Datong boasts a long history, with the Sanggan River tributary and the Yu River running through its territory from north to south. Formerly known as Pingcheng, Yunzhou, and Yunzhong, it was renamed Datong during the Liao Dynasty. It served as the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, a secondary capital of the Liao and Jin Dynasties, and an important town during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Located between the inner and outer Great Walls, it was a crucial northern frontier area, a place where Han and non-Han cultures converged, resulting in a unique culture formed by the fusion of multiple ethnic groups. As early as the Warring States period, King Wuling of Zhao abandoned the cumbersome Han Chinese chariots and robes in Datong, promoting the lighter, more agile Hu-style clothing and archery, thus achieving his hegemony. During the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bang led his army to fight against the Xiongnu. He was trapped for seven days and seven nights at Baideng Mountain in Pingcheng, but was able to break through using Chen Ping's strategy of bribing the Xiongnu Chanyu's wife. The defeat at Baideng led the Western Han government to change its strategy towards the Xiongnu, forging a peace treaty through marriage, which later became the legendary story of Wang Zhaojun's departure to the Xiongnu. In the first year of the Dengguo era of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386), Tuoba Gui, the leader of the Xianbei tribe, established the Northern Wei Dynasty in Shengle (present-day Helingeer, Inner Mongolia). In July of the first year of the Tianxing era of the Northern Wei Dynasty (398), the capital was moved to Pingcheng (present-day Datong City). For nearly a century, Pingcheng served as the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, through six emperors and seven generations, until Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang in the eighteenth year of the Taihe era (494). The Northern Wei Dynasty "built palaces, ancestral temples, and established altars of the state" in Pingcheng. After nearly a century of painstaking management, Pingcheng became the political, military, economic, and cultural center of the north at that time. During the Liao and Jin dynasties, Datong, the Western Capital, flourished again in the north, becoming a transit point for exchanges between the Central Plains and northern ethnic minorities, and a link connecting various ethnic groups. Datong once again shone brightly. In the thirteenth year of the Chongxi era of the Liao Dynasty (1044), Emperor Xingzong of Liao elevated Yunzhou to the status of Western Capital Prefecture. Yunzhou was also included in the Five Capitals, becoming a secondary capital of the Liao Dynasty. In 1062, the eighth year of the Qingning era of the Liao dynasty, the Liao people, imitating the Xianbei people's practice of erecting sixteen-foot-tall golden statues of the Five Emperors, "enshrined stone and bronze statues of the emperors," and built the grand Huayan Temple in Yunzhou, which integrated ancestral and Buddhist statuary. During the Ming dynasty, Datong underwent a transformation in its capital's cultural landscape. Zhu Yuanzhang led the Ming army to conquer Dadu (Beijing), ending the Yuan dynasty's rule over the entire country. The remnants of the Yuan army retreated to Mongolia, but still posed a serious threat to the northern border of the Ming dynasty. Therefore, the Ming dynasty attached great importance to the defense of its northern border, establishing nine key defensive towns in the north, known as the "Nine Garrisons." Datong became one of these nine major military strongholds, with its strategic location being particularly important. At that time, one-twelfth of the nation's army was stationed here. Both Emperor Chengzu and Emperor Yingzong of the Ming dynasty personally led military campaigns here, earning Datong the reputation of "Datong's soldiers and cavalry being the best in the world." In 1372, during the Hongwu reign, Zhu Yuanzhang dispatched General Xu Da to lead the army and civilians in expanding Datong into a new brick city, building upon the earthen walls of the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties. In May 1645, during the Shunzhi reign, the Qing court sent Marquis Gongshun, Wu Weihua, to capture Datong, which then fell to the Qing. In 1900, during the Guangxu reign, the Yihetuan (Boxer Rebellion) in Datong numbered four to five hundred and consisted of four regiments. In late July, the rebellion was violently suppressed by the government, and eight leaders, including Ma Zhengtai, were killed. After the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu fled west, arriving in Datong on August 30, 1900, where they stayed for four days. Following the Wuchang Uprising of the Xinhai Revolution, the people of Datong rose in rebellion at midnight on November 30, 1911, capturing the General's Mansion and establishing a military government. The city was later besieged by Qing troops. The Taiyuan Revolutionary Army dispatched Xu Tongxi with the Xindaining Public Regiment to reinforce the city, leading to a standoff with the Qing army. An agreement was reached on December 11th, and the revolutionary army withdrew south. In the early morning of September 25, 1937, the Battle of Pingxingguan, which shocked China and the world, took place in Qiaogou, Baiyatai Township, Lingqiu County, Datong. The 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, led by Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen, annihilated over 1,000 Japanese troops from the Itagaki Division's supply corps, capturing a large quantity of weapons and military supplies. Yang Chengwu led his Independent Regiment to block and annihilate over 300 Japanese reinforcements at Yimaling, Lingqiu. This battle marked not only the Eighth Route Army's first victory on the anti-Japanese front in North China but also the first brilliant victory for Chinese troops against the Japanese since the start of the war.

