Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi. [Photo by Liu Huaiyu/for China Daily]

Traveling from Beijing

Spring is the best time to visit regions south of the Yangtze River because the weather is pleasant and flowers are blossoming. Along the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, there are many stations in cities such as Wuxi, Zhenjiang, Suzhou and Nanjing.

Henan province is also a good choice for cultural heritages and natural sceneries, such as Luoyang, Zhengzhou and Kaifeng. You can enjoy various colorful peonies in the annual Luoyang Peony Culture Festival in April and early May. White Horse Temple, which is believed to be the first Buddhist temple in China, demonstrates traditional architecture and the long history of Buddhism.

The city's Longmen Grottoes is one of the three most famous grottoes in China; the other two are Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi and Mogao Grottoes in Gansu. There are tens of thousands of different sized Buddha statutes in caves that sit along mountain cliffs. The largest one is 17.14 meters high and the smallest is only 2 centimeters.

In Shanxi province, you can climb the Wutai Mountain in Xinzhou city, one of the top four Buddhist mountains in China, to burn joss sticks and worship Buddha.

After that, you can visit Datong city for the Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Temple. The grottoes have 252 caves and 51,000 statues, representing the high point of Chinese stone carving art in the 5th and 6th centuries. Guides are available to tell you more about the history of the statues.

The temple was built on the side of a cliff more than 1,500 years ago, and is the only existing temple in China that combines Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.

Another great destination is Pingyao county, which is 80 km from Taiyuan. It's famous for its well-preserved city walls and traditional architecture such as the ancient government office building.

At night, you can walk through a theater than has been renovated to blend in with the ancient town and observe the performance Another Glance at Pingyao.