Datong is the second largest city in Shanxi, and is known by the locals as the coal capital (Meidu) for a good reason. Datong coal is everywhere: tons of it powering the whole of Shanxi and other cities beyond, piles of it chugging along the roads around town in Soviet style off-blue trucks, smears of it discovered on a face-wiped handkerchief. The city is one of China's most polluted and not only asthma sufferers should think twice before spending any amount of time in the city. Industrial and economic development has bounded in great leaps since the communists came to power in 1950, and huge swathes of the city have been altered into concrete. Despite all this travellers still have a few huge incentives to visit Datong, incentives that are all related to the town's ancient past.Lying in the northern area of Shanxi Province, Datong was originally, over 2,200 years ago, founded as a military stronghold, holding out the hordes that frequently pushed south from Mongolia. If you are interested there still remain a number of dilapidated watchtowers on the Great Wall about 40km north of the city at the inter-provincial border. The city was often raided, the Mongols were often repelled, and the city took on a rough border town look.It was not until 1,600 years ago that the city's luck turned. A group of nomadic Turkish people, the Toba, setting up their Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 AD), decided to establish their capital at Datong. The Toba were to become fanatic Buddhists, as is shown from the carvings in the Yungang Grottoes, and by their later work in the Longmen Caves when the capital was moved to Luoyang in 494 AD. The Yungang Grottoes, although much removed from their former glory, are still one of the most impressive cave sights in China.The city fell from imperial favour for a few centuries, but regained importance in 916 AD when the city was again made capital, this time of the Buddhist Liao Dynasty (916-1125 AD), and this continued on into the ensuing Jin Dynasty (1115-1234 AD). Buddhist temples from this era are what remain of the Liao & Jin Buddhist belief, who helped establish or improve the Huayan Monastery, the Shanhua Temple and Hengshan Mountain's Hanging Monastery. These sights still remain today.

Bank

Post office:

Hospital:

Police Station:

　　please dail 110

Airport

　　At present, despite the airport that can be found to the south of town, there are no flights to the city. It may be worth asking - most likely flights will be from Beijing and Guangzhou - in the city you are in if the service has been resumed.Those wishing to leave the city by air can try the Datong Air Service Company (Tel: 0352-2044039) at 1 Nanguan nanjie, who will give you information, and who are able to book flight tickets other than from/to Datong.

Railway station　

Datong boasts a well developed system of railway transport, probably because of its vast major coal reserve. The city is linked to Beijing as well as other major provincial cities in Shanxi Province by the Beijing-Baotou railway line and Datong-Fenglingdu railway line (a route usually taken by the trans-Siberia trains). Travelling longitudinally is the Datong-Lianyungang railway line.The railway station lies on the northern outskirts. Train tickets can be hard to get, especially for those to Xi'an. CITS can help you to obtain tickets, although there will be a commission placed on their services. The CITS office is within the railway station, or in the Yungang Hotel.

Bus station

City transport

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