Yungang Grottoes
Da Tong, Shanxi
252 caves and roughly 51,000 Buddhist statues carved into a sandstone cliff face during the 5th and 6th centuries.
Pourquoi visiter Yungang Grottoes ?
Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001, Yungang ranks among China's great Buddhist grotto sites alongside Dunhuang's Mogao Caves and Luoyang's Longmen Grottoes — with noticeably smaller crowds than either.
Comment en profiter
Budget at least half a day; the caves stretch along a cliff face roughly a kilometre long, and the largest statues (Cave 5 and 6) reward slow viewing.
Astuce
Bring a flashlight or use your phone's — some caves are dimly lit and the smaller carved details are easy to miss.