Datong Earth Forest

It is not far from Datong. If you pass by Hengshan and Hanging Temple, you don't have to go there specially. If you pass by, you might as well stop, walk and turn around. The advantage of a niche is that you won't have the same clothes in the photos. If the creativity is good enough, you may get a blockbuster.

The Datong Earth Forest is called "Slate Ditch" or "Fox Fairy Temple" by the locals. In the area of about one kilometer from east to west and about three kilometers from north to south, under the erosion and weathering of the nearby rivers, various landforms such as earth platforms, earth pillars, earth cliffs, and earth ridges have been formed, presenting a series of works of art with strange shapes, some standing on the wall, some stacked, some beasts about to rise, and some gods and demons about to walk... Walking among them, I can't help but sigh at the magic of nature. After so many springs, summers and winters, the wind and rain have sculpted this thick loess layer into a magical world. Walking among them, it feels like being in the "Devil City". In the formation process of the earth forest, the "slate" plays a vital role. The so-called "slate" is actually a calcified layer deposited for many years. From the soil profile, the calcified layer, sand and gravel, and soil with a high salinity content are stacked together. So when my family asked me where I was going at the beginning, I said saline-alkali land.

Different from the earth forests in Yunnan and other places, the Datong earth forest is not on the wasteland, but below the horizon. From a distance, it looks just like the vast Shanxi Basin. Only by being there can you feel the scenery of the earth forest.

Datong Earth Forest is located in Duzhuang Village, Yunzhou District, 19 kilometers away from the urban area of Datong City. It is the location for the film "Legend of the Gods" starring Jet Li and Fan Bingbing. About 30,000 years ago, this was a lake. As time went by, the lake dried up, and even the wetland in the scenic area needed artificial water storage to maintain its vitality.

I believe everyone has learned when they were students that the Loess Plateau suffers from severe soil erosion. However, it is precisely because of the erosion of wind and water that a unique landform such as the earth forest was formed. With the passage of time, the continuous scouring of surface water and the cycle of soil weathering slowly evolved into earth walls and earth pillars.

The best time to visit the earth forest is at dawn and dusk. When the sun is about to shine on the earth, the earth forest is full of vitality from inside to outside. At dusk, it is completely different. The setting sun shines on the broken walls and ruins, which are "like resentment, longing, crying and complaining". At first, I didn't like the earth forest, but when I arrived at the earth forest, I had to sigh at the uncanny workmanship of nature. The sun, air, water and wind, each element makes the charm of the earth forest magnified countless times.

Walking in the earth forest, you can see traces of flowing water and marks of the passage of time. The earth forest has witnessed all the changes.

The wheel of time will roll on mercilessly, and rain and wind erosion will not stop with the years. Perhaps one day the earth forest will completely disappear from the world, but I believe it will appear in front of us in another form.

Ticket price: 60 yuan/person

Travel tips: 1. Although Tulin is not far from Datong city, due to its remote location, public transportation is almost non-existent, so it is recommended to charter a car or drive yourself.

2. Wear a headscarf or a mask, otherwise the wind and sand will give you a good lesson. Apply some sunscreen if necessary. If you stay for another two days, I will become an African with high altitude erythema.

The wetland in the earth forest was originally formed naturally, but as time went by, rainfall decreased and soil erosion became serious, so artificial water storage was the only way to keep the wetland active. This small piece of wetland also gave the earth forest a little more vitality.

Apart from the fact that it is not far from the city and the Hanging Temple and Hengshan are on the way back, there is really no reason to spend 60 yuan for the entrance ticket. The Hanging Temple only charges 15 yuan if you don't climb to the top, and Hengshan charges 30 yuan. Who gave them the courage to charge 60 yuan for the entrance ticket? It's okay to charge so much, but the scenic area has no infrastructure at all. It just inserted some wood and tied a rope that is not even knee-high, and it became a viewing trail. The scenic area has never thought about protecting these earth forests. Anyone can easily walk up and destroy them at will. The scenic area is very small. If you don't know how to take photos, you can finish it in half an hour. There are also many tourist route promotional pictures to this attraction on the Internet, which use photos of Yunnan earth forests, which is suspected of misleading consumers.

We arrived at the Hanging Temple just in time for dusk, which is the best time to go to the Earth Forest and is also on the way.

