A province packed with treasures

The Hanging Monastery is not the only place worth visiting in Shanxi. Since ancient times, the province has been an important religious and commercial center of China. The city of Datong in the north of Shanxi was a capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 386-534). There are two UNESCO listed heritage sites in the province with one of them, the Yungang Grottoes, a mere 80 kilometers from the Hanging Monastery.

The Yungang Grottoes are the largest example of their kind in the world. The 250 hand-carved caves with more than 50,000 Buddha statues of different sizes are outstanding masterpieces of ancient Chinese rock carving art. Although many statues have suffered heavy damage, there are hundreds of Buddhas in dozens of the grottoes still in good condition. It is easy to imagine how stunning the site must have been 1,500 years ago.

The sandstone in which the grottoes are skillfully carved, makes the rock temples look comfortable and welcoming. In the 17th century, wooden temples were built in front of some of grottoes and the statues inside were painted. Visitors can still enjoy the bright colors. The cave walls look like charming 3-D paintings with no space wasted. These fascinating images spoke to me of stories from ancient times and the peacefulness of the site made me want to stay longer.

The Hanging Monastery and Yungang Grottoes are a small part of the many treasures hidden in Shanxi province. I would like to visit the province’s tallest and oldest wooden pagoda that is almost 1,000 years old, its scenic ice cave and the many other attractive sights it offers. Shanxi, I look forward to seeing you again!