That night, we boarded the midnight train - slower than the day train - headed west from Beijing to Datong, grabbing a few hours of sleep before rolling in at about 6:30 am.

Admittedly the drop-off time was a little early, but we killed an hour or two with breakfast at a local dumpling house. Then, after haggling with a local taxi driver for the use of his services for the day, we were off.

First stop was the Hanging Monastery, an impressive wooden structure built in AD 491 that clings precipitously, 50 meters above the ground, to the west face of the Jinxia Gorge.

Though about an hour's drive from the city, the monastery is a well-advised first destination. Despite the modest size of the building, "crowd control" has little meaning here and by about lunchtime the squeezing crowds resembled something of the stampedes on Line 1.

The monastery's ability to withstand the crowd is testament to its unusual ancient architecture. Crossbeams are buried deep into the rock and the mountain provides an unflinching spine.

With such a sound and sheltered position above the ground, the monastery has survived wind, snow and rain, albeit it with a few touch-ups, for more than 1,400 years.

Besides its architecture, the monastery is also unique for its collection of religious artifacts. Among its 40 halls and cabinets, it houses sculptures and carvings of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, which make an unusual mix in the one location.

Made from stone, copper, iron and terracotta, the approximately 80 sculptures are colorful and, thanks to the wear of time, sometimes a little eerie.

Less than two hours later, it was back to the waiting taxi and on to Yungang Grottoes, just 15 km from the city center.