Back to the past
A visit to Pingyao, China's best preserved ancient city
In an increasingly globalized and modern world, it is difficult to find the romanticism and the true experience of traveling back in time; especially for foreigners who already have experience traveling within China.
In most people’s view, their idea of China is an imaginary country filled with small streets that have no cars and which are full of shops with posters featuring large Chinese characters.
These ideas are usually drawn from 20th century paintings that feature the country as it existed decades ago.
However, most of this antiquity has succumbed to big cities and a world of cement and cars. That is why it is very rare for travelers to find a place today that lives up to the past.
This is why it is important to visit and live in these places and experience the adventure there, before, for various reasons, these places cease to exist.
An ancient city
After learning that Pingyao in Shanxi Province is called by many a “medieval city,” I didn’t hesitate to organize a visit there.
Pingyao itself is quite small. According to a local population census, 502,712 people live in the city.
The city is the model of an ancient city. Unlike the capital of Beijing, its old city walls still stand.
They were originally constructed during the reign of the Ming Dynasty’s (1368-1644) Emperor Hongwu.
The north and south side walls each have one gate, whereas the east and west walls have two gates each.
Pingyao was the one of the financial centers of China during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
However, it finally went bankrupt in 1914, right after the dynasty fell.
The ancient city of Pingyao was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 due to its high degree of conservation in addition to being the first banking capital and financial center of China.
It was like the Wall Street of the times, so one can imagine its glory during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The first time you go to Pingyao, you should make sure you go through the old train station located in the highly populated heart of the city.
The most convenient option to get to the station from elsewhere in China is to first head to Shanxi’s capital of Taiyuan and from there take a bus or taxi to the historic old town.
If you don’t mind missing out on the old station, there is also the recently upgraded Pingyao Gucheng station, which hosts a high-speed rail.
With this station, the journey from Beijing to Pingyao Ancient City has been shortened to just four hours, making the journey much more convenient.
This highly advanced infrastructure development has made it much easier to visit Pingyao. For example, one weekend I departed to Pingyao from Beijing early on Saturday and returned to the capital on Sunday afternoon. One of the highlights of the city – and the first thing one sees when you arrive – is a fortress-like town with a wall that marks a boundary between modernity and the past with a 12-meter high wall.
As I walked toward this historic center, the feeling that I had gone back in time grew ever stronger. The feeling was so intense that I actually forgot all about the city’s traffic.
The noise of the city and the lights from the shops also seem to fade to nothing as a feeling of peace and calm rarely found in big cities swept over me.
It’s free to walk around the old city, but you will have to pay to access the most interesting monuments or climb the wall.
The city center sells a ticket that enables you to enter about 20 places in the city. In addition to the wall, the best place to visit is Nandajie.
Around 440 meters long, it is the most famous street in Pingyao.
There are plenty of shops, restaurants, and places of interest to visit, full of color and smells of local cuisine.
Thousands of houses and shops have been preserved along the road for more than 600 years.
From above
Visiting the wall at dusk is not something you will regret. Pingyao is one of those cities that changes completely at night.
Within the city there are several outstand-ing houses that you should visit. The price of entry is a moderate fee. take care though, it’s highly likely you will end up getting lost as you traverse the numerous alleyways, so pay special attention as you travel around. Visiting these homes is a privilege that is almost nonexistent in large cities such as Beijing where visiting old buildings is mainly limited to their exteriors. In Pingyao, however, you can truly feel the City's history. The 300-year-old Tower of the City Stands out above all other Towers. This elevated viewpoint allows visitors to contemplate the most beautiful view of Pingyao; gray roofs and streets decorated with countless red lanterns, and old residences with landscaped patios. The Qiao family compound is another place you shouldn’t miss. The complex is 5,000 square meters in size and boasts 313 rooms, six large patios and 19 smaller patios. One of the private residences has become a museum full of unique period furniture that is a true testimony of the era.
The Wang family compound feels even more unique.
This compound is much better that the Qiao compound, but still goes relatively unknown to visitors from abroad.
Forty-five thousand square meters in size, the residence is one of the largest architectural masterpieces of the Ming Dynasty.
It is also known as the Forbidden Temple of Shanxi Province.
The house is actually located away from Pingyao, but can be reached by private car.
Although they are a product of modernity, staying in the historic center is an unforgettable experience.
To maintain the architectural style of the city, the hotels offer facilities and rooms designed in accordance with olden times.
The Yide Hotel is very popular. Their rooms, with their furniture and stone beds, are really peaceful and romantic.
Pingyao is a place that you have to visit if you truly want a compete idea of what China looked like in ancient times.
No matter if it’s the city’s history, tranquility, romanticism, Pingyao is worth spending a few days of your time walking its beautiful streets and looking at the pretty red lanterns.