Datong
Encyclopedia
Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi
Province of North China, located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing
with an elevation of 1040 metres (3,412.1 ft). It has a population of 3,318,057 at the 2010 census of whom 1,447,150 live in the built up area made of 3 out of 4 urban districts (City
, Mining
and Nanjiao).
Near here was the Beidi
kingdom of Tai which was conquered by the Zhou dynasty
in 457BC. It bordered on the Hu nomads and traded in horses. Tai was later a commandery or county.
The town was founded as Píngchéng (平城) in 200 BC during the Han Dynasty
, after the Battle of Baideng between the Han and the Xiongnu
. Located 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
(云冈石窟 Yúngāng Shíkū) were constructed during the later part of this period (460 – 494 AD).
The city was renamed Datong in 1048 AD and sacked again at the end of the Ming Dynasty
(1649 AD), but promptly rebuilt in 1652 AD.
to the northwest and Hebei
to the east. Neighbouring prefectures within Shanxi are Shuozhou
and Xinzhou, with Ulanqab in Inner Mongolia and Zhangjiakou
in Hebei also bordering Datong.
The well-known Datong Volcanic Arc lies nearby in the Datong Basin.
, monsoon
-influenced steppe climate (Köppen
BSk), influenced by the elevation of above 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft), with rather long, cold, very dry winters, and very warm summers. Monthly mean temperatures range from -10.6 °C in January to 22 °C (71.6 °F) in July; the annual mean temperature is 6.97 °C (44.5 °F). Due to the aridity and elevation, nighttime lows are often significantly lower than daytime highs, with an annual mean diurnal temperature variation
of 13.3 C-change. There barely is any precipitation during winter, and more than ¾ of the annual precipitation occurs from June to September. The area receives upwards of 60% (2670 hours) of the possible amount of sunshine per year.
The Yungang Grottoes
, or Cloud Ridge Caves (云冈石窟 Yúngāng Shíkū)are a collection of shallow caves located 16 km west of Datong. There are over 50,000 carved images and statues of Buddhas and bodhisattvas within these grottoes, ranging from 4 centimeters to 7 meters tall. Most of these icons are around 1000 years old.
Within the city itself, there are a few surviving sites of historical interest such as the Nine-Dragon Wall
, the Huayan Monastery(华严寺 Huá Yán Sì), and the Shanhua Temple
(善化寺 Shàn Huà Sì). Further afield is the Hanging Temple
(悬空寺 Xuán Kōng Sì) built into a cliff face near Mount Heng
. Most of the historical sites in this region date to the Tang and Ming dynasties, but the Hanging Temple dates to the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534).
The railway locomotive works (see below) began to attract increasing numbers of railway enthusiasts from the 1970s. When construction of steam locomotives was phased out, the authorities did not want to lose this valuable tourism market, and pondered the possibility of developing a steam railway operating centre as an attraction. A number of study visits were undertaken to the East Lancashire Railway
at Bury
, and a twinning arrangement was concluded with that town.
The GDP per capita was ¥17,852 (US$2,570) per annum in 2008, ranked no. 242 among 659 Chinese cities. Coal mining is the dominant industry of Datong. Its history and development are very much linked to this commodity.
Development zones
Datong Economic and Technological Development Zone
Due to its strategic position it is also an important distribution and warehousing center for Shanxi, Hebei and Inner Mongolia.
Datong is an old fashioned coal mining city in China, and still sits on significant reserves of this commodity. Consequently it has developed a reputation as one of China’s most polluted cities. The Datong Coal Mining Group is based here and is China’s third largest such enterprise. Datong is indeed however an emerging economy, as the city seeks to loosen its dependence on coal, introduce more environmentally friendly and efficient methods of extraction and move into other areas of business services. Local government has continued to upgrade its pillar coal sector (and related industries like coal chemicals, power and metallurgy), while also developing "substitute industries" such as machinery manufacturing, tourism and distribution, warehousing and logistics services. This has had some impact. Datong's GDP grew by 5.1 percent in 2008 to RMB56.6 billion.
While coal will continue to dominate, Datong has been identified as one of the key cities requiring redevelopment, with part of this being in environmental cleanup, rehabilitation and industrial refocusing. Datong is a pilot city for rehabilitation studies following years of pollution. To this end it has already struck up strong relationships with other cities worldwide with similar backgrounds, and has begun plans, for example, to develop a tourism base focused on steam engine technology with antique locomotives to be used along designated tracks.
