2025/06/20
大同对我来说，可以算是一个老朋友，也可以算是一个最熟悉的陌生人。
大同离北京很近，开车的话可能三四个小时，现在坐高铁只要两个小时。大同离内蒙也很近，穿过大同，再继续北上40km，就是丰镇了，一个出月饼的地方。没吃过丰镇月饼的朋友们，回头可以试试，跟主流月饼不一样，这个月饼没有馅儿，好吃。
在过去的几十年间，我坐火车路过大同次数可能有几百次，但此前从未真正的去过这个城市。
原因也很简单，总感觉大同有的东西内蒙也都有，方言也差不多，吃的东西也差不多，没有什么特别吸引我的地方。
上次回去，突然起了念头，于是就和小伙伴去了一次大同。我们P人就是这样喜欢说走就走。
看了云冈石窟，看了华严寺与善化寺，看了应县木塔。
又刷了一遍完全是饮食舒适区的豆面莜面过油肉，稍麦凉粉黄米糕。临走还抬上了一只熏鸡。大同的熏鸡口感上比卓资山的稍微软一点，烟熏味很足。熏鸡挺好吃的，大家不要恨屋及乌。
眼前的大同应该和几十年前很不一样，我是这样猜测的。
现在的大同是一座很远又很近的城市，破败的石窟，繁复的壁画，精美的藻井，古朴的佛像，总在不经意间提醒你几千年前历史的痕迹还在。还有那些盘旋的飞鸟，杂乱的街道，打卡拍照的人群，网红面包与甜品，排队排到几百号的削面馆，有人喊先上车有人喊先验票，又让你觉得它和每一个有旅游资源的三线城市没有太大的区别。
说到历史，这里确实有很多东西可以看。这次边走边看学了些新知识，又多多少少有了些感触。这座城市留下的痕迹刚刚好可以对应历史上两次北方游牧民族试图从关外走到关内统治中原的故事。也不能说不成功，北魏一百多将近两百年，辽两百多年，也坚挺了很长时间。
第一波是鲜卑人，建立了北魏。鲜卑人的发源地是内蒙古的大兴安岭境内，从现在DNA分析的数据上来看，鲜卑应该是中亚或者接近蒙古人的人种。他们从山的那一边走到了呼和浩特的和林县，建立了第一个大本营，接着又继续往南走，走到了大同的平城区，建立了第一座都城。云岗石窟就是在北魏这段时间建造的。
我最近看了一些纪录片，倒是也能理解为啥道武帝拓跋珪不信萨满教了，改信佛教。佛教作为一种外来的宗教，对于当时多文化多民族融合的政治需求来说还是挺好用的，战争后的人民群众也比较容易接受慈悲，忍耐，下辈子会更好这样的信念。萨满教还是太无为无形崇尚自然了，没办法作为乱世的政治工具。
第二波是契丹人，大同的善化寺华严寺应县木塔等等，都是辽代留下的古建筑。看过天龙八部都知道，辽是由契丹人建立的政权。其实辽国v.s.宋朝这种说法也比较狭隘，如果北魏可以被称为是朝代，那辽也应该被视为和宋并立的朝代，比如北辽南宋。这时候同期还有一个虽然小但挺能打的西夏，也算是一种三国鼎立的局面。辽为了加强和西夏/宋边境地区的防御，增设了大同为西京。大同又一次成为了都城，又是少数民族的都城。哦对，大同这个名字也是这时候起的，在这之前，它叫过平城，云中，云州，都是挺好听的名字。
辽也面临了和当年北魏一样的政治诉求，多文化多民族需要来点统一的价值观统一的秩序。萨满教又一次被嫌弃，佛教又一次天时地利人和全占，中选。一切都是刚刚好，刚刚好接收了燕云十六州，中原地带的很多高僧和尚们因为唐朝后期的灭佛大追杀就一路向北躲到了山西河北这一带，刚刚好是在辽的地盘里。北魏和唐朝又留下了坚实的群众基础，这一带信佛的老百姓本身就很多。于是辽这个时期就又一次推广了佛教，并且建了不少寺庙。
此处插播一个小故事：去过应县木塔的朋友应该都知道，塔前面有一块陨石。据说是当年的某个萧太后计划修个佛塔，但是在哪修还没想好，此时天上掉下来一块陨石，就在应县附近，她马上一拍板，ok了就建那里。契丹人全员P人吧，是吧，有历史记载呢。
有些人一想到山西就会想到贾樟柯的电影，粗粝，朴素，悲伤，失落。虽然但是山西挺大的，我在临汾确实能感觉到上面所说的山西气质，大同似乎不太一样，也许是千百年间少数民族带来的文化影响，也许是“三代京华，两朝重镇”积累的底蕴，这里的人自带一些松弛感，没有那么失落，也没有那么迷惘。
挣不挣钱不重要，中午关店睡个午觉才是正经事。大巴车开到半路，车门关不上了，踹两脚继续。房间虽然没有冰箱，但是我们前台有冰箱，可以放这儿。智慧洗手间就是每个坑上面有个红绿灯，因为太智慧了，很多阿姨进来得先吵一阵到底红灯有人还是绿灯有人。去店里借用洗手间，老板说我们这里没有公共厕所你去马路对面公园找找。
一切都是那么坦然。
至于寺庙里和佛塔边就更松弛了，大家都在忙着打卡出片，跟佛像give me five的，有穿汉服有穿旗袍还有女装大佬，anyway，凡所有相，皆是虚妄。诸法性空，真能见到菩萨的话，现在菩萨身边应该也不是狮子，可能是labubu。
Datong city is like an old friend to me, yet also like a very familiar stranger.
Datong is very close to Beijing; it might take three or four hours by car, but now it only takes two hours by high-speed train. Datong is also close to Inner Mongolia; just 40km north of Datong is Fengzhen, a place famous for its mooncakes. For those who haven’t tried Fengzhen mooncakes, you should try them sometime. Unlike common mooncakes, these have no filling, and they’re delicious.
