Yungang Grottoes

UNESCO-listed Buddhist cliff carvings 16 km west of Datong, carved 460–525 CE under the Northern Wei. 252 caves, 51,000 statues.

The Yungang Grottoes were carved into a sandstone cliff over a kilometre long, beginning in 460 CE under the Northern Wei dynasty. The 252 caves contain 51,000 statues, the largest 17m tall. The earliest caves (Tan Yao caves, 16–20) show clear Indian and Central Asian Gandharan influence; the later caves shift to a more Chinese style. UNESCO-listed in 2001. Combine with the Hanging Temple at Mt Heng for a Datong-area weekend.