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30-519: It is a part of the Jingda Expressway from central Beijing to Datong , in Shanxi province, which was built to reduce traffic on the increasingly congested China National Highway 110 , which runs from Beijing to Qingtongxia . The Jingzhang Expressway has shortened the driving time between Beijing and Zhangjiakou from over three hours to two hours. Its construction is a part of broader goals to improve

60-562: A lorry to get through the test varied from five to 50 minutes, depending on the results. Most of the expressway has a speed limit of 110 km/h. Hillier terrain and the Guanting Bridge have a lower speed limit of 80 km/h. Speed checks are rare. The entire stretch charges tolls. The toll system is not networked. The expressway has four lanes (two up, two down) throughout. Surface conditions are moderately good. Traffic conditions to Zhangjiakou from Beijing are better than those in

90-408: A result, a second expressway linking Beijing to Zhangjiakou is in the plans. The main reason for the jams was bureaucracy. At every change of jurisdiction, there was a toll gate where lorries not only paid their tolls but also underwent weight examinations. The issue was every province had different standards and did not recognise the certificates issued from toll gates in other provinces claiming that

120-561: Is abundant year-round, and the city receives 2,671 hours (about 60% of the possible total) of bright sunshine per year. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −31.9 °C (−25 °F) on 16 December 2023 to 39.2 °C (103 °F) on 29 July 2010. The Yungang Grottoes are a collection of shallow caves located 16 km (9.9 mi) 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 1500 years old. Within

150-704: 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. The Jingda Expressway is formed mainly by the main trunk route from Beijing to Datong in three stages. Leaving Beijing, the Jingda Expressway becomes the Badaling Expressway . After Kangzhuang in Yanqing County , it becomes

180-933: Is an old fashioned coal mining city, 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. The 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

210-473: Is located in the Datong Basin at an elevation of 1,040 metres (3,410 ft) and borders Inner Mongolia to the north and west and Hebei to the east. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,105,591 of whom 1,790,452 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of the 2 out 4 urban districts of Pingcheng and Yungang as Yunzhou and Xinrong are not conurbated yet. The area of present-day Datong

240-471: Is located in the Datong Basin, with an administrative area spanning latitude 39° 03'–40° 44' N and longitude 112° 34'–114° 33' E. The urban area is surrounded on three sides by mountains, with passes only to the east and southwest. Within the prefecture-level city elevations generally increase from southeast to northwest. Datong borders Ulanqab ( Inner Mongolia ) to the northwest and Zhangjiakou ( Hebei ) to

270-594: The Guanting Reservoir . While the expressway starts in Beijing, the majority of it runs within Hebei province. The basic route begins at Badaling Expressway ; goes through Donghuayuan, Huailai , and Xiahuayuan ; and terminates at Zhangjiakou . The expressway was created in segments, starting in Hebei . The challenge was how to cross the Guanting Reservoir . Initial plans avoided bridges and instead routed traffic around

300-536: The Jingzhang Expressway . Finally, it becomes the Xuanda Expressway . As of September 2004, traffic has been clogging up more and more in the area. Due to the massive transportation of coal, what was a very smooth route in the summer is now clogged up with immense traffic jams. Datong Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China . It

330-661: The Qin commandery of Yanmen . Pingcheng County continued under the Han dynasty , which founded a site within present-day Datong in 200   BC following its victory against the Xiongnu nomads at the Battle of Baideng . Located near a pass to Inner Mongolia along the Great Wall , Pingcheng blossomed under Han rule and became a stop-off point for camel caravans moving from China into Mongolia and beyond. It

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360-437: The "Demolition Mayor". Geng and his group anticipated that 30,000 to 50,000 people would remain in the old city. In 2013 Geng left his position. Su Jiede of Sixth Tone wrote that much of the city was still under construction at the time and that Geng's efforts resulted in "a half-finished city center and a complicated legacy" and that "To critics, the city had spent enormous sums of money without much to show for it." By 2020

390-477: The 1970s. When the 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 center 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. In 2010, work began on reconstructing

420-729: The Drum Tower and the Nine-Dragon Wall were built. Datong was sacked again at the end of the Ming in 1649, but promptly rebuilt in 1652. By 1982 a portion of its city walls remained so it became one of the National Famous Historical and Cultural Cities that year. Prior to 2008, about 100,000 people lived in the old city. In 2008 mayor Geng Yanbo decided to redevelop much of the inner city, with over 3 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi) being redeveloped, and with Geng becoming known as

450-533: The Tumu toll gate (later disused), 97 kilometers (60 mi) from Beijing. Even though this initial traffic jam was solved, poor road conditions persisted for years. And in August 2010, one of the longest traffic jams ever recorded lasted more than ten days. Lorries carrying supplies to help road construction and ease congestion around the city were one of the main causes for the traffic jam. Roughly 100,000 travelers ended up in

480-516: The annual mean temperature is 7.33 °C (45.2 °F). Due to the aridity and elevation, diurnal temperature variation is often large, averaging 13.2 °C (23.8 °F) annually. There barely is any precipitation during winter, and more than 3 ⁄ 4 of the annual precipitation occurs from June to September. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 54% in July to 66% in October, sunshine