Most of the "forests" in the earth forest are not very high, more like mounds of earth, the scenery is very desolate, and it is a very unique place. It is not too far from the city of Datong, and it is quite convenient to drive there. The scenic spot is still under construction, and the ticket price is 40. It is said that it will increase to 60 after the construction is completed.

Datong Earth Forest, a fenced geological attraction~~

Landlords who make money on the spot are not as good as roasting sweet potatoes on the street

Tourism development 250, the road is blocked

Look at the Ksitigarbha standing outside the circle!!!

I vow not to become a Buddha until hell is empty, and I will not attain Bodhi until all sentient beings are saved.

Slip away~~

A place where it is easy to take beautiful pictures, and there are generally not many people in this scenic spot, so it is the best place to take photos.

If you like geographical features but don't have a lot of time and money, then go to Datong Earth Forest. It's worth a visit!

Beautiful environment

Good air

There are no messy charges.

Only a small amount of ticket money is charged

As Datong people, we must support

No traffic jams during the National Day holiday

Take your children to understand the landforms of the earth forest

The child was very surprised

It's not as spectacular as imagined. It's a private contract, so you can bargain. The scenic area is relatively small, so you can just visit it for 30 minutes and take some photos.

The water and soil outside the Great Wall created the wonders of nature. Coming from the inland, I fell to my knees in surprise.

The beauty of nature is loneliness and solitude.

There really isn't much scenery, no special features, and of course no tourists, so there's no way to comment on the service. You can just take a look at it along the way, but there's a charge for it.

Before returning to Datong, I first saw the relevant texts and pictures of Datong Earth Forest on the Internet. I didn’t expect that there was actually a “devil’s city” hidden in North China. So I drove here specially this time and arrived at the scenic spot at 3 o’clock. But I insisted on entering the scenic spot at more than 4 o’clock, just to wait until sunset to see a more magnificent and dreamy scenery.

Going straight along the loess path, you will arrive at the main scenic area of the earth forest. The scenic area is not very large and can be divided into two major areas: one is the reed marsh area near the water; the other is the main formation area of the earth forest.

The vast expanse of reeds and the bamboo rafts on the river form a beautiful picture. The reeds under your feet and the earth forest in the distance are perfectly spliced together between the yellow and the yellow.

Turning to enter the concentrated area of the earth forest, it is like entering a mysterious world that seems real and illusory. Some earth pillars are neatly arranged in square shapes, which are particularly majestic; some earth pillars are solitary peaks that are straight into the sky; some are like graceful girls, and some are like mighty warriors. Everything cannot be described in words. Only by being there in person can you experience the intoxicating dreamland.

Only when you actually step on those strange loess structures can you feel the vast, desolate and magical beauty of the earth forest, especially at sunset on a cloudy evening, when the setting sun casts ever-changing light and shadows on the interlaced walls of the earth forest. This is probably why the earth forest is so popular among photography enthusiasts.

Perhaps, only such a dry climate can tear the vast earth into this amazing appearance. When the sun sets, the most beautiful moment of the earth forest finally comes. Through the overgrown weeds, you can see the golden light bands of the sun's afterglow. The dark earth forest "warriors" decorate the "ancient castle" in a colorful way, which makes people imagine. All of this cannot be described in words. Only by being there in person can you experience the intoxicating dreamland.

The scenery of the Loess Plateau is very northwest-style, and the water is a highlight. Children aged 9 are also free of charge.

Five stars for photography, three stars for tourism. Luwei Reservoir is great

I happened to pass by the Datong Earth Forest in Shanxi, which is a place where movies are made. Unfortunately, I passed by at a bad time, and you have to come here in the morning or evening. Datong is still quite cool, but I was still sunburned in the naked earth forest.

It is suitable to drive here, the bus is not very convenient

Paleolithic relics - what's my business? I just keep the blankets gray.

Arrived at Datong Earth Forest at dusk. It is a natural wonder and worth the trip! The texture is clear after being washed by rain. You can find different beauties from different angles. Still take mosquito repellent measures at the end of August.

Following the markings on the ground, we walked in. Inside, there were piles of red soil and a lot of mud, forming different special terrains. It felt like going to an unknown world. It was an extremely desolate feeling.

When I first saw it, I thought it was someone's mess with a bulldozer, but when I looked closely, I realized it was truly a natural work, not artificially synthesized.

