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Datong Museum
The Datong Museum documents the history of Datong as the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (398-493 CE) and the subsequent Sui and Tang Dynasty periods.
Datong · history museum2026-10-27
Quick Answer
Is Datong Museum worth visiting?
The museum of the ancient capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty — providing context for the Yungang Grottoes and the Pingyao connection. Allow 1 hour.
Quick facts
| Category | history |
|---|---|
| Ticket | Free. |
| Hours | 9:00-17:00. Closed Mondays. |
| Recommended duration | 1 hour. |
| Best time to visit | April-October. |
| How to get there | Bus routes 1, 2, 15 to Datong Museum stop. |
| English signage | Partial |
Why visit
Datong was Pingcheng, capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (398-494) — the court that commissioned the Yungang Grottoes — and later a secondary capital under the Liao and Jin. The museum's Northern Wei tomb figurines, Buddhist sculpture and Liao-Jin era finds give the context that makes a Yungang visit far more meaningful.
Collection highlights
- Northern Wei tomb figurines — processions of painted pottery figures excavated from Northern Wei tombs around Datong
- Northern Wei Buddhist art — sculpture and fragments contemporaneous with the Yungang Grottoes
- Liao and Jin dynasty artifacts — from Datong's later era as the Western Capital (Xijing)
- Nine-Dragon Wall context — the Ming dynasty glazed screen a short walk from the museum
Tips
- Visit the museum before the Yungang Grottoes — the Northern Wei context changes how you read the caves
- Free entry; bring your passport
- Pair with the Nine-Dragon Wall and the Huayan Temple in the old city
Frequently asked questions
Can I combine Datong Museum with Yungang Grottoes in one day?
Yes — Yungang Grottoes is 17km from Datong city and takes 2-3 hours. Datong Museum is in the city center and takes 1-2 hours. Visit the museum first for context, then go to Yungang Grottoes in the afternoon. High-speed trains connect Datong to Beijing (4 hours) and Pingyao (2 hours).
What is the connection between Datong Museum and the Yungang Grottoes?
Datong was the Northern Wei Dynasty capital. The museum contextualizes Yungang Grottoes — the Yungang Buddhist art was created during the same period (460-525 CE) when Datong served as the Northern Wei capital. TheNine-Dragon Wall (九龙壁) in Datong city is also worth visiting.
What is the Nine-Dragon Wall in Datong and is it worth visiting?
The Nine-Dragon Wall (九龙壁) in Datong is a 45m-long glazed tile screen wall built in 1392 during the Ming Dynasty — the oldest and largest of its kind in China, once the front screen of the Prince Dai mansion. It depicts nine dragons in colorful glazed tiles and is free to view in Datong's city center, a 10-minute walk from Datong Museum. It is one of the three most famous nine-dragon walls in China (the other two are in Beijing, at Beihai Park and the Forbidden City). Datong is a 4-hour high-speed train ride from Beijing.
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Other things to do in Datong
Hanging Temple (Xuankong Temple)
A 1,500-year-old temple fused into a sheer cliff face 75 meters above the ground — the only temple in China combining Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian halls. ¥130. 1–1.5 hours.
Huayan Temple
A pair of Liao-dynasty (907–1125) wooden temples holding one of China's largest surviving ancient halls and a celebrated 1,000-year-old smiling bodhisattva. ¥65. 1.5–2 hours.
Mount Wutai
Holiest Buddhist mountain — 53 temples, Manjusri bodhisattva's seat. UNESCO site. ¥135 entry. Cool summer retreat at 3,058 m. From Datong or Taiyuan.
Nine-Dragon Wall
China's oldest and largest Nine-Dragon Wall — 45.5 m of Ming glazed tile built in 1392 for a prince's mansion, viewable in about 30 minutes. Pair it with Huayan Monastery around the corner.
Yingxian Wooden Pagoda (Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple)
A 67-meter all-timber pagoda built in 1056 without a single nail — the oldest and tallest surviving wooden pagoda in the world, 70 km south of Datong. ¥60.
Yungang Grottoes
51,000 Buddhist statues carved into 252 caves across a 1 km sandstone cliff — the largest 5th-century rock-cut temple complex in the world. UNESCO. ¥120. 3–4 hours.