Plan at a glance
Entrance and two tickets
Jinhuagong National Mine Park is in Yungang District, Datong. For navigation, use “晋华宫国家矿山公园售票处 (Jinhuagong National Mine Park Ticket Office)” or “井下探秘游 (Underground Exploration Tour).” The underground visit first requires ticket exchange at the Visitor Centre, followed by entry through a separate gate. The Underground Exploration Tour costs about CNY 85 per person, including equipment, and the above-ground museum costs about CNY 30; the two are ticketed separately.
Reservations and times
Tickets for the Underground Exploration Tour are limited. Follow the official booking entry on platforms such as Alipay and Meituan from 3 days in advance; tickets are often released around 19:00 or 00:00. Walk-up tickets are not guaranteed. Tours usually depart in time slots between 09:30 and 16:30, roughly every 30 minutes. The exact departure time follows the ticket and the notice on the day.
Tickets and visit details
View visit options for this attraction and confirm the visit date and current arrangements before you go.
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The underground exploration tour
The main experience includes changing into miner's clothing, putting on a safety helmet and headlamp, and taking a small train about 156 metres underground. A guide then leads the group on foot through the galleries. Along the way are Jurassic coal seams, geological faults, fossils and the change from hand picks to modern mining machinery. This suits visitors interested in industrial heritage, geology or mining history.
The surface park and distant viewpoint
Without the underground tour, visit the mining equipment and the “工业时代 (Gongye Shidai)” sculpture on the surface, then climb to Yangfatai (仰佛台) for a distant view of Yungang Grottoes. These are the main elements of the surface route. If combining the mine park with Yungang Grottoes on the same day, arrange their tickets, entrances and reservations separately; the park does not share a ticket with the grottoes.
Surface photography spots
Yangfatai (仰佛台) requires a walk up a small hill inside the park and works for telephoto views towards Yungang Grottoes. The mining equipment and “工业时代 (Gongye Shidai)” sculpture can make good silhouettes in the late afternoon. Keep the surface photography separate from the underground tour; do not let a fixed departure time push the hilltop stop into your return schedule.
Build your day
A complete 3–4-hour route
Arrive at the Visitor Centre for your batch, exchange the ticket and collect equipment, then take the small train underground. With the guide, walk about 1.5–2.5 kilometres past coal seams, faults and a working face before taking the train back to the surface and visiting the above-ground museum. The underground walking distance is usually about 1.5–2.5 kilometres, depending on the open route and the mine's operating condition that day.
Surface route after coming back up
Return the equipment first, then visit the above-ground Coal Museum if it is open to learn about mining history and changes in extraction methods. If mine-car maintenance makes the underground visit longer, the museum can be the part to cut from the end of the route. After the surface stop, continue to the car park or the next attraction.
A short route of about 2 hours
With limited time, prioritise the Underground Exploration Tour, then photograph the surface mining equipment or leave directly. The mine car may stop for maintenance; in that case, the route may switch to about 1,000 stairs on foot. Consider the load on knees, legs and heart and lungs before booking, especially when travelling with older adults or children.
Get there
Bus, taxi and driving
From the city, take buses 603 or 605. A taxi from central Datong or Yungang Grottoes takes about 20–30 minutes. Drivers can navigate to the ticket office or the Underground Exploration Tour entrance; parking is available in the park, at about CNY 5 per visit. After entering, follow the Visitor Centre signs for ticket exchange.
Connecting with Yungang Grottoes
The mine park is close to Yungang Grottoes, making a same-day cultural and industrial-heritage itinerary possible. Start with the batch-based underground tour, then use the remaining time for the grottoes, or reverse the order. The drive, reservations and return arrangements between the two places still need to be handled separately.
Know before you go
Electronic devices and photography
Personal phones and other ordinary electronic devices are strictly prohibited underground. For photography, rent or use only explosion-proof equipment approved under the site's safety rules; an explosion-proof phone costs about CNY 50. Do not use a personal phone as a light, touch the equipment or leave the guided route. Follow the safety officer and guide underground.
Temperature, mud and supplies
The underground temperature stays around 13°C year-round, and the environment is cool, damp and sometimes muddy. Wear long sleeves, long trousers and older shoes, and prepare shoe covers. The underground walk is still fairly long and supplies in the park are limited, so bring drinking water before going below ground. After leaving, look for guokui flatbread, stuffed-pancake porridge or knife-cut noodles in the mining residential area; restaurant hours depend on the day.