The traces of time, the marks of wind and rain, have been constantly kneading this piece of land. The colors on the mounds are displayed in a very rough way, which is really difficult to describe in words.

If it's on your way and the weather is good, it's really worth a visit for photography enthusiasts.

The scenery is good, it's worth a visit, the ticket is 40, it's best to go at sunset

The sunset was so beautiful, but there were too many mosquitoes.

There is room for improvement! Creating an alien surface scene is a creative idea. They invited me to be a consultant!

When I set foot on this land with my parents and children, I was amazed! The secrets of nature are the greatest wealth left to us by time! We seemed to have entered an ancient castle? A pass? A sand dune? It was amazing!

The best way to show our gratitude to it is to jump and jump again, to express our love for the earth forest and our awe for nature!

Maybe we can travel through time...

It's so amazing, I have to admire the uncanny workmanship of nature...

The Earth Forest is a very unexpected scenic spot in Datong. As a landform eroded by water, it can really be said to be a paradise for photographers. However, there are basically no public facilities in the scenic area, and there are too many mosquitoes. There is no management of the scenic area. From time to time, people climb up the Earth Forest pillars. The quality of Chinese tourists is worrying. It is not recommended for ordinary tourists to go there, and the playability is not high, but it is recommended for photography enthusiasts and geology enthusiasts. Sunny day + sunset = good film, no need to repair. Relatively speaking, the ticket is a bit expensive. There is no possibility of bargaining. The regular ticket is 40 per person. However, the Earth Forest is very large. If you don’t want to buy a ticket, try to find a small road. The existing Earth Forest, Yadan and other special geological landforms will slowly change and disappear. I hope everyone will not climb at will.

The Earth Forest is actually a Yadan landform in the east of Datong. There are not many tourists and it is suitable for photography.

I highly recommend this place if you want to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and find a quiet corner



Good places to drive

It is a rare scenic spot with few people, and most of them are photography enthusiasts. It is not large in scale. It is easy to take great photos at sunrise and sunset when there are good weather with clouds. Unfortunately, the weather was not good when we went there. It is free with a photography certificate, and half price for 30 with a student certificate.

The ticket is a bit expensive, 40 yuan after the discount. If you are a student, the ticket is 30 yuan. The scenic area is very large, but not crowded, suitable for taking pictures in the afternoon when the sun sets. When I went there before, there was a group of people taking wedding photos at around 4 pm, but I only have a Huawei P9 PLUS, which is a good camera phone, but it is still far inferior to SLRs, especially those who retouch the photos after taking them. But in the cold winter, it feels good to visit the huge scenic area by yourself. Please see my travel notes for details.

The earth forest is a landform formed by water erosion. The location is relatively remote and difficult to reach by bus. I chartered a car and the driver took me there. It is recommended to visit it in the early morning or evening.

Fortunately, I arrived there in the evening, which made me experience the feeling of "lonely smoke rising in the desert, round setting sun over the long river".

Because this land is saline-alkali land, this is the reason for the formation of earth forest. If you go to see it today, it may become one way, and tomorrow it may become another way. The landform here changes every day.

The final fight scene in Duan Yihong's recently hit film "The Exploder" was filmed here.

The Magical Wonderland is strange and beautiful



The long-term erosion of the tributaries of Sanggan Lake has formed a series of strange landscapes that look like ancient castles but are not castles, and like sculptures but are not sculptures.



The earth forest is located in Duzhuang Township, Datong County. It consists of hundreds of earth pillars and walls ranging from tens of meters to more than ten meters high. Locals call it Shibangou.



It presents wonderful changes of colors under different lighting: sometimes it shines golden, sometimes it is red like a flame, sometimes it is dark like the abyss, and sometimes it is white like a frosty field.



Like Yuanmou in Yunnan and Zhada in Ali, Tibet, the precious geological relics and the awe-inspiring work of nature fully demonstrate the desolate and solemn beauty of the Loess Plateau.

The trip to Tulin was a real surprise. Now that 2017 is coming to an end, I would have almost forgotten if I hadn’t written a review. In May of 2015, I had seen you by chance in the scenery of the northwest.

The first point is very unique. The ticket is a bit expensive, the price is 60, but the actual price is 40. There is no bus coming, so you can only charter a car or drive yourself, but it is suitable for taking pictures, and it is better in the evening. I feel it is worth it.

