Yingxian Wooden Pagoda main view
Culture·Verified Trust

Yingxian Wooden Pagoda

Datong, Datong

4.6(2900 reviews)
Wooden Pagoda1000 YearsEngineering

The world's oldest and tallest wooden building - a 67-meter pagoda that has stood without a single nail since 1056.

The Sakyamuni Pagoda of Yingxian is a marvel of engineering: 67 meters of interlocking timber, no nails, no bolts, standing since 1056 - the oldest wooden building on earth. It now leans slightly, which only adds to the awe.

Visitors can no longer climb it, but the ground view and the Buddha statues inside the base are worth the trip from Datong.

Best for: A thousand years of timber, without a single nail.

More in Datong

Yungang GrottoesVerified Trust

Yungang Grottoes

Datong · Culture

4.7

One of the world's great Buddhist cave complexes - 51,000 statues carved into a sandstone cliff.

Buddhist Caves5th CenturyUNESCO
Hanging TempleVerified Trust

Hanging Temple

Datong · Culture

4.8

A temple bolted to a cliff face for 1,500 years - gravity-defying, literally.

Cliff TempleEngineering1500 Years
Feng Lin GeVerified Trust

Feng Lin Ge

Datong · Restaurants

4.5

The Ming-era restaurant of Datong's old city, famous for flower-shaped shumai and the story of its emperor-hungry founder.

ShumaiHeritageOld City