On our recent trip to China, we took the bullet train from Xi'an to Pingyao. Because we had heard that there is very little english signage in Chinese train stations, we arrived extra early out of concern that we might have trouble figuring out how to find our way to the correct platform. It turned out that we had nothing to worry about. Even though no one in the station seemed to speak English (including the people at the information desk), it was easy to match the numbers on our ticket to the departure information on the display panels. We found that riding trains in China is cheap, fun, and fast (the train's cruising speed was right at 150 mph). Traveling by rail gave us a chance to see the countryside up close. The parts we saw looked a lot like the Badlands area of South Dakota, except that every inch of ground was terraced an used for growing of crops. Even the dry stream beds were planted. Also of note was the variety of crops. Instead of the endless miles of wheat or corn that you see in America, the Chinese plant a wide variety of crops in their fields, interspersing fruit trees with vegetable and grains. The other thing that we noticed was that there were cemeteries in the middle of the farms - presumably where the farmers were buried after a lifetime of working the land.
The Ming dynasty charms of Pingyao
Pingyao is a small city in Shaanxi province that has been given a UNESCO World Heritage designation because it is considered to be the best preserved ancient walled city in China, and one also one of the best in the world. As soon as we stepped through he South Gate, it was obvious why Pingyao is so special. The whole town looks like the backdrop from a Kung-fu movie set in ancient China. Everywhere you look are cobbled streets, narrow alleys, red lanterns hanging from old brick buildings , and ornate carved wooden doorways that open into courtyard homes. It is a town that is charming beyond description. All the buildings are old, with some temples dating back to 600's and the more recent buildings (including our hotel) being over two centuries old.
Our hotel - we stayed in the room at the top
It seems like every door in China has red banners like these
Apart from being an incredibly beautiful and well preserved ancient city, Pingyao is famous for being the place where banking in China got its start. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, banking institutions in Pingyao began writing the first checks and bank drafts, allowing merchants to move their fortunes across China safely. Today these banking institutions are fascinating museums, with ancient artifacts (like original bank drafts) on display, as well as wax museum bankers sitting behind old desks writing in ledgers. Our favorite was the one we called Gringott's, because you got to tour its underground vaults, where vast piles of faux gold ingots were on display, as well as logs that were hollowed out so that money could be hidden inside in order to transport it safely across the country. It was here that we had one of those "travel in Asia is a mind blower" experiences. Deep in the bowels of "Gringott's" we saw a scrum of people walking around a pillar in a counterclockwise fashion. It looked interesting, so we joined them, only to discover that what you were supposed to do was to place your hand on a dragon carving that wound its way up the pillar, and walk around with your hand on the dragon until it was too high for you to touch. No one spoke English, so we had no idea of the significance of the activity, but it was sure fun to join in!
In addition to banks, Pingyao was also the base of operation for several "armed escort" companies. These were Brinks/Wells Fargos of China. These buildings were full of weaponry and training grounds for the mercenaries who protected people's wealth as it was moved from place to place. All of the residences in Pingyao, including the armed escort company buildings, have three courtyards, with the one that is furthest from the street referred to as the "backyard".
Perhaps the most notable structure in Pingyao is the old city wall. It is 6 km long, has beautiful gates on the North, East, South, and West, and has numerous watch towers along the way. The wall was built in the 1300's and is one of the best preserved (and least restored) in all of China. Walking the walls afforded wonderful views of the city, as well as respite from the throngs of tourists that crowded its main streets.
North gate of the city wall
Because we had no control over when our vacation was, we had no choice but to arrive in Pingyao during the May day vacation, when everyone in China has a three day weekend. Although the town is not particularly well known to westerners (we saw maybe a dozen), it is VERY popular with Chinese people, and is only a three hour train ride from Beijing. Consequently, the main North/South and East/West streets were extremely crowded. This would probably have been somewhat off-putting if we weren't already accustomed to Asian crowds. All you can do in a case like that is chalk it up to a cultural experience, and duck into a temple or side street when start feeling overwhelmed.
Pingyao can get a bit crowded at times
There are lots of old temples in Pingyao, and even if they all start to look the same after a while, we still enjoyed the dramatic architecture, the green and gold glazed tiled roofs, the massive statues, and the clouds of incense. One thing that really stood out was that religious behavior is not limited to Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. In Pingyao you'd see people kneeling, praying, and lighting incense to Taoist statues, images of the City God, and a host of other minor deities. One of my favorite religious customs in China is the one where people write on red wooden tiles and tie them onto the railings of temples. We still don't know if its wishes, prayers, or tributes to deceased loved ones, but it sure is a beautiful tradition.
Giant guardian of the Taoist temple
We were please to learn that Pingyao is home to one of China's four "Dragon Screens". These are large, outdoor walls that have (you guessed it) nine beautiful, richly-colored ceramic dragons on them. We saw one last summer in Beihai park behind the Forbidden City in Beijing, and thought is was a particularly beautiful art form. Apparently the construction of these dragon walls was limited to places that were of special importance to the empire.
Two of the nine dragons from the 10 meter long dragon wall
The food in Pingyao was quite good. There were street vendors everywhere selling skewers of meat, little fried pastries, and small baskets woven from leaves that were filled with a mixture of steamed rice and dried fruit. My favorite was seasoned quail eggs on a stick. Evidently the town of Pingyao is known for a kind of delicious dark brown liquid for mixing into soups. Everywhere you turned there were stores selling huge ceramic jugs of the stuff.
Spicy quail eggs on a stick = breakfast in Pingyao
Jugs of Pingyao's famous brown elixir
I don't know if you have any plans to travel to China (it isn't on most people's must-visit list), but if you do, consider a side trip to Pingyao. It's only a three hour train ride from Beijing, and it is totally worth going to.
Typical Pingyao tableau: lanterns, bicycles, and a narrow alley
Taking the road less traveled...
