Hanging Temple Datong: A Cliffside Visit
Visit the Hanging Temple near Datong: climbing-ticket booking, autumn opening hours, shuttle and the bus from Datong.
Photo: Snowscat / Unsplash
Contents
The Hanging Temple clings to a sheer cliff in Jinlong Gorge near Hunyuan in Datong prefecture: red timber halls and galleries, three storeys high, held up by 90 wooden pillars of different lengths, with rock behind them and the gorge below. It was first built in 491 under the Northern Wei, rebuilt in later dynasties, and the timber you see today dates from the Ming and Qing periods. Come for the close view of the cliffside architecture rather than a big temple complex; a morning or an afternoon is enough. From late October to mid-November, on a clear day around 11:00, the light draws a huge cursive character for "Buddha" on the cliff above the Three Teachings Hall for about 20 minutes.[1]
Decide whether to climb
Entry and the climb onto the galleries are two separate tickets. Entry costs 15 yuan (8 yuan half price) and the climbing ticket, called 登临 (dēnglín) in Chinese, costs another 100 yuan (50 yuan half price). If the elevated walkways are what you came for, secure the climbing ticket first, because the daily supply is limited. Visitors aged 60 and over climb with a free ticket.[2]
Things to Do
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GetYourGuide partner offers. GoAsia may earn a commission if you book through these offers. Check whether tickets or transfers are included, and follow the attraction's official booking and admission rules.
Climbing tickets and reservations
Since 2 October 2026, 2,000 of the 2,475 daily climbing tickets are released online, in two batches of 1,000.[3] You can book on the evening before your visit between 20:00 and 23:00, or on the day itself between 07:20 and 18:00. Tickets go on sale up to seven days ahead, buyers are checked by face recognition, and each account can buy one climbing ticket order a week and two a month.[2]
Foreign visitors and visitors from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have 100 online tickets a day, sold through Trip.com. The 475 tickets sold at the gate on the same day are reserved for specific groups such as serving soldiers, disabled visitors and students, and foreign visitors are not among them.[3] Book ahead, especially at weekends and on public holidays.
Autumn hours and the shuttle
Since 8 October 2026 the Hanging Temple is open 08:00 to 17:00, tickets are sold 07:30 to 16:30, and shuttles leave the visitor center for the temple between 07:30 and 16:30.[4] The shuttle runs 07:30 to 17:30 from May to September and 08:00 to 16:00 from November to February.[5]
Getting there from Datong
Everyone buys tickets at the Hengshan Visitor Center and rides the scenic-area shuttle for the last stretch, which costs 20 yuan per person. Parking at the visitor center is free. Datong city bus 901-1 leaves from the corner of Weidu Avenue and Zhenxing Street every 15 minutes between 06:00 and 18:30 and takes about 2 hours to the visitor center. Bus 901-2 leaves from the Bus Company No. 6 depot every 30 minutes between 06:20 and 17:00 and also takes about 2 hours. Returning buses leave the visitor center from 05:50 (901-1) and 06:20 (901-2). By car, the visitor center is 53 km from Datong South Railway Station (about 1.5 hours on the national road) and 67 km from Datong Railway Station (about 1 hour 35 minutes).[5]
The scenic area answers travel questions on 0352-8333077 and ticket questions on 0352-8333031 (Chinese-speaking staff).[2]
Plan the day around the shuttle
The visitor center, the shuttle and the gallery climb are three separate steps, so start early and keep the afternoon for the ride back. For broader route planning, use the China travel guide.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] Hengshan Scenic Area Management Center: “A remarkable sight”: Hanging Temple architecture feature. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- [2] Hengshan Scenic Area Management Center: Ticket information for Hengshan Scenic Area. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- [3] Hengshan Scenic Area Management Center: Notice adjusting online reservations for Hanging Temple climbing tickets. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- [4] Hengshan Scenic Area Management Center: Notice on autumn operating hours for Beiyue Hengshan Scenic Area. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- [5] Hengshan Scenic Area Management Center: Transport guide and visitor-center routes. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a compact group of red timber halls and galleries built against the cliff in Jinlong Gorge near Hunyuan in Datong prefecture, three storeys high and held up by 90 pillars. The main draw is the architecture and its cliffside setting.
No. Entry costs 15 yuan and the climbing ticket for the galleries costs another 100 yuan (half price 8 and 50 yuan). Visitors aged 60 and over climb with a free ticket.
Tickets go on sale up to seven days ahead. You can book on the evening before your visit between 20:00 and 23:00, or on the day itself between 07:20 and 18:00.
Yes. 100 online tickets a day are reserved for foreign visitors and visitors from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, sold through Trip.com. Foreign visitors cannot use the same-day tickets sold at the gate.
Since 8 October 2026 the Hanging Temple is open 08:00 to 17:00. Tickets are sold 07:30 to 16:30, and shuttles leave the visitor center between 07:30 and 16:30.
Take Datong bus 901-1 or 901-2 to the Hengshan Visitor Center, about 2 hours, then the scenic-area shuttle to the temple. Bus 901-1 runs every 15 minutes between 06:00 and 18:30, bus 901-2 every 30 minutes between 06:20 and 17:00.
Book your climbing ticket in advance, start early and buy your tickets at the visitor center. The scenic area answers travel questions on 0352-8333077 and ticket questions on 0352-8333031.