Datong has a large railway locomotive works 'Datong locomotive factory
', where the 'Aiming Higher' class of steam locomotive was built as late as the 1970s, steam locomotive production ended in the late 1980s and the plants main products (as of 2010) is main line electric locomotives
with: Bury
, Greater Manchester
, United Kingdom Ōmuta
, Fukuoka
, Japan
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
Province of North China, located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
with an elevation of 1040 metres (3,412.1 ft). It has a population of 3,318,057 at the 2010 census of whom 1,447,150 live in the built up area made of 3 out of 4 urban districts (City
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
, Mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and Nanjiao).
History
Beidi
Beidi or Northern Di were groups of people who lived to the north of what was then China during the Zhou Dynasty. By the end of the dynasty they were mostly conquered or absorbed by the Chinese....
kingdom of Tai which was conquered by the Zhou dynasty
Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 BC, a period known as...
in 457BC. It bordered on the Hu nomads and traded in horses. Tai was later a commandery or county.
The town was founded as Píngchéng (平城) in 200 BC during the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
, after the Battle of Baideng between the Han and the Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
. Located 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
Northern Wei
The Northern Wei Dynasty , also known as the Tuoba Wei , Later Wei , or Yuan Wei , was a dynasty which ruled northern China from 386 to 534 . It has been described as "part of an era of political turbulence and intense social and cultural change"...
from 398 AD until 494 AD. The famous Yungang Grottoes
Yungang Grottoes
The Yungang Grottoes are ancient Chinese Buddhist temple grottoes near the city of Datong in the province of Shanxi. They are excellent examples of rock-cut architecture and one of the three most famous ancient Buddhist sculptural sites of China...
(云冈石窟 Yúngāng Shíkū) were constructed during the later part of this period (460 – 494 AD).
The city was renamed Datong in 1048 AD and sacked again at the end of the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
(1649 AD), but promptly rebuilt in 1652 AD.
Geography
Datong is the northernmost city of Shanxi, and is located in the Datong Basin. The urban area is surrounded on three sides by mountains, with passes only to the east and southwest. Within the prefecture elevations generally increase from southeast to northwest. The prefecture ranges in latitude from 39° 03' to 40° 44' N and in longitude from 112° 34' to 114° 33' E. Datong borders Inner MongoliaInner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
to the northwest and Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
to the east. Neighbouring prefectures within Shanxi are Shuozhou
Shuozhou
Shuozhou is a city in the north of Shanxi Province in North China, located on the upper reaches of the Fen River. As of 2004, its population is approximately 1.25 million, and the city has an area of approximately 5,737 square kilometres. Administratively, Shuozhou is a prefecture-level city, with...
and Xinzhou, with Ulanqab in Inner Mongolia and Zhangjiakou
Zhangjiakou
Zhangjiakou, also known also by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province of North China, adjacent to Beijing to the southeast. Its administrative area has a population of 4.35 million, and covers...
in Hebei also bordering Datong.
The well-known Datong Volcanic Arc lies nearby in the Datong Basin.
Climate
Datong has a continentalContinentality
Continentality is the tendency of land to experience more thermal variation than water, due to the land's lower specific heat capacity. Continental climate also tends to be dryer than oceanic climate as there is less moisture input to the atmosphere from evaporation...
, monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
-influenced steppe climate (Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
BSk), influenced by the elevation of above 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft), with rather long, cold, very dry winters, and very warm summers. Monthly mean temperatures range from -10.6 °C in January to 22 °C (71.6 °F) in July; the annual mean temperature is 6.97 °C (44.5 °F). Due to the aridity and elevation, nighttime lows are often significantly lower than daytime highs, with an annual mean diurnal temperature variation
Diurnal temperature variation
Diurnal temperature variation is a meteorological term that relates to the variation in temperature that occurs from the highs of the day to the cool of nights.-Temperature lag:Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation...
of 13.3 C-change. There barely is any precipitation during winter, and more than ¾ of the annual precipitation occurs from June to September. The area receives upwards of 60% (2670 hours) of the possible amount of sunshine per year.
