4-Day Cultural Tour of Datong and Pingyao in Shanxi

Your private guide will be holding a sign with your name, and waiting for you at the exit of the train station / airport. A comfortable private car (non-smoking), and experienced driver will be ready. You will explore the main attractions in Datong city.

The Datong Nine-Dragon Screen Wall is the oldest and largest glazed screen in China. A screen wall is a traditional Chinese architectural feature, used for block the view from the front gate.

Huayan Temple is not far from the Nine-Dragon Screen Wall. It has the world's second largest wooden pagoda. Under the pagoda there is an underground Thousand Buddha Palace, which is made of pure copper. It is all copper from the ceiling to the floor.

Lunch will be arranged in a local social restaurant, and your tour guide will assist you to make the order, so you can taste the most authentic local food.

In the afternoon you will visit one of the biggest Buddhist grottoes in China - the Yungang Grottoes . We will arrange a battery cart at the attraction, so you can avoid the long walk between grottoes and have more time to see the statues.

After the day trip, have a good rest in your hotel, and prepare for the adventures of the next day. Your guide will be happy to recommend some local restaurants near you hotel for your dinner.

Accommodation
Garden International Hotel (4-star)/ Shanxi World Trade Hotel (5-star)

"Wang's Family Compound and Shuanglin Temple

It takes about 5½ hours by car from Datong to Pingyao, but don't worry: you won't feel boring on the way! After breakfast in your hotel, drive 1½ hours to the Hanging Temple.

True to its name, the Hanging Temple is hanging on a cliff. Ancient people built this temple to store food and water for people who passed by, and accepted three major Chinese religions, so that travelers of those religions could stay there.

Why built so high? It followed a requirement of Taoism: "Do not hear the rooster crow and dog bark." It meant the temple had to be built in a quiet place, far from noisy living.

Lunch will be arranged near the Hanging Temple, and then you will head to the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda. As a UNESCO site, the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda is the oldest and tallest surviving wooden structure in China.

After the pagoda travel by highway directly to Pingyao, and check in at your hotel in Pingyao Ancient Town.

Accommodation
Hongshanyi Inn (4-star)/ Yunjincheng Folk Hotel (5-star)
Most hotels and hostels in the ancient town are in traditional Chinese style, you will see antique courtyard and wooden furniture, and even have a chance to experience sleeping on a "kang"-- heatable brick bed that popular in North China. Extra quilt can be required to soften the bed.

Wake up in your traditional-Chinese-style room. It's better to start the day with the Ancient City Wall. If you are a photographer, sunrise at the Ancient City Wall is a great chance to grasp the charm of the ancient town.

The core history of Pingyao Ancient Town is the history of Chinese banking system. Rishengchang Former Bank was the first draft bank in China. There you will learn how the banking system was born, and how it developed until the first bank was defunct.

Lunch will be arranged in a local restaurant.

To protect the tangible currency, armed Escort Companies came into being. The Armed Escort Company Museum shows how this special business was formed and how it was run, and also introduces the top 10 escort companies and top 10 guards - they were all kung fu masters.

Mingqing Street area, which is the most prosperous area in the ancient town. The lanterns are all on at night, and it is very lively there in the evening.

Accommodation
Hongshanyi Inn (4-star)/ Yunjincheng Folk Hotel (5-star)

After breakfast in your hotel, your guide will be waiting for you in the lobby on time. You will explore the rich culture outside of the ancient city wall.

Driving for 10 minutes, you will visit the Shuanglin Temple first. The Shuanglin Temple is considered to be the "unrestored glory" of Pingyao, and it has over 2,000 colored mud sculptures preserved under its humble-looking roofs. Every sculpture has its own face and expression, and each of them is a rare treasure.

Then you will drive in a southerly direction for one hour to the Wang Family Courtyard. Lunch will be arranged in a local restaurant on the way - your tour guide will assist you with reading the menu and ordering the dishes, and you will taste the most authentic local food.
Lunch will be arranged in a local restaurant.

The Wang Family Compound is about 1½ hours from the ancient town. It is the former residence of the Wang family - a reputable official's family that lived there for over 300 years. Its total area is about 25 ha. (62 ac.), with 123 courtyards and 1,118 rooms. The structure of the compound embodied the different status of men and women, masters and servants.

After your trip, your guide and driver will drive you to the train station and say goodbye.