Over the past few decades, I’ve probably passed through Datong by train hundreds of times, but I’d never actually visited the city before.
The reason is simple: I always felt that Datong had everything Inner Mongolia had—the dialect was similar, the food was similar—nothing particularly appealed to me.
Last time I went back, I suddenly had the idea, so I went to Datong with my friend. That’s how we INTP/ISTP folks are—we love to just pack up and go randomly.
We visited the Yungang Grottoes, Huayan Temple and Shanhua Temple, and the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda.
I ate at the comfort zone again: bean noodles, oat noodles with braised pork, shaomai, liangfen (cold mung bean noodles), and yellow millet cake. Before leaving, I even brought a smoked chicken. The smoked chicken in Datong was slightly softer than the one in Zhuozishan, with a very strong smoky flavor.
I guess Datong is very different now than it was decades ago.
Modern Datong is a city that feels both distant and near. The dilapidated grottoes, intricate murals, exquisite coffered ceilings, and ancient Buddha statues constantly remind you that traces of history from thousands of years ago still remain. There are also the circling birds, the chaotic streets, the crowds taking photos, the trendy bread and desserts shops, the famous noodle shops with queues of hundreds of people, and the shouts of “Get on the bus first!” and “Check your ticket first!”—yet it also makes you feel that it’s not much different from any other third-tier city with tourist attractions.
Speaking of history, there is indeed a lot to see here. This trip, with its sightseeing and exploration, has taught me some new things and given me a few insights. The traces left behind in this city seem to correspond perfectly to the two historical attempts by northern nomadic tribes to migrate from beyond the Great Wall to rule the mainland China. It can’t be said that they were unsuccessful; the Northern Wei dynasty lasted for nearly two hundred years, and the Liao dynasty for over two hundred, both enduring for a considerable period.