Administrative divisions
The Mining District (矿区, Kuàng Qū) is largely made up of separate mines throughout the metropolitan area.| Map | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2003 est.) | Area (km²) | Density (/km²) |
| 1 | City District Chengqu District, Datong Chengqu District, Datong is a district of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Datong city.-References:*... |
城区 | Chéng Qū | 580,000 | 46 | 12,609 |
| 2 | Mining District Kuangqu District, Datong Kuangqu District is a district of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Datong city.-References:*... |
矿区 | Kuàng Qū | 440,000 | 62 | 7,097 |
| 3 | Nanjiao District Nanjiao District Nanjiao District is a district of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Datong city.-References:*... |
南郊区 | Nánjiāo Qū | 280,000 | 966 | 290 |
| 4 | Xinrong District Xinrong District Xinrong District is a district of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Datong city.-References:*... |
新荣区 | Xīnróng Qū | 110,000 | 1,006 | 109 |
| 5 | Yanggao County Yanggao County Yanggao County is a county of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Datong city.-References:*... |
阳高县 | Yánggāo Xiàn | 290,000 | 1,678 | 173 |
| 6 | Tianzhen County Tianzhen County Tianzhen County is a county of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Datong city.-References:*... |
天镇县 | Tiānzhèn Xiàn | 210,000 | 1,635 | 128 |
| 7 | Guangling County Guangling County Guangling County is in the northeast of Shanxi province, China. It is under the administration of Datong city. Guangling is a basin surrounded by Taihang Mountains. The temperature ranges from -34℃ to 38.2℃, average 7℃. Guangling has nine township level divisions. Famous tourist attractions... |
广灵县 | Guǎnglíng Xiàn | 180,000 | 1,283 | 140 |
| 8 | Lingqiu County Lingqiu County Lingqiu County is a county of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Datong city.-References:*... |
灵丘县 | Língqiū Xiàn | 230,000 | 2,720 | 85 |
| 9 | Hunyuan County Hunyuan County Hunyuan County is a county of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Datong prefecture-level city.-References:*... |
浑源县 | Húnyuán Xiàn | 350,000 | 1,965 | 178 |
| 10 | Zuoyun County Zuoyun County Zuoyun County is a county of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Datong city.-References:* -External links:*... |
左云县 | Zuǒyún Xiàn | 140,000 | 1,314 | 107 |
| 11 | Datong County Datong County, Shanxi Datong County, Shanxi is a county of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Datong city.-References:*... |
大同县 | Dàtóng Xiàn | 170,000 | 1,501 | 113 |
Tourism
Yungang Grottoes
The Yungang Grottoes are ancient Chinese Buddhist temple grottoes near the city of Datong in the province of Shanxi. They are excellent examples of rock-cut architecture and one of the three most famous ancient Buddhist sculptural sites of China...
, or Cloud Ridge Caves (云冈石窟 Yúngāng Shíkū)are a collection of shallow caves located 16 km west of Datong. There are over 50,000 carved images and statues of Buddhas and bodhisattvas within these grottoes, ranging from 4 centimeters to 7 meters tall. Most of these icons are around 1000 years old.
Within the city itself, there are a few surviving sites of historical interest such as the Nine-Dragon Wall
Nine-Dragon Wall
A Nine-Dragon Wall or Nine-Dragon Screen is a type of screen wall with reliefs of nine different Chinese dragons...
, the Huayan Monastery(华严寺 Huá Yán Sì), and the Shanhua Temple
Shanhua Temple
Shanhua Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Datong, Shanxi Province, China. The temple was first founded during the early 8th century of the Tang Dynasty, but its earliest surviving building dates from the 11th century. The temple was heavily repaired over the years, and today three original...
(善化寺 Shàn Huà Sì). Further afield is the Hanging Temple
Hanging Temple
The Hanging Temple or Hanging Monastery is a temple built into a cliff near Mount Heng in Hunyuan County, Shanxi province, China. The closest city is Datong, 65 kilometers to the northwest. Along with the Yungang Grottoes, the Hanging Temple is one of the main tourist attractions and historical...
(悬空寺 Xuán Kōng Sì) built into a cliff face near Mount Heng
Mount Heng (Shanxi)
Heng Shan or Heng Mountain in Shanxi Province is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism. At 2,017 m, it is one of the five tallest peaks in China Proper. Heng Shan in Shanxi Province is sometimes known as the Northern Heng Shan, and the one in Hunan Province as Southern Heng Shan...
. Most of the historical sites in this region date to the Tang and Ming dynasties, but the Hanging Temple dates to the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534).
The railway locomotive works (see below) began to attract increasing numbers of railway enthusiasts from the 1970s. When construction of steam locomotives was phased out, the authorities did not want to lose this valuable tourism market, and pondered the possibility of developing a steam railway operating centre as an attraction. A number of study visits were undertaken to the East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway
The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.-Overview:After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line was reopened on 25 July 1987. The initial service operated between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat. In 1991 the service was extended...
at Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, and a twinning arrangement was concluded with that town.
Economy
Development zones
Datong Economic and Technological Development Zone
Due to its strategic position it is also an important distribution and warehousing center for Shanxi, Hebei and Inner Mongolia.