510-905: The city itself, there are a few surviving sites of historical interest such as the Nine-Dragon Wall , the Huayan Monastery ( 华严寺 ; Huáyán Sì ), and the Shanhua Temple . Further afield is the Hanging Temple built into a cliff face near Mount Heng . Most of the historical sites in this region date to the Liao, Jin 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

540-426: The city's 14th century Ming dynasty defensive wall. The controversial reconstruction project was in its final phase at the end of 2014. The documentary The Chinese Mayor documents two years of vigorous and highly controversial (due to summary demolition of about 200,000 homes) effort by Mayor Geng Yanbo to push the reconstruction project forward. Datong is known for its knife-cut noodles . The GDP per capita

570-592: The east, Shuozhou (Shanxi) to the southwest, and Xinzhou (Shanxi) to the south. The well-known Datong Volcanic Arc lies nearby in the Datong Basin . It is 250 kilometres (160 mi) west of Beijing . Datong has a continental , monsoon -influenced steppe climate ( Köppen BSk ), influenced by the 1,000 metres (3,300 ft)+ elevation, with rather long, cold, very dry winters, and very warm summers. Monthly mean temperatures range from −10.5 °C (13.1 °F) in January to 22.6 °C (72.7 °F) in July;

600-493: 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

630-415: The lorries were not overloaded, forcing trucks to redo the test in every province. Beijing enforced a very low tolerance and forced even passenger cars to undergo the weight examination. If a lorry was overweight, it had to unload and pass through the test again. Few people cooperated, instead willing to sit it out by parking their lorries on the hard shoulder of the expressway . The average time it took for

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660-816: The opposite direction. Major exits from the expressway are at Donghuayuan, Huailai , Jimingyi, Xiahuayuan , and Zhangjiakou. The Guanting Service Area is next to the Guanting Bridge. The expressway becomes Badaling Expressway 60 km from Beijing. After exit no. 5, the Jingzhang Expressway spins off to the right; continuing straight ahead leads to Datong in Shanxi province via the Xuanda Expressway instead. Key: ↗ = exit, ⇆ = main interchange; ¥ = central toll gate; S = service area Exits heading west and northwest from Beijing (City Limits Toll Gate) are: Jingda Expressway The Jingda Expressway ( Chinese : 京大高速公路 ; pinyin : Jīngdà Gāosùgōnglù )

690-657: The original Guandi temple was built. The city was renamed Datong in 1048. It was the Xijing ("Western Capital") of the Jurchen Jin dynasty prior to being sacked by the Mongols . Datong later came under the control of the Ming dynasty , serving as an important Ming military stronghold against the Mongols to the north. During the Ming period, many of Datong's notable historical structures such as

720-434: The population of the old city was below 30,000 and there were fewer governmental facilities available for the residents. That year Su stated that the old city "still presents a headache for the local government." Su Jiede wrote that since Pingcheng District , which had most of its urbanized area, had 1,105,699 people as of 2020, "Datong is a small city by Chinese standards ". Datong is the northernmost city of Shanxi, and

750-543: The reservoir. In the end, a bridge across the Guanting Reservoir was built, shortening the expressway's total distance. The Jingzhang Expressway's final segment—linking it to the Badaling Expressway —was completed in November 2002. As of that moment, traffic could flow directly from Beijing through to Zhangjiakou in the form of a direct expressway. Previously, traffic entered the expressway bound for Zhangjiakou only at

780-647: The road network structure in Hebei Province , stimulate the economy along the route, and promote the economic development of the Zhangjiakou area. The Jingzhang Expressway is part of the Jingda Expressway and a part of the China National highway system , a network of trunk ways across mainland China. It stretches from the Beijing City Limits Toll Gate to Zhangjiakou, crossing through locations such as

810-582: The traffic jam. Throughout the whole traffic jam vendors sold drivers and passengers food and water as they waited for the whole ordeal to end. Potential trouble spots included: At the toll station in Daijiaying, and at every exit in the Beijing direction, road signs urged drivers to use China National Highway 110 instead of the Jingzhang Expressway. The traffic jam meant that usual two-hour trip from Zhangjiakou to Beijing took nearly two days instead. These traffic jams continued on and off well into 2005. As

840-500: Was close to the state of Dai , which was conquered by the Zhao clan of Jin in 457 BC. It was a frontier land between the agricultural Chinese and the nomads of the Great Steppe . The area was well known for its trade in horses . The area of present-day Datong eventually came under the control of the Qin dynasty , during which it was known as Pingcheng County (平城县) and formed part of

870-627: Was sacked at the end of the Eastern Han . Pingcheng became the capital of the Xianbei-founded Northern Wei dynasty from AD   398–494. The Yungang Grottoes were constructed during the later part of this period (460–494). During the mid to late 520s, Pingcheng was the seat of Northern Wei's Dai Commandery . During the Tang dynasty , Datong became the seat of the Tang prefecture of Yunzhou , and

900-412: 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

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