Yungang Grottoes Caves & Pingyao Tours
4-day tour of UNESCO World Heritage
sites of
Yungang Grottoes, Hanging Temple, The Qiao Courtyard and
Pingyao
Highlights:
� Tour the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage
Site and an incredible example of ancient Buddhist art
and carvings
� Discover the ancient town of
Pingyao, one of the only
cities in China to maintain its ancient city walls and
streets. Being here will transport you back in time to
the China of yesteryear. The city is something of a
living museum
� Walk along the Hanging Monastery, one of the most
curious and interesting places in China. Depicted in
numerous travel magazines and shows, the Hanging
Monastery, set against a large mountain cliff, is a
paradigm of the ingenuity of ancient Chinese
architecture and design
TOUR CODE:
PY-08
What Pingyao and Yungang Grottoes
Give You:
Pingyao, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an
exceptionally well-preserved traditional Han Chinese city.
Its city walls, old temples and courtyard houses were built
in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Located on the old trade
route between Beijing and Xi'an, Pingyao was one of the
flourishing trade centers in northern China. It was here,
where China's first banks were set up in the early 18th
century which rapidly developed into a widespread network of
banks all over the country. One of China's four most famous
"Buddhist Grottoes", Yungang Buddhist Grottoes are 16
kilometers west of Datong. 53 caves are cut into the
southern cliffs of Wuzhou Hill which contain over 50000
magnificently carved Buddhist statues.
One of China's four most famous "Buddhist
Grottoes", Yungang Buddhist Grottoes are 16 kilometers west of
Datong. 53 caves are cut into the southern cliffs of Wuzhou Hill
which contain over 50000 magnificently carved Buddhist statues.
DAY-BY-DAY DETAILED ITINERARY:
�B� for Breakfast
Day 1 Beijing-Pingyao (by train)
You will take the overnight train K603 (17:07-04:32) or 1163
(19:03-7:31) from Beijing to Pingyao. You will have a soft
sleeper compartment, so you will sleep in comfort and peace
during your train trip.
Day 2 Pingyao (B)
Upon arrival at the train station, you will be met by your
local English-speaking guide, and he/she will take you to your
hotel, which is in the style of a traditional courtyard. For
much of today�s touring, we will be walking within the ancient
town of Pingyao, which is built in the style of traditional
Chinese urban planning, which includes 4 main streets, 8 narrow
roads, and 72 smaller lanes, all of which for a neat and logical
grid.
We�ll come across the Ri Sheng Chang bank, which was the scene
of China�s modern banking and commercial business. As early as
in 1824, Ri Sheng Chang bank had begun its business. Within a
few years of its founding, its branch banks were rapidly
distributed to Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and Liaoning Provinces.
Branch banks were also set up in such big cities as Beijing.
Today, people can still trace its great prosperity of the bank
groups nicknamed as the "Asian Wall Street" from the remaining
bank and shop buildings along the West Main Street in ancient
Pingyao City.
You�ll have the chance to walk along Pingyao�s ancient city
wall, which is one of the only cities (along with Xian) in China
to have its city wall intact. Built with rammed earth inside and
brick and stone outside, the ancient city walls measure 10
meters high and 6162.7 meters long with 3-5 meters wide tops.
Except the southern wall, which zigzags a bit according to the
land contour, the other three walls all go straight, making the
city area a square one. One city gate was built each to the
southern to northern walls and two city gates were built each to
the western and eastern walls. All six city gates have gate
towers and inside gates attached to them. A watchtower was built
on the wall top every 50-100 meters away, totaling 72
watchtowers in all along the four walls. From the wall you will
have a great view of the ancient city center.