The scenery is pretty good, but it's not very mature to go in. You can still take pictures, but remember to bring mosquito repellent!

The Earth Forest is a little-known scenic spot located in the counties around Datong. Even now, the classic facilities have not been built and the roads in the scenic area are full of mud. When I rushed there early in the morning, the scenic area was empty. The discounted ticket price was considered a package deal. Compared with the exquisite historical and cultural attractions around Datong, this Earth Forest exudes the ruggedness of the northwest, which seems to be more in line with the region of Datong. It is worth a look.

I went there in the evening and it was great. The administrator said that there would be nothing left in a few years. Rainwater and natural weathering would soon wipe it out. I hope everyone will love this place and not destroy it at will! Let's leave some spiritual wealth for future generations!

There is a dirt forest in Duzhuang Village, not far from Datong City. According to the pictures I saw online before, it looks like the Devil City I saw in Xinjiang, but it is smaller.

The Datong Earth Forest, which the locals call "Shibangou", is a calcified layer that has been deposited over many years. Under the wind and rain, it continues to change, making its shape more and more bizarre.

Duzhuang Village is on the 203 Provincial Road from Datong to Hengshan. It took about half an hour from the hotel to reach the gate of the Tulin Scenic Area according to the navigation instructions. The people at the ticket office were probably still asleep, so I walked straight into the scenic area.

A basin has been waiting in front of me. It can be seen in about 3 minutes' walk. It is desolate and barren. Although there are plants growing there, they are not green. The strange-shaped hills are the earth forest I am looking for, but they are not very large.

There was already a private car parked in the parking lot; inside the earth forest, a man and a woman had already arrived first, perhaps the first group of admirers of the earth forest today. After they left, I became the only customer of the earth forest at that time.

Later, before I left the scenic area, the ticket seller came in and asked me to buy a ticket.

You can visit the volcano in Datong County. If you choose the right time, you can still take stunning photos.

It is quite similar to the Zada Earth Forest in Tibet, but on a smaller scale. This landform should be formed by lake deposits cut by water like a river channel, and then slowly carved by wind and sand. In fact, it should be very similar to Yadan, but it is not as directional and regular as the typical Yadan.

The wonders of nature are different from the beauty of stone forests.

Mainly because we have been to the Yadan landform in Dunhuang, I think this earth forest is only slightly fresher than the Yadan, so I just took a look from a distance. However, the terrain around the earth forest is very rich, including wetlands and volcanic landforms. I think it is suitable for taking pictures. I suggest you go there to take pictures of the sunset or something.

The unique landform features give people a feeling of returning to nature. Although the area is not very large, walking in the earth forest still makes you feel insignificant.

I was here during the Spring Festival in 2012. The Loess Plateau was eroded and collapsed. The sunset gave it a layer of rose gold, and it felt like I had landed on Mars. This was the scene I saw in a movie this year.

The earth forest looks a bit like Yadan landform at first glance, right?

The area is quite large~

It's beautiful to shoot here~

It's really beautiful. I like similar impactful scenery, but I have to choose the weather and time. I arrived just half an hour before sunset. This is when the earth forest is at its most beautiful. See the picture for details.

It feels like being on Mars. There are a lot of mosquitoes, so be sure to bring mosquito repellent spray with you if you go.

We came in the off-season so there were not many people and the scenery was okay.

It was beyond my expectation. I was disappointed when I first entered the gate, but after walking in and climbing up the mound, I saw the vast grassland, which was very refreshing. Especially at dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the earth forest and the grassland, it was definitely a paradise for photography enthusiasts. Because there is basically no development, there are so many mosquitoes, so you must bring mosquito repellent

We left the hotel at about 5:40, and a black Volkswagen was quietly waiting for us at the door. We got on the car happily, and Wei Du said we were here. We confirmed the itinerary with the driver in the car. I originally planned to go to the Earth Forest to take a "literary film" at dusk, but the driver said that other attractions were not open so early in the morning, so we had to go to the Earth Forest first. We had no choice but to obey him.

At 6:24, we arrived at the "Datong Earth Forest". The driver reminded us that we could bargain on the bus - 30 yuan per person. After getting off the bus, we found that this "earth forest" was simply a wild scenic spot, just a piece of loess slope surrounded by fences. There was not even a regular ticket seller (maybe it was too early). After a while of talking to an old man, we agreed to 30 yuan per person, but no tickets were given.

