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Photo: Underbar dk, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
AAAAA Tourist Attractions of China. Tianlongshan Grottoes is a series of 25 caves carved into the mountainside of Tianlong Mountain and well known among Chinese art experts for the fine Buddhist statues and decorations which were sculpted within. The earliest of these caves were built during the Eastern Wei Dynasty (534-550), and additional caves were added in the Northern Qu, Sui, and Tang Dynasties. Grottoes 2 and 3 are the oldest in the complex, dating back nearly 1500 years. The largest and most impressive grotto is the ninth one, a multi-storied cave with several large Buddha statues and covered by an intricate three-story wooden pavilion, the Manshan Pavilion. As of October 2018, it's closed for renovation and construction; it should be open around the 2019 May Day holiday. Even the guards won't accept money to let you in.
The Tianlongshan Grottoes are caves located in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China, that are notable for the Buddhist temples located within them. The temple complex spans two mountains: there are eight grottoes on the eastern mountain and 13 on the western mountain. The complex was constructed over a number of centuries, from the northern Qi dynasty until the Tang dynasty, and contains Buddhist art of high historic importance. The majority of the caves date to the Tang dynasty. The caves have been designated by the national government as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.
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See/drive through the unique three-story bridge created to enable passing the mountainous area.
龙山石窟 Lóngshān Shíkū
Built at the beginning of Yuan Dynasty. They comprise a Taoist temple and a number of statues.
晋祠寺 Jìncísì
AAAAA Tourist Attractions of China. Jinci Temple, an ancient ancestral temple, was founded about 1400 years ago and was expanded during the Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, resulting in a variety of architecutural styles. Today it comprises of over 100 halls, towers, pavilions, terraces, and bridges and includes some of the best Song Dynasty sculptures and buildings still extant in China as well as some lovely gardens and ancient trees. Well known structures at Jinci include the Hall of Offerings (献殿 Xiàndiàn), The Flying Bridge Across the Fish Pond (鱼沼飞梁 Yúzhǎo Fēiliáng), and the Hall of the Holy Mother (圣母殿 Shèngmǔdiàn), the most famous building at Jinci. Completed in 1032 and with carved wooden dragons coiled around the eight pillars that support its upward-curving double-eave roof, this impressive structure contains some of the finest Song Dynasty clay sculptures in China, each with a different facial expression.
蒙山大佛 Méngshān Dàfó
Enormous carved Buddha statue in a hillside, with a replaced modern head.
太原博物馆
City museum with interesting modern architectural style.
山西大剧院 Shānxī Dà Jùyuàn
Performing arts theatre.