Shanxi

Pingyao City Wall · Photo: lienyuan lee · CC BY 3.0

Cities in Shanxi

1–2 daysPingyao平遥One of China's best-preserved Ming and Qing walled towns.best Apr–Oct

1–2 daysDatong大同The Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Temple on a cliff face.best May–Sep

Top sights

平遥古城Pingyao Ancient City (combined ticket)One of China’s best-preserved Ming and Qing walled towns, with old banks, courtyard houses and temples; a UNESCO World Heritage Site.PingyaoBooking recommended平遥古城墙Pingyao City WallA 6 km Ming dynasty brick wall with 72 watchtowers and barbican gates, giving rooftop views over the whole town.PingyaoBooking recommended日升昌票号Rishengchang Exchange ShopChina’s first draft bank, founded in 1823, where Shanxi merchants invented cheque-like remittances; now a museum of the old banking courtyards.PingyaoBooking recommended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.DatongBooking required悬空寺Hanging TempleA 1,500-year-old temple clinging to a sheer cliff on wooden stilts, shared by Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.DatongBooking required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.Datong