Complaining about the driver: Later I guessed that the driver might have received kickbacks, otherwise why would he bring us to this place first, causing us to miss the "Yingxian Wooden Pagoda".

World peace!

Everyone, please look: the sky is so blue!

Although this place is simple, it is really clean, bright, rough and unique. The sky is high and the clouds are light, it is empty and drifting. It is like the desert in martial arts movies, and it is also like the Grand Canyon in the western United States. The children like it very much.

The scenery is really stunning, but the management is very chaotic... The scenic spot also raises chickens and pigeons

Datong Earth Forest is known as one of the three largest earth forests in China, along with the Yuanmou Basin in Yunnan and the Arizada Basin in Tibet. The Datong Earth Forest is located in Duzhuang Township, southeast of Datong City. From hundreds of thousands to more than 2 million years ago, it was a large lake, geologically known as the Quaternary Nihewan Period paleolake. The formation of the earth forest is a product of both internal and external forces. In a dry and hot climate and with the ground relatively uplifted, the rainstorm runoff strongly eroded and cut the deep loose debris sediments on the surface, forming a fragmented terrain. In addition, there is an iron weathering crust on the top of the sediment, or an iron and calcareous cemented gravel layer, which acts as a protective umbrella for the lower soil layer. In addition, the vertical joints of the sediment are developed, which keeps the side slope of the raised residual body steep.

Looking at the whole scenic area, it looks like a meteor has smashed a big hole in the vast grassland, and countless soil pillars have suddenly emerged from the bottom of the pit. The soil pillars are basically more than ten meters high, brown at both ends and white in the middle, probably because they contain different minerals. The tops of the soil pillars are mostly flat, and a few are sharp. The tops are covered with green vegetation like the surrounding grasslands. The soil pillars are close or far away, and some are connected to form a soil wall. Therefore, the soil pillars of different heights and shapes form a unique soil forest.

Really, you don't need a ticket. Just walk along the fence and you will always find a gap to get in. It's free.

I decided to come and have a look after seeing so many reviews, but the uncle who was guarding the door came up and told us it was 40 per person. I tried to persuade him but he was still very arrogant and said, "Didn't I tell you, 40 per person, no bargaining", I was really shocked!

How shocking it is can only be felt in person, and it is difficult to describe it accurately in any language! Those who love it are reluctant to leave, and those who don’t love it don’t want to take another look! A special reminder, there are no signposts inside, so you must use the mobile map to mark the location of the gate. You may get lost inside, like me...

I went to the Earth Forest in February. The scenic area charges admission, but you can choose to enter from a small path. The scenery is very local, especially when the sun sets. The scenery is the most beautiful and very suitable for photography. It is a place worth visiting.

Let's talk about the scenery first. It's absolutely amazing. I especially recommend it to my friends. Due to the weathering of the soil, the scenery is unique and the photos taken are very impressive. I recommend going there at sunset. But I have to say that the management is too irregular. There is only an old man guarding the gate, collecting tickets casually, and there is no formal ticket. I don't know what the local tourism bureau is doing. Bad review!

During the National Day holiday in 2016, I took a spontaneous trip to Datong.

We arrived in Datong at noon on the 2nd. There was a traffic jam 7 kilometers away from the Yungang Grottoes. The road that used to go up and down 2 times became a parking lot with 3 going up and 1 going down. We walked and stopped for more than an hour, but didn't move 1 kilometer. So we decided to return to the city of Datong, visit Shanhua Temple, Huayan Temple, Nine Dragon Wall, and then go straight to the Earth Forest.

I checked the guide before the trip and thought it would be a small place, but it turned out to be a popular scenic spot. Fortunately, the scenic area is large and people don't crowd in.

The earth forest was formed by water erosion. It looks like a plain from a distance, but a river valley formed by water erosion when you look closely. It lacks the three-dimensional sense of height.

The public facilities are extremely poor, and there are no measures to protect the earth forest. Many tourists climb the earth mounds and earth shoots, causing amazing damage!!!

It was a little after 6pm when we went there, and the sky was cloudy. After entering the gate, I was disappointed. It was a barren and arid land, which had nothing to do with the majestic and wonderful work of nature that I had seen in the pictures. As I went deeper, I began to feel a little comforted. I was lamenting how regrettable it was that the two cars of passengers only took a few photos on a small mound not far from the gate and were called away by the tour guide, without seeing the large-scale faults inside. Then, the sky cleared up, the sun came out, and in the residual light, I felt as if I was in the Flaming Mountain. The earth forest became the highlight of this trip.

