There is a saying that a person must either read or travel, for either the soul or the body has to be on the road. On the eve of New Year's Day, I determined to follow my heart and embarked on my journey to Datong.

I arrived at Datong with my friends at 7:15 am on New Year's Day. My first impression of the city was its dilapidation. The walls of small restaurants and shops are old, which reminded me of Haidian district in Beijing in my childhood.

After breakfast, we headed to Huayan Temple which seemed more like a small antique museum in Datong. It displayed relics mainly from the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 368-534.); Datong was once the capital of that period. I burned incense at the main hall as always to show my respect to Buddha.

At noon, we ate sliced noodles at a famous restaurant introduced by our driver. The sliced noodles were very authentic. We ate around a pot as big as a bathtub. There were five young men who kept slicing noodles into the pot. They were the most elastic noodles I have ever eaten.

After lunch, we checked in at a hotel and booked double rooms with private bathrooms. The room was surprisingly cheap, charging only 20 yuan each per night.

In the afternoon, we arrived at the Yungang Grottoes. What impressed me most was a Buddha statue carved in the appearance the Wei Emperor Cao Cao. He wore a special robe adorned with numerous Buddhas on it.

The height of the stone Buddhas ranged from two centimeters to 17 meters. I was thrilled by our ancestors' amazing skills. Unfortunately, many outdoor Buddhas were worn away and left only a blurred outline.

The next day a thick mist pervaded Datong. The road was empty as it was still a public vacation period. We made a tight schedule, planning to visit Hengshan Mountain, Hanging Temple and Wooden Pagoda accordingly.

Hengshan Temple was built on Hengshan Mountain, one of the "Five Mountains in China". We prayed in the temple and then started to climb to the summit. The wind grew increasingly strong as we climbed.

After an hour of struggling, we reached the summit of the mountain, 2,017 meters high. I looked down and every valley and mountaintop seemed so small as if I were on a plane. It was 2 pm when we hurried back to our car. We continued our journey to the next stop, Hanging Temple.

Hanging Temple is located at the foot of Hengshan Mountain, hanging off the rock cliff of Jinlong Gorge. Several cabins are suspended, supported by several wooden columns. As winter is a slow season, there were few tourists. We were lucky to enter into the temple, as it is a special place which combines Buddhism, Taoism and Confucian elements together.

Our last stop was Wooden Pagoda in Yingxian county. The whole pagoda was said to be made completely of wood without a single nail. Even so, it has withstood the rigors of time. What a miracle! It started getting dark as we walked along the stairs of the pagoda. When we reached the top I enjoyed the full view of the whole county. It was really a splendid sight!

Finishing our journey, the night fell and we happily returned to Datong city.

Written?by Hua Yu, translated by Wang Suo