There are many scenic spots and historical sites in Datong: Hengshan, the northern peak of the Five Sacred Mountains, is a vital passage from the northern plateau to the central Hebei plain. It is a sacred place where Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are practiced together. The main peak, Tianfengling, is 2016.1 meters above sea level and is known as the "Northern Pillar of Heaven and Earth" and the "Famous Mountain of the Frontier". There are 6 national "most cultural relics" in the area. (1) The World Cultural Heritage site "Yungang Grottoes" with the style of the Northern Wei Dynasty is located at the foot of Wuzhou Mountain, 16 kilometers west of Datong City. It is carved into the mountain and stretches for 1,000 meters from east to west. There are 53 caves and more than 50,000 stone sculptures. Among them, the sixteenth to twentieth caves are particularly precious. They are known as the "Five Caves of Tan Yao". They were carved by the famous monk Tan Yao of the Northern Wei Dynasty on the orders of Emperor Wencheng. They are more than 1,500 years old. The five large Buddhas in the “Five Caves of Tan Yao” are true portrayals of several emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the black moles on their faces and feet also match them. The Book of Wei records: “In that year, an imperial edict was issued to the officials to make stone statues, to make them like the emperor’s body. After completion, there were black stones on the face and feet, which matched the black moles on the emperor’s body.” (2) The Mahavira Hall of Huayan Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the country in terms of building area and the height of the roof ornaments; the sculpture art of the Tiangong Tower of Huayan Temple can be called “a unique piece in the country” during the Liao and Jin Dynasties. (3) Shanhua Temple is the most complete Liao and Jin temple in China. (4) The Nine Dragon Wall was built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1398). It was the screen wall of the Prince Zhu Gui’s Mansion in the early Ming Dynasty. It is the earliest, largest and best-preserved dragon wall in China. (5) The Hanging Temple is China’s only high-altitude cliff building and a rare temple in China that combines Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. (6) The Wild Goose Pagoda is a rare octagonal, seven-story hollow brick watchtower on a city wall in China.

As of the end of 2023, Datong City had 135 intangible cultural heritage protection projects at the municipal level or above. Among them, there were 8 national-level projects: Hengshan Taoist Music, Jinbei Drum and Wind Music, Lengyan Temple Temple Music, Yanbei Shuahaier (a type of folk dance), Lingqiu Luoluoqiang (a type of folk opera), Beilu Bangzi (a type of opera), Guangling Dyeing and Paper Cutting, and Datong Copperware Making Techniques; and 50 provincial-level projects: Old Datong Stories, Hengshan Taoist Music, Yunzhou Haotian Drum Music, Jinbei Drum and Wind Music, Zuoyun Lengyan Temple Buddhist Music, Datong Five-Tone Melody Ensemble, Kick Drum Yangge, Di Yangge (a type of folk dance), Hunyuan Shua Stories, Yanbei Shuahaier, Yanghepo Shuahaier, Lingqiu Luoluoqiang, Guangling Yangge, Duijiugou Yangge, Hongshileng Yangge, Beilu Bangzi, Errentai (a type of folk opera), Jin Opera, Dajian Daoqing (a type of folk song), Guangling Bajiaodi Puppet Show, Aoshi Saixi (a type of folk opera), Datong Shulaibao (a type of folk song), Datong Meihuaquan (a type of folk opera), Guangling Dyeing and Paper Cutting, and Guangling Copperware Making Techniques. Lingnei painting, Kangshi Juan décor, Yanggao cloth art, Datong bronzeware making techniques, Datong origami, Hunyuan liangfen (cold mung bean jelly) making techniques, Lingqiu shaobing (baked flatbread) making techniques, Hunyuan bell casting techniques, Datong Northern Wei tribute wine making techniques, Datong knotting, Gaojia shengguan (a type of reed pipe) making techniques, Hunyuan pottery making techniques, Lao Datong assorted hot pot, He Laoren mutton offal making techniques, Tianyuan oat noodles making techniques, Hunyuan baijiu (a type of distilled liquor) making techniques, Hunyuan Zhengbeiqi (a type of astragalus) processing techniques, Guangling eight-bowl traditional making techniques, Guangling willow weaving, Datong Yungang Beiqi wine brewing techniques, Datong cloth tiger, Jideyi pastry making techniques, Datong Wei vinegar brewing techniques, Datong hook-knife noodles making techniques, Beiyue Hengshan sacrificial activities, Lingqiu iron flower making.