History of Datong

Datong was founded as Pingchéng during 200 BC in the Han dynasty. The city of Datong situated near the Great Wall Pass to Inner Mongolia it blossomed during the following period and became a stop-off point for Camel Caravans moving from China into Mongolia and beyond. It was sacked at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Pingcheng became the capital of Northern Wei from 398 AD until 494 AD. The famous Yungang Grottoes were constructed in the later part of this period (460 - 494 AD).