Mount Heng (Northern Sacred Mountain)
北岳恒山 · Běiyuè Héng Shān
The northern of China’s Five Great Mountains, with Taoist temples strung along the cliffs above the Hanging Temple valley; a cable car saves most of the climb.
Booking recommendedBring your passport3–4 hours on the mountain
Tip
Do the Hanging Temple first thing, then take the cable car up Mount Heng and walk down past the temples; it is windy and cool up top, so bring a layer.
- Opening hours
- Temple area: May–Sep 08:00–17:30; Mar, Apr and Oct 08:00–16:30; Nov–Feb 08:30–16:00. Cable car: May–Sep 08:00–18:00; Mar, Apr and Oct 08:00–17:00; Nov–Feb 08:30–16:30. Ticket office and shuttle buses start 30 minutes before opening
- Price
- Temple area ¥45; cable car about ¥90 up, ¥80 down To be confirmed
- How to book
- Online tickets are sold in the WeChat mini program “北岳云游” (up to 7 days ahead), mainly for Chinese ID holders; with a foreign passport, buy at the visitor-centre counter. Outside holidays it rarely sells out. To be confirmed
- Getting there
- About 65 km southeast of Datong in Hunyuan County, a few kilometres up the valley from the Hanging Temple. Car with driver or day tour, usually combined with the Hanging Temple
- Address in Chinese
- 山西省大同市浑源县恒山风景名胜区
Photo: Charlie fong · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Checked against these sources on 2026-09-27. Rules change often, so confirm on the official site before you go.
Not yet confirmed by an official source: Price, How to book
More in Datong
云冈石窟Yungang GrottoesSome 250 caves and 51,000 statues carved in the 5th century by the Northern Wei, including giant seated Buddhas open to the sky.悬空寺Hanging TempleA 1,500-year-old temple clinging to a sheer cliff on wooden stilts, shared by Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.应县木塔Yingxian Wooden PagodaThe world’s oldest and tallest all-wood pagoda, 67 m high and built in 1056 without a single nail.大同古城墙Datong City WallA 7 km restored Ming wall circling the old town, with gate towers and barbicans; walk or cycle the top.