Pingyao

Our trip through the Shanxi province also included a two night stay at Pingyao. Strike that–we had a layover in two interesting spots, Jinci Park, and an old residence owned by a very rich Chinese family, the Qiao Family, somewhat akin to visiting the house of J.P. Morgan. Also to note is this house was the filming location of the movie Raise the Red Lantern. On the right is our group doing our best horsemen-warrior impression, although we look slightly less imposing.

We then arrived at Pingyao. Pingyao has beared this name for approximately 1,500 years, although the city itself is much older. Archaeology suggests men first congregated and lived in this region tens of thousands of years ago. What is known is that for several hundred years B.C. the city was built up as a strategic garrison location and passed between control from emperor to emperor as the years wore on. Originally “Pingtao,” the name was changed in 424 AD to avoid bearing the same name as the emperor at the time, Tao. During the Qing Dynasty, the city grew very prosperous and famous for its advanced banking industries, many of which still survive in the form of preserved buildings. Finally, in 1997, the city was named a “World Heritage Site” by the United Nations.

Today, Pingyao exists as a curious combination of one of the oldest cities in the world still standing, and modern tourist destination. In between the ancient temples and offices, preserved meticulously as museums, lie modern bookstores and tourist shops. Street vendors hawk their wares at you, while just down the road is a city wall built hundreds of years before America. Hotels, including the one we stayed in, combined beautiful old-style architecture, with modern plumbing, and in some places, wireless internet access.

We stayed for two days, experiencing the perverse pleasure of riding golf carts through crowds of people. Highlights include walking the city walls, something that offers a great view of the city and the exterior. Pingyao is probably the most visually interesting city I’ve visited so far, so I will let the photos speak for themselves. Here is the city at night.

The walls of the city, according to my guidebook, were first built several hundred years BC, and built to their present dimensions in 1327. No word on what kind of renovations go into the walls each year, but they afford a pleasant, relatively smog free walk during the morning, as well as a great view of the city.

One of the more interesting things was a recreation of life in the “old times.” One of the complexes that was preserved was an old government/administrative center. In addition to offices such as the military attache, agricultural administrator, bank liaison, and other government posts, was the center of the complex, the court. We managed to make it inside in time for a recreation of an old Chinese-style pre-trial hearing, complete with actors in the traditional garb. As a student of law, I was fascinated to see how the mechanics of the trial were in some ways identical–the judge staring imposingly down at the defendant, who sat meekly behind a table, guarded by “bailiffs.” Whether he was presumed innocent or guilty was not made clear.

Possibly the strangest fact about Pingyao is the fact it is still a fully functioning city, with local residents. Some of the more remote (read: non-tourist) parts of the city, especially near the wall, resemble the developing nation many people say China still is. I remember thinking, I thought I was in China, not some third world desert country!

After two days, we had basically exhausted our shopping options, seen enough temples, and missed hot showers in the morning, so we packed up and headed back to the bustling city of Beijing. I, however, remain glad I had the chance to glimpse life as it might have been for China, in the years before it was touched by western civilization.