Day 3 Pingyao - Qiao Family Compound - Datong (B)
After breakfast in the hotel we'll make the 6 hour drive to
Datong. On our way to Datong we'll first stop at the Qing Family
Compound. This extensive compound was originally constructed in
1756 by Qiao Guifa, who made his fortune selling tea and bean
curd in Inner Mongolia. He returned to his hometown in Qi County
and built his dream house, which was then expanded by later
generations of Qiao's. This magnificent complex is laid out in
the shape of the Chinese xi character, meaning "double
happiness." After entering through the main gate, one finds
oneself on a long path leading to the main hall, which is the
family's ancestral hall. This path divides the compound into
southern and northern sections. Both halves have three
courtyards each, and these six courtyards in turn include 20
smaller courtyards, 313 rooms, and a number of gardens spread
out over a two-acre piece of land. The compound impressed
visitors not just for its size but also for the exquisite
craftsmanship displayed in the brick carvings, woodwork, murals,
and inscribed tablets. The wide variety of different roof styles
is particularly interesting to see, and there are over 140
chimneys in the compound, each having its own design. Zhang
Yimou's popular film, Raise the Red Lantern, was filmed here.
When we get near to Datong city we will also visit the famed
Hanging Monastery. Perched precariously halfway up a cliff some
50 meters above a river, the Hanging Monastery is one of the
most remarkable sights in China. Consisting of a complex of 40
rooms linked together by mid-air corridors and walkways, this
remarkable monastery appears to be glued to the side of a sheer
precipice. Known as "Xuankong Si" in Chinese--"Temple Suspended
in the Void"--this architectural wonder was built in 490 and has
been hanging here for 1400 years. It has been renovated a number
of times, most recently in 1900, and much of the current
structure dates from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
We will then arrive in Datong, and we should have some time to
visit the old quarter of the city and the Nine Dragon Screen, a
600-year-old screen made of glazed tiles and depicting nine
dragons. This is the oldest glazed screen in China. In front of
the screen is a long, narrow pool of clear water. When reflected
in the pool when there is a light breeze, the dragons really to
appear to be dancing and cavorting. We'll then go to your hotel
for the night, the 4-star Datong Hotel, or accommodation of
similar repute.
Day 4 Datong- Yungang Grottoes - Beijing (B, by train)
Following breakfast, we will go to the signature attraction
of Datong, the Yungang Grottoes. They are excellent examples of
rock-cut architecture and one of the three most famous ancient
sculptural sites of China. The others are Longmen and Mogao.
The site is located about 16 km south-west of the city, in the
valley of the Shi Li river at the base of the Wuzhou Shan
mountains. The grottoes were mainly constructed in the period
between 460-525 AD during the Northern Wei Dynasty. They are an
outstanding example of the Chinese stone carvings from the 5th
and 6th centuries. All together the site is composed of 252
grottoes with more than 51,000 Buddha statues and statuettes. In
2001, the Yungang Grottoes were made a UNESCO World Heritage
Site, the Yungang Grottoes is considered by UNESCO a
"masterpiece of early Chinese Buddhist cave art... [and]
...represent the successful fusion of Buddhist religious
symbolic art from south and central Asia with Chinese cultural
traditions, starting in the 5th century CE under Imperial
auspices."
The work on this first period of carving lasted until the year
465 AD, and the caves are now known as caves 16�20. Beginning
around the year 471 AD, in a second construction phase that
lasted until 494 AD, the twin caves 5/6, 7/8, and 9/10 as well
as the caves 11, 12, and probably 13 were constructed under the
supervision and support of the imperial court. The imperial
patronage ended 494 AD with the move of the Wei court to the new
capital of Luoyang. All other caves emerged under private
patronage in a third construction period, lasting until 525,
when the construction came to a final halt due to uprisings in
the area.
Since the end of the works, the sandstone of the grottoes is
exposed to heavy weathering. The ensuing centuries therefore saw
several attempts to preserve the caves and to repair sustained
damage. During the Liao Dynasty the caves saw some renewing of
statues and the buildup of the "10 temples of Yungang" from 1049
to 1060, that were meant to protect the main caves. However,
they were destroyed again just some 60 years later in a fire.
1621, during the early Qing Dynasty, brought the construction of
the wooden buildings that still can be seen in front of the
caves 5 and 6. Since the 1950s, cracks in the sandstone have
been sealed by grouting, and there are efforts to reduce the
weathering due to sandstorms by forestation.
You'll then be taken to the Datong train station, and you'll
take train # K730 (12:22-18:42), and you'll arrive back in
Beijing that evening.
 Ask a quick question here
or book a tour:
|
|
