China: Datong – Huayan Temple

Huayan Temple is the main attraction within the expanse of the restored Datong Old City – some of the structures here are original and nearly 1000 years old – as such, it is one of the largest and best-preserved architectural complexes from Liao and Jin dynasties in China. The temple is divided into an upper section featuring one of the nation’s most expansive wooden Buddhist halls and a lower section renowned for its thousand-year-old clay sculptures. There is also a 43m-tall wooden pagoda with panoramic views and beneath it is a 500-sq-m underground palace made entirely of copper, housing Buddhist relics.