Nine-Dragon Screen in Datong

Nine-Dragon Screen, Datong, Shanxi Province

Nine-dragon Screen

The Nine-Dragon Screen in Datong is reputed to be the largest of its kind in China with a long history of over 600 years (The others are to be found in The Forbidden City and Beihai Park in Beijing). Originally built in 1392, it was the screening wall for a prince's mansion during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644).

The grand screen stands eight meters high (26 feet) to the south of Heyang Jie (Heyang Street) in the city and about 45 meters (148 feet) in length. Nine color-glazed flying dragons on the screen are composed of over 400 pieces of bright-colored glazed tiles in red, yellow, peacock blue, purple, and other overtones. The middle dragon is sitting on the axis of the mansion with other eight dragons flanked in pairs on each side. On the foundation of the screen, all sorts of sacred animals are represented, including elephant, tiger, lion, deer, horse, and kylin. The screen is listed as an important provincial relic site in Shanxi Province.

Admission Fee:	Opening Hours
Opening Hours:	9:00 to 16:50
Recommended Time for a Visit:	One and a half hours
Bus Route:	4

Mt. Hengshan

Mt Hengshan is one of the five most famous mountains in China known as the honored Bei Yue. It lies 60 kilometers south of the Datong City in Shanxi Province. Famous for its beautiful sceneries and precarious cliffs, the mountain is also a holy mountain for Taoists. It is said that Zhang Guolao, one of the Eight Immortals in Tao, cultivated himself on the mountain and reached immortality.

Admission Fee: CNY 56 for entrance charge and temple groups
CNY 45 for cable car
Opening Hours: 9:10 to 16:50
Recommended Time for a Visit: One and a half hours