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Datong Yungang Tourism Festival Opens
The First China Datong Yungang Tourism Festival opened Tuesday in Datong City, in north China's Shanxi Province.
Datong is an ancient town with a rich culture, and was the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) for 97 years.
It is also famous for the Yungang Grottoes, one of the four largest groups of grottoes in China, and the Nine Dragon Wall, built in 1392. The tourism festival is centered on the grottoes.
Sixteen kilometers west of Datong, the Yungang Grottoes were hewn out of a cliffside in a honeycomb pattern 1,500 years ago, forming grottoes that stretch for one kilometer.
There are 1,000 grottoes and some 100,000 Buddhist statues, the largest 17 meters high and the smallest two centimeters.
An official of the organizing committee said the tourism festival will last 20 days, aiming to enhance Datong's status as a major cultural center.
He said that during the festival an exhibition and a seminar on the grottoes will be held, along with various competitions such as mountain climbing, a bicycle race, and dancing and other performing arts.
In addition, 16 sightseeing tours from Datong to nearby scenic and cultural spots will be offered to tourists.
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