai Park in Beijing. 5⃣️Daiwang Mansion: A Ming dynasty princely mansion, destroyed by fire during the Chongzhen period, only the Nine Dragon Screen survived. Recently restored and opened to the public, the ticket is 88 yuan (including a live performance), and it is recommended to visit at night. ✅Climbing the City Wall: You can climb the city wall from all four gates, but it is recommended to climb from the south gate, Yongtai Gate, which is the largest and most magnificent, striking directly to the soul, as if traveling back to the era of clashing arms. ✅Recommended Cuisine: 1⃣️Xi Jin Dao: Knife-cut noodles, located near Huayan Temple. 2⃣️Fenglin Pavilion: Baihua shaomai, sweet and sour meatballs, Hunyuan cold noodles, yellow rice cake, Feng braised nest is a limited dish, reservation required, located near Huayan Temple. 3⃣️Beiwei Family Banquet: Sea buckthorn cake, hubing, smoked pork knuckle, fried meat, located near Sipailou. 4⃣️Zini 369: Yanggao rice meatballs, oil-splashed Shan onion youmian, plum dried vegetable braised chicken wings, oatmeal baked eggplant box, located near the Drum Tower. 5⃣️Longju Xiang: Various shaomai, sweet and sour pork loin, roasted pork knuckle, located near the Drum Tower.