Datong City

Datong City

Datong City is located about 19 kilometers southeast of Dalaihubu Town in Ejin Banner, Alxa League. It consists of inner and outer walls and is also known as "Horse Pen City." This city was built in the mid-Tang Dynasty on the site of the former Datong City established by Yuwen Yong of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. It also served as the military garrison for the Sui and Tang Datong towns and the Anbei Protectorate. In the second year of the Kaibao era of the Tang Dynasty, a military post called "Ningkou Army" was established here to oversee military affairs in the region. In terms of scale and layout, Datong City was quite similar to the now-renowned "Yumen Pass," and at that time, it was almost as famous as Yumen Pass, both being important military strongholds beyond the frontier. If one were to travel westward to the Western Regions, they would pass through Yumen Pass; leaving Datong City meant entering the territory of the Turkic tribes in the north of the Tang Dynasty.