The place is not big, there is not much to see, but this place is extremely suitable for taking pictures, it feels like being outside the Great Wall

Datong Earth Forest, as the name suggests, is named after the natives! It is not easy to find here. It is recommended to charter a car to go there. It is nearly an hour's drive from Hengshan Mountain. You can appreciate the wonders of nature by spending 40 yuan on the ticket! It is really shocking. This is a unique view on the Loess Plateau. When we went there, we happened to catch someone taking wedding photos here. It was beautiful~ You must come!

Turn off on the way to Hengshan Mountain, it's more than 40 minutes' drive from Hengshan Mountain and the Hanging Temple. The most beautiful scenery is at 8 or 9 in the morning when the sun rises or in the afternoon when the sun sets. I mean it's beautiful in photos. Tickets can be negotiated, please bring your student ID. It takes about 1 hour to take photos. If you go to see it in the morning, don't stay too long, otherwise you may miss the best light of the Hanging Temple.

If you have been to the northwest, you can ignore it. It is not as vast as the northwest, but it has a kind of northern beauty. Oh, it is hard to describe, but I like it anyway.

Located in a village between Hunyuan County and Datong, it is difficult to find it by car. Usually, you can ask the driver to take you to Datong Earth Forest after you charter a car to Hengshan for a day trip in Datong. The ticket is 40 yuan/person (the price is 60 yuan), and you can finish the tour in less than an hour. The scenic area is basically in a stage of no construction. It is just a circle to collect money. There are no roads and you can walk around freely. The scenery is average, mainly looking at the earth slopes of various shapes. You have to discover the beauty by yourself, otherwise you will feel like you are in the wilderness. The earth forest we went to specifically for the sunset is still brighter under the setting sun. It is still quite touching to watch the sunset fall from the earth forest, but you can't stand too high, otherwise it will be full of telephone poles and houses. In general, you can go and see it if you pass by, but it is not worth going there specifically.

Recommended +10086 times Datong Earth Forest, which is somewhat similar to Yadan Ghost City. Earth forest is a landform caused by weathering. At first, I thought it was on the ground when I saw the picture online, but it is not. The whole earth forest is in a pit with a radius of about 1 km. Of course, the area around the pit is also part of the earth forest. It is recommended to come here when the weather is warm. The northwest wind of the Loess Plateau is not covered, unless you want to be like me with a mouth full of sand and still don’t want to leave... By the way, I came here in winter, and it felt like I was the only one in the whole radius of several kilometers and the old man guarding the door in the distance. Later, two more people came 😓



It is very convenient to get to the Earth Forest from downtown Datong. Take the bus to Hunyuan, and ask the driver to drop you off at Duzhuang. You can just walk there by yourself. It is 2 kilometers, because this is a rural area and you can hardly get a taxi. If you are going to the Earth Forest on your way back to Datong after visiting Hengshan and the Hanging Temple, you should ask the driver to drop you off at Duzhuang. However, it is more convenient to drive by yourself, because the beautiful natural scenery of the Earth Forest is very suitable for watching the sunrise and sunset in the morning and evening. Now the local government has fenced it off for development. The ticket price is 60 in the peak season. When I went there, he wanted 40, and bargained to 30 (I am not good at it), but on the way back, I saw that there was still a place to enter the fence. You can stop a bus or rent a taxi directly on the side of the road when you come out of the Earth Forest and return to Datong City. It is very convenient. Of course, many people choose to charter a car to visit Hengshan-Hanging Temple-Datong Earth Forest, which is really more convenient.

It is very spacious, the scenery is very good, the landforms are also spectacular, and there are endless reed marshes. The car we chartered took a shortcut from Hengshan. The scenery along the way is really better than the scenery of the scenic spot. It is recommended that you charter a car and have more guides.

Finally, we came to the earth forest, which is in a village. There are villagers at the entrance to collect tickets, and the price is negotiable. My impression of the earth forest is that it is very earthy, very yellow, very rough, very plastic, very impactful, and very shattering. It looks like a pile of earth during the day, but it is very beautiful, very magical, and very photogenic in the evening. When I saw it with my own eyes, it was far less beautiful than the pictures that were circulated online. Well, they were all photoshopped. Then I photoshopped a few of them.