Datong is an old fashioned coal mining city in China, and still sits on significant reserves of this commodity. Consequently it has developed a reputation as one of China’s most polluted cities. The Datong Coal Mining Group is based here and is China’s third largest such enterprise. Datong is indeed however an emerging economy, as the city seeks to loosen its dependence on coal, introduce more environmentally friendly and efficient methods of extraction and move into other areas of business services. Local government has continued to upgrade its pillar coal sector (and related industries like coal chemicals, power and metallurgy), while also developing "substitute industries" such as machinery manufacturing, tourism and distribution, warehousing and logistics services. This has had some impact. Datong's GDP grew by 5.1 percent in 2008 to RMB56.6 billion.
While coal will continue to dominate, Datong has been identified as one of the key cities requiring redevelopment, with part of this being in environmental cleanup, rehabilitation and industrial refocusing. Datong is a pilot city for rehabilitation studies following years of pollution. To this end it has already struck up strong relationships with other cities worldwide with similar backgrounds, and has begun plans, for example, to develop a tourism base focused on steam engine technology with antique locomotives to be used along designated tracks.
Datong has a large railway locomotive works 'Datong locomotive factory
Datong locomotive factory
Datong locomotive factory is a Chinese railway locomotive manufacturing plant based in Datong, Shanxi, China, founded 1953. The factory was a major producer of steam locomotives for the Chinese market up to the end of the 1980 when production switched to diesel powered locomotives...
', where the 'Aiming Higher' class of steam locomotive was built as late as the 1970s, steam locomotive production ended in the late 1980s and the plants main products (as of 2010) is main line electric locomotives
Main Enterprises In Datong
- Datong Coal Mine Group(The third biggest coal-mining enterprise in China)
- Datong Electric Locomotive Co.,Ltd, (DELC) (The second biggest Elec-Locomotive enterprise in China)
- Shanxi Diesel Engine Industries Corporation,Ltd,CNGC
- Shanxi Synthetic Rubber Group Co.,Ltd,CNCC
- GD Power Datong No.2 Power Plant
- GD Power Datong Power Generation Co., Ltd
- Shanxi Datang International Yungang Co-generation Co., Ltd.
- China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Datong Gear CO.,LTD
Transportation
- China National Highway 208China National Highway 208China National Highway 208 runs from Erenhot, Inner Mongolia to Changzhi, Shanxi province. It is 990 kilometres in length and runs south from Erenhot towards Shanxi province.-Route and distance:-External links:*...
- China National Highway 109China National Highway 109China National Highway 109 connects Beijing with Lhasa. It runs westwards of Beijing via Datong, Yinchuan and Xining to Golmud before turning southwest to Lhasa...
- Jingda ExpresswayJingda ExpresswayThe Jingda Expressway is an expressway in the People's Republic of China, starting from Beijing and ending in Datong, in Shanxi province. It is 334 km in length and was completed in full on November 16, 2002....
- Dayun ExpresswayDayun ExpresswayDayun Expressway is the largest expressway structure in China's Shanxi province.It enters Shanxi as the Xuanda Expressway until approaching Datong , becoming the Dayun Expressway afterwards. It ultimately ends at Rongcheng .The expressway passes through Datong, Shuozhou, Taiyuan, Lüliang,...
- Huda Expressway
- Datong AirportDatong AirportDatong Beijiazao Airport is an airport serving the city of Datong in Shanxi Province, China. It is located east of the city near the town of Beijiazao. Construction started in 2001 with an investment of 290 million yuan, and the airport opened in December 2005. The airport is currently being...
Major schools
- Datong No.1 Middle School(大同市第一中学)
- Datong No.2 Middle School(大同市第二中学)
- Datong No.3 Middle School(大同市第三中学)
- BeiYue Middle School
- Datong Experimental Secondary School(大同市实验中学)
- The No.1 Middle School of DCMG(Datong Coal Mine Group)(同煤一中)
- Datong No.14 Elementary School(大同市第十四小学)
- Datong No.18 Elementary School(大同市第十八小学)
- Datong Experimental Elementary School(大同市实验小学)
Communication
South of Datong, there is at 39°56'43"N 113°15'7"E a VLF-transmitter of the Chinese Navy. The station has as interesting feature that 4 of its masts look like an inverted "V"-letter.Twin towns — sister cities
Datong is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, United Kingdom Ōmuta
Omuta, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 127,126 and the density of 1,558.87 persons per km²...
, Fukuoka
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
, Japan
Further reading
- Cotterell, Arthur (2008). The Imperial Capitals of China: An Inside View of the Celestial Empire. Pimlico, London. ISBN 9781845950101.