Huayan Temple of Datong, Shanxi, China
4.0 (144 reviews) Monday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent Ranking #3 in Datong Religious Sites
Beautiful view
This is in the middle of the Ancient City, a very large Temple complex, 50RMb entrance fee. If I recall correctly, almost the entire place is a rebuild for <15 years ago, in fact almost all the Ancient City is a modern rebuild. If you like Chinese Temples, go have a look see. It’s the same pattern and architecture you’ll see at almost all Chinese Temples, so if you don’t have the time to have a look, you’ll be okay. Two cool parts, they have a relic of the Buddha in the underground part of a Temple, his finger bone. There is also a huge Temple you can climb up and get a great view of the city. As Temple complexes go, it’s very well done, lots of photo opportunities. If you have the time, go have a look.
Address
Daxi Street, Urban Area, Datong 037004 China
Working hours
Monday : 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday : 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday : 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday : 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday : 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday : 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday : 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Current local date and time now
Monday, April 29, 2024, 19:03
User Ratings
4.0 based on (144 reviews)
Reviews
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4L920 5:00 PM Dec 2, 2019
Location inside Datong City Wall
This place located within Datong city wall. You can find this very easy within walking distance closed byt to the city tower and shopping area. Nearby also you can visit in the same time the 9 dragon screen and moslem mosque, and many other that i can't remember... if you have time you can give a visit.
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4gregsf11 5:00 PM Sep 17, 2012
Glad I didn't read the reviews before I went
Had I read them, it might have discouraged me. But there was time after the day tour to the Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Monastery, so we went to see this temple, and we were glad we did. The view from the top was fantastic, it was refreshingly uncrowded unlike the temples in Beijing which are overrun with camera-toting tourists, and it was lovingly restored. The basement with the brass buddhas was really special. It certainly seemed that way to the lamas praying there at the time we were there. All in all, I liked it better than the Lama Temple in Beijing. Some complain that it's overly restored, but you know, nothing lasts forever, and restoration work is nothing new. In one of the Buddhist grottoes in China, there's a cave with inscriptions indicating the collection of money for the restoration of the statues- dating from 1035 AD. By that time, the grottoes were 400 years old, and probably showing signs of wear. Yet of course we still regard the site as sacred and authentic. So if something is restored in 1035 (after a few hundred years), that's OK. But if something is restored a few years ago (after a few hundred years of decay), that's not? I'm not sure I buy that logic. If that were true, then barely anything is authentic, unless we just let it fall to pieces. Nah, if you try to keep it true to the original and do a good job of the restoration -and I think they did with this temple -then I think it's great.
