Located at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain, Yungang Grottoes in Datong is regarded as one of the Three Most Famous Grottoes in China together with Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang and Longmen Grottoes in Henan. Extending 1 km from east to west, covering an area of more than 18,000 square meters, there are 45 main caves, 209 subsidiary caves, over 1,100 niches and over 51,000 stone statues in existence.

Yungang Grottoes was built in 450, during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). All the Bodhisattvas and the engravings on pagoda pillars are lively, vividly and delicate designed which show the art of Buddhism grotto in China. Among all the statues, the tallest one is 17 meters high while the shortest only of a few centimeters high. What's more, with the history of more than 1500 years, some of them still retain the original color.

The royal families and the noble families financed to build the magnificent Yungang Grottoes. The grottoes consists of three parts: the east part, the middle part and the west part. The grottoes in east part was the oldest ones, which are mainly about the pagodas. The grottoes in the middle part have a front chamber and a rear chamber, with the leading statue of Buddha settled in the middle. Meanwhile beautiful reliefs are carved on the walls and the ceilings, which make the whole part much more delicate. The grottoes in the west part were built later than the other two and focused on the medium-sized or small grottoes.

The artistic style of Yungang Grottoes is regarded as the beginning of Chinese grotto art and were widely used in the later grottoes. The Buddha statues not only show the traditional art of China but also incorporate the artistic styles of India, Persia and other countries. The unique skills is the synthesis of traditional Chinese art with the beneficial elements from Gandhara art, expressing the precious material for researches in Chinese ancient carvings, architecture, music and religion.

In Yungang Grottoes, visitors could see a great variety of religious figures such as Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, disciples and Dhammapalas. As a historical monument with the history of over 1500 years, Yungang Grottoes was listed as the World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. Also as a cultural card of Datong City, it is the place should not be missed during the tour.