After Returning from Datong, I've Completely Demystified Kyoto, Japan

This place was once the imperial city of Northern Wei Dynasty and the auxiliary capital of Liao and Jin Dynasties, a "treasury of ancient architecture" that Liang Sicheng visited four times for research in Shanxi. With over 30 densely distributed national heritage sites, it truly deserves the title "open-air museum of cultural relics"!

🚉【Transportation Guide】
🚗 Self-driving: Direct access via Beijing-Datong Expressway, 4.5 hours through millennia of history
🚄 High-speed rail: 2 hours via Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway (Beijing North/Qinghe → Datong South)
✈️ Flight: Datong Yungang Airport connects to 21 cities

🏛️【Three-Day Cultural Feast】
Day1️⃣ Stone Cave Art Tour
Yungang Grottoes → Southeast Historical District → Grand Mosque

Day2️⃣ Museum and Art Journey
Datong Museum → "Three Venues" Cultural Area (Library/Art Gallery/Grand Theater) → Shanhua Temple → Nine Dragon Screen

Day3️⃣ Ancient Architecture Pilgrimage Route
Huayan Temple → Jingtu Temple → Yingxian Wooden Pagoda (1-hour drive)

📍【Must-Visit Cultural Landmarks】
❶ Yungang Grottoes｜🎫120
"Milestone of Chinese cave art" with 45 caves and 59,000 statues, witnessing Buddhism's eastward spread and Hun-Han cultural fusion. Some statues from the "Five Caves of Tan Yao" are now housed in museums abroad, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

❷ Huayan Temple｜🎫50
A royal temple of Liao and Jin Dynasties. The Main Hall features a rare "column-reduction" structure, while the Bhagavata Sutra Hall houses the "Smiling Bodhisattva with Palms Together," praised by Guo Moruo as the "Oriental Venus."

❸ Shanhua Temple｜🎫Free
A masterpiece of Jin Dynasty colored sculptures, with 34 statues in flowing robes. The mineral pigments like cinnabar and malachite remain vibrant after 800 years.

❹ Datong Museum｜🎫Free
Among its 170,000 collections, the lacquer paintings from Sima Jinlong's tomb of Northern Wei and the glazed coffin of Liao Dynasty are "national treasure" level artifacts.

❺ Nine Dragon Screen｜🎫Free
A remnant of the Ming Dynasty Prince's Mansion and the foremost of China's three existing Nine Dragon Screens. Its 9 coiling dragons composed of 426 glazed components predate the Forbidden City's Nine Dragon Screen by over 300 years.

❻ Jingtu Temple｜🎫15
One of Yingxian County's three treasures, its Jin Dynasty caisson ceiling uses an octagonal "dou-ba" structure. Each layer of the octagonal caisson is carved with celestial palaces, creating a "miniature heavenly palace."

❼ Yingxian Wooden Pagoda｜🎫48
The world's oldest existing wooden pagoda (67.31 meters), and a real-world location featured in "Black Myth: Wukong" game. The entire pagoda employs 54 types of bracket structures, aligning with the philosophical concept that "Dao begets one, one begets two."