The first wave was the Xianbei（S[a]r-pe，*Sen-pe）who established the Northern Wei. The Xianbei originated in the Greater Khingan Mountains of Inner Mongolia. Based on current DNA analysis, the Xianbei were likely a Central Asian or Mongol-like group. They migrated from the other side of the mountains to Helin County near Hohhot, establishing their first major base. They then continued south, reaching Pingcheng District in Datong, where they established their first capital. The Yungang Grottoes were built during this period of the Northern Wei.
I recently watched some documentaries, which helps me understand why Emperor Daowu of Han, Tuoba Gui, abandoned shamanism and converted to Buddhism. Buddhism, as a foreign religion, was quite useful in meeting the political needs of multicultural and multi-ethnic integration at the time. People after war were more receptive to beliefs such as compassion, patience, and a better next life. Shamanism, however, was too passive and focused on nature, making it unsuitable as a political tool in chaotic times.
The second wave consisted of the Khitans. The Shanhua Temple, Huayan Temple, and Yingxian Wooden Pagoda in Datong are all ancient buildings left from the Liao Dynasty. As those who have read Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils know, the Liao Dynasty was established by the Khitans. The comparison of Liao vs. Song is rather narrow. If the Northern Wei can be considered a dynasty, then Liao should also be considered a dynasty coexisting with Song, such as Northern Liao and Southern Song. At the same time, there was also the small but powerful Western Xia, creating a kind of three-way power struggle. To strengthen defenses along the border with Western Xia/Song, Liao established Datong as its western capital. Datong once again became a capital, and again, a capital of a minority ethnic group. Oh right, the name Datong was also adopted around this time. Before that, it was called Pingcheng, Yunzhong, and Yunzhou—all quite nice names.
The Liao Dynasty faced the same political demands as the Northern Wei Dynasty: a need for unified values and order among its diverse cultures and ethnicities. Shamanism was once again rejected, and Buddhism once again enjoyed perfect timing, location, and popular support. Everything was just right. They had just acquired the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and many eminent monks from the Central Plains had fled north to Shanxi and Hebei due to the Tang Dynasty’s persecution of Buddhism in the late Tang period—right in Liao territory. The Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties had also left a solid foundation of popular support; many people in this area were already Buddhist. Therefore, the Liao Dynasty once again promoted Buddhism and built many temples.
(A little anecdote here: those who have visited the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda should know that there is a meteorite in front of the pagoda.) Legend has it that Queen Xiao planned to build a Buddhist pagoda, but hadn’t decided where. A meteorite fell from the sky near Ying County, and she immediately decided to build it there. The Khitans were all random guys！ There are historical records of it ：）
Some people associate Shanxi with Jia Zhangke’s films: rugged, simple, sad, and melancholic. Although Shanxi is quite large, I could definitely feel the Shanxi spirit I described in Linfen. Datong seemed different, perhaps due to the cultural influence of ethnic minorities over thousands of years, or perhaps the accumulated heritage of being a “capital of three dynasties and an important town of two dynasties.” The people there have a relaxed air about them, less melancholic and less lost.
Making money isn’t important; closing the shop at noon for a nap is the real priority；
The bus door wouldn’t close halfway, so we kicked it a couple of times to keep going；
The rooms don’t have refrigerators, but the front desk has one, which we can put here；
The “high tech” restrooms are basically just traffic lights above each stall. Because they’re so “high tech” many men argue about whether the light is red or green are the occupied.
Everything was so relaxed, and so random.
As for temples and pagodas, it was even more relaxed. Everyone was busy taking photos, giving high fives to Buddha statues. There were people wearing Hanfu, cheongsams, and even drag queen. Anyway, all appearances are illusory. All phenomena are empty of inherent existence. If I could truly see a Bodhisattva, they wouldn’t be surrounded by lions now, but probably by labubu 😀