First an imperial capital， then an industrial coal mining town filled with skyscrapers and luxury apartments， and finally a refurbished historic site—well， almost. While it may be an oversimplification， this timeline explains why， upon entering Datong in northern Shanxi Province， you’re confronted with a hodgepodge of construction sites， rehabbed Ming Dynasty （1368-1644） structures， and an inescapable pungent odor. After reading that the city was on the tail end of a more than 1 billion yuan restoration project， I expected to find a majestic， ancient but new town filled with people dressed in traditional costumes for old time’s sake， manning quaint shops and tea houses. Instead， I arrived at 6 a.m. to find half of a city wall looming out of nothingness. I discovered empty shells of three-story Tang Dynasty （618-907） -style buildings waiting for shopkeepers to move in their tawdry replicas of antique jewelry and souvenirs. Sites erected more than a millennium ago have swelled more than three times their original size with made-to-look-old additions. Chinese brand names fill the main strip， but many of the storefronts are vacant. Old， crumbling churches and stone homes sit among piles of rubble， their somber facades half-hidden behind the bright blue gates marking construction zones. The fact is， Datong is teetering somewhere between two existences and has been for some time. It’s a city that， since its very early history， has been conquered and rebuilt over and over again： once， because of the Mongols； then， because of modernization. Now， it’s a government attempt to reclaim something of the past： the liveliness and the green landscape of a town culture rich in Daoism， Buddhism and Confucianism and famous for a delicious shaved noodle. You’ll still find most of that here， although transition is still in progress. Two days is perfect for passing through Datong， located only a six-hour overnight train ride from Beijing. Spend one day touring the Yungang Grottoes （云冈石窟 Y%ng`ng Sh！k$）， where enormous stone Buddha carvings from the 5th and 6th centuries still stand tall and proud. Test your grit at the Hanging Monastery （悬空寺Xu1nk4ng S#）， followed by a hike up Heng Mountain （恒山 H9ng Sh`n）. Go in December and the tip of your nose will be so cold， you’ll barely notice the industrial perfume wafting down from the coal factory， and you’ll be clambering up the narrow staircases of the Hanging Monastery alongside fewer tourists. Trust me： when you’re suspended a gut-dropping 75 meters high， you’ll want to have the whole place to yourself. 　　10：00 hanging monasTery While you can take a bus here from the Datong Qiche Zhan （大同汽车站， Datong Bus Station） for 26 RMB one way， it may be more convenient to hire a car from the hostel. For a group of five， it will cost 60 RMB for about a two-hour journey there and back， but if the driver asks you if you would like a detour to a not-so-famous section of the Loess Plateau， be sure to refuse. The road to the Hanging Monastery is rather uneventful， as is arriving at the structure—this time， the site isn’t preluded by anything. Pay 120 RMB and walk across the rickety bridge before climbing up a few flights of steps to reach the more than 1，500 year old structure protruding from Cuiping Peak （翠屏峰）. This trip isn’t for you if you’re claustrophobic or fearful of heights： you must squeeze through its narrow walkways and staircases that maze around its 40 tiny rooms to reach its main mid-air balcony， （thankfully） suspended by stilts. If you can peel your eyes away from the sheer drop， you can admire the wooden beds and small shrines that make up the rooms in the monastery. Don’t worry， it won’t send you tumbling despite the way it looks： its support structure is hidden in the bedrock and has gone through a multitude of repairs since its initial construction. 15：00 CiTy Wall On your way back from the monastery have your driver take you to the Datong City Wall. It costs 30 RMB for a 30 meter stroll along the top and access to an art gallery within the bowels of the newly built， concrete structure. The original wall， partly constructed as early as the Northern Wei， was mostly destroyed during the Cultural Revolution， but the former defense wall around the center of Datong is slowly rising up again. If you have to miss it， chances are， you’ll see its soaring watchtowers on the way to the Hanging Monastery， making for grandiose views， before you continue to the dusty loess landscapes. 16：00 Fahua monasTery Just west of the City Wall is the Fahua Monastery （法华寺 F2hu1 S#）， which was built in the final phase of the Yuan Dynasty （1271-1368） and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty， but was， later， mostly destroyed. What you will see is the 2008 reconstruction， but don’t let that make you pass it up. Its White Tower and its Hall of Heavenly Kings （天王殿 Ti`nw1ng Di3n）， which houses statues of the Four Great Heavenly Kings （风调雨顺四大天王 F8ngti1o Y^sh&n S#d3 Ti`nw1ng） who are said to bring good weather for crops， are worth a look. 17：00 noodle numBer TWo Before heading back to Old Town for some shopping， stop at the Datong Museum （大同博物馆 D3t5ng B5w&gu2n） to learn about the city’s history. Once back on the main strip， you can browse the stalls for souvenirs and cheap accessories， and it’ll be hard to pass up the fragrance of chuanr （串儿， Chinese Kebab） without nabbing a sample while you’re at it. Unravel 2 RMB on Xinjiang-style noodles （烤面筋 k2omi3njin） for yet another take on pasta. These curlicue snacks are covered in lajiao（辣椒 red pepers） and sesame seeds before they’re barbecued， ready to eat in under a minute. 18：30 raBBiT head dinner Make Elmer Fudd proud and top off your evening with a Datong delicacy， tutou （兔头， rabbit’s head）， at any one of the small restaurants lining Shuaifu Jie （帅府街）. A little spicy and very oily， these meaty skulls will only set you back about 5 RMB. For a bunny meal that’s a little less dizzying， be sure to try the Rabbit Flower Dumplings （兔肉百花烧卖 t&r7u b2ihu` sh`om3i） at Feeling Restaurant.