Transportation is very convenient. The Tongpu and Houxi trunk railways serve as major traffic arteries in this area, together with the Liyuan-Gudui branch railway.
Highways radiate outwards with Yuncheng as the hub.
Trunk highways include Taiyuan-Maojindu, Jincheng-Yumenkou, Linyi-Daning and Yuncheng-Fenglingdu.
Branch highways cover Wenxi-Yongji and Fenglingdu-Pinglu.
The Yuncheng-Sanmenxia and Yuncheng-Fenglingdu expressways are open to traffic, while the Datong-Yuncheng Expressway is under construction.
Railway
Trains depart from Yuncheng bound for Beijing, Xi’an, Tianjin, Chengdu, Taiyuan, Shijiazhuang, Datong, Linfen and other cities.
Highway
National Highway 209 runs through Yuncheng, connecting Sanmenxia in Henan Province and Huayin in Shaanxi Province.
Long-distance buses leave Taiyuan Coach Station for Wutai Mountain every 32 minutes.
Travellers starting from Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Xuzhou, Jinan, Shijiazhuang, Xi’an and Zhengzhou can take an express train to Taiyuan first, then catch a direct long-distance bus from Wuyi Square to Wutai Mountain.
Air
There are direct flights to Taiyuan from major cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Xi’an. Upon arrival in Taiyuan, visitors can take long-distance buses from Wuyi Square to Wutai Mountain.
Since neither trains nor planes can reach Wutai Mountain directly, road transport plays a vital role.
Passengers can get off at Shahe, Fanshi, Dai County or Yuanping Station along the Beijing-Yuanping Railway and transfer to local buses heading for Wutai Mountain.
Buses also depart from Ningwu and Yuanping on the North Tongpu Railway between Datong and Taiyuan. Xinzhou runs numerous daily long-distance services to Wutai Mountain.
Direct coaches run from Fuping in Hebei Province to Taihuai Town at Wutai Mountain, and regular shuttle buses connect Taihuai Town with Taiyuan every day.
The peak tourist season falls during the Wutai Mountain June Grand Fair (from the first day of the sixth lunar month to the tenth day of the seventh lunar month). Extra tourist buses are put into service from nearby towns including Dongye, Yangquan, Fuping, Fanshi, Yuanping and Shahe.
Scenic Introduction
Kaihua Temple is located 17 kilometres northeast of Gaoping City. It was first built during the Tongguang reign of the Later Tang Dynasty (Five Dynasties) and reconstructed in the Northern Song Dynasty.
The Mahavira Hall is the core and most valuable building of the temple. Constructed in the Song Dynasty, it is three bays wide and three bays deep. The colourful paintings and murals inside are world-famous, representing the largest surviving Song Dynasty mural complex in China.
The murals on the west wall are divided into three sequential comic-strip panels. They depict tales such as the story of Tathagata Buddha in the Western Pure Land and the legend of Bhikkhuni Hua Se.
Boasting rigorous composition, neat layout and vivid figures with distinct expressions, these murals possess extremely high artistic value