Datong

One of China's nine ancient capitals, Datong served as the capital of the Northern Wei dynasty and later as a secondary capital under the Liao and Jin dynasties, leaving this large Shanxi city with a historically dense centre. The Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site, lie just outside the city, while the surrounding highland terrain — bordered by the Hengshan mountains and crossed by the Sanggan and Yu rivers — frames the wider area.

• Population1,850,000
• Nearest water from center 1.0 km0.6 mi
• Nearest mountain from center 26 km16 mi