Pingyao: get down and dirty with Old China
Ok, so you are in China and you are quite disappointed. All of those buildings, people, urban buzz, big cities and traffic are not quite what you expected. You appreciate modernity, of course, but when you bought your ticket and waited for this trip, anxiously checking all of the details of that visa plastered inside your passport, you were dreaming of something else. History. Walled cities. Warriors and princesses… the setting of a wuxia pian movie, basically. If this is what you were expecting from China, please look no further and head to Pingyao in Shanxi province: you will be mesmerized by its movie-set alike appearance, since this Ming era town is one of the few standing inside its own ancient city walls.
A walk inside the walled Pingyao is able to take you back into Chinese history, it is an experience to be savored slowly, walking around the cobbled streets, hiking on the city walls, and observing life as it still goes by behind the small city courtyards. A trip to Pingyao is a peek back into what China should have looked like centuries ago, and of course, do not think you will be the only visitor: it is indeed a very touristy spot, and you’ll find tons of megaphone swinging package tour guides and groups during weekends and the main holidays. But have no fear: just step off the main drag, and immerse yourself in your own experience of Pingyao. There are so many spots and places to lose yourself in, and a number of friendly locals still make this place a great choice as a travel destination or a beautiful spot to break the route in-between Xi’an and Beijing.
How to Get There
Pingyao sits on the main Xi’An to Taiyuan (and later on to Datong and Beijing) train line, and getting off is pretty straightforward when booking your ticket in Xi’an. Get a sleeper train from Xi’An central station, get there in the morning and explore. From Taiyuan, there are several connections, and the trip can be easily overtaken as a day trip, but why wouldn’t you like to linger longer and enjoy Pingyao? From Beijing, there are two convenient sleeper trains leaving Beijing West around 7 and 8 pm, reaching Pingyao at 5.30 am or 7 am. Be forewarned tough that travelling from Pingyao anywhere else, being Pingyao an intermediary station, buying sleeper tickets is extremely hard on any connection. It pays sometimes to ask a hostel to do this for you for a surcharge, but even them sometimes cannot really help you out. Catching a bus to Taiyuan might prove to be more effective when looking for onward connections.
What to Do
Pingyao has an entrance ticket of 130 yuan which is valid for the visit of around 20 residences, houses and temples and lasts for three days. This is pretty good value, allowing you to visit most of the sites, except for a few which have their own entrance fees. All of these sites are a discovery by themselves, allowing a faster or more leisurely exploration over three days. One of the best sights are indeed the city walls: ten meters high and around 6 kilometers long, they have 72 watchtowers having each one of them containing a paragraph of The Art of War. A good time to go to Pingyao is 15 days after the Chinese New Year, during the Lantern Festival. Around this time, the city comes alive with performances, dances, it is beautifully lighted up by red lanterns at night and makes for a romantic and adventurous get away. This is the time when every corner of the city bustles with life, colors and atmosphere.
And do not believe the hype: Pingyao is a tourist destination, but it can be enjoyed great style, linfgering in the far off the beaten path eateries and exploring the many shops lining the outher reaches of the city walls. After all, it is in Pingyao that a very excited student told me I was the first foreigner he ever spoke to… so get out and discover, by yourself. The rewards are high, and incredible. Try to believe!
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