Favorite place: The green grass, blue sky, beautiful clouds, and oddly shaped mounds of earth form a pristine landscape that you will never see anywhere else. Because we went there early, there were no tourists, which was a great pleasure for us who like taking photos!

Now that we have gone off topic, let's talk about Datong. The Datong Earth Forest introduced today is located in Duzhuang Township, Datong County. It is the only earth forest landscape in North China. As the name suggests, the earth forest is made of earth. There are hundreds of earth pillars, earth walls, and earth mounds of various shapes, some in groups, some in pairs, and some independently, standing silently on this desolate loess plateau until it was discovered and became a tourist attraction.

The formation of the soil forest is due to the erosion of surface water, the surface of the land is destroyed, and the gullies are formed. I don't know if I have made it clear. The soil forest is actually a geological phenomenon formed after the land sinks. No wonder when I entered the door, the gatekeeper asked me to walk downhill along the entrance. When I walked to the bottom of the valley, I was stunned. The yellow-brown soil pillars stood proudly in front of me, magnificent and desolate. The morning sun was projected on the soil forest, forming a light and dark contrast, and also adding a ghostly atmosphere to the soil forest. At this time, I was the only one in the huge soil forest. It was quiet and accompanied only by the sound of the wind. I immediately felt bad, a little uneasy, and a little regretful that I came too early. However, when I shuttled through the maze-like soil forest, the charming light of the morning was projected on the uneven and patchwork soil forest, forming beautiful light and shadow. When I kept using the camera to capture every wonderful picture, this feeling was immediately thrown into the clouds.

It was a complete accident to come to the Earth Forest. I originally wanted to charter a car for a day to go to the Hanging Temple and the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, but I was told that the wooden pagoda and the Hanging Temple were in completely different directions. I didn't have time to go there, so I could only choose one. Besides, the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda was only one pagoda, which was not very playable, so I gave up the wooden pagoda and changed it to the Hanging Temple and Hengshan (I didn't go into Hengshan in the end, I didn't catch a cold). Finally, I saw that there was still plenty of time, so I decided to go to the Earth Forest temporarily. The time to the Earth Forest is 16:30, and there is no so-called ticket office. You just pay at the door and an old man lets you in. I forgot the ticket price. It's a bright sight to go in: the river in the distance, a piece of reed marsh, a small wooden house, the Earth Forest, the blue sky, and the white clouds. What surprised me was that in such a city that produces a lot of coal, there are such blue skies and white clouds. The Earth Forest is really a place where you can shoot a big movie with just a casual shot. It has not been developed yet, and few people come. The entire area is almost contracted by the four of us.

I like it very much. The earth forest is a secluded and unique landscape. Maybe it has not been developed for a long time and not many people know about it. The navigation cannot find it. Later, I asked passers-by several times and finally found the beautiful scenery!

Datong Earth Forest is located in Duzhuang Village, Datong County. It is about 20 kilometers south along the Tonghun Highway from the city. Take the bus from the city to Hunyuan County and get off at the Earth Forest. It takes about 30 minutes to walk to the destination. The special geological landscape of the Earth Forest is different from the Stone Forest. With the passage of time, it is constantly changing under the shaping of wind and rain, but the charm of the entire Earth Forest remains, which does not affect its beauty at all. The locals call the Earth Forest "Stone Board Ditch". The peculiar scenery of the Earth Forest is amazing! There are strange works of art everywhere, with strange shapes, or walls, or layers, or beasts about to rise, or gods and demons about to walk... Walking in the maze-like Earth Forest, I can't help but sigh that for so many springs, summers, autumns and winters, wind and rain have carved out a magical art world in this thick loess layer!

Datong Earth Forest seems to be known by few people, and it is only suitable for self-driving or chartered vehicles. When we arrived, there were only two cars in the parking lot at the entrance of the Earth Forest. The Earth Forest is located in Duzhuang Village, Datong County, Datong City. It should be managed by the village itself. The ticket price is 40 yuan per person (not 60 yuan as stated in the original online guide), and it is negotiable. In the end, the three of us paid 80 yuan to enter. The Earth Forest is below the ground level and is formed by crustal movement, surface subsidence, water erosion, and wind action. It is a very unique landform landscape.