To most, the Pingyao ancient city may not ring a bell as one of those places you need to visit when in China. Yes – the Great Wall, the Forbidden City…these are experiences that you’ll never forget. But on my trip to China, some of my fondest memories come from a visit to Pingyao County – in Shanxi Province and the financial capital of Ancient China.
Pingyao China – UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site
For the architecture buff, China is most definitely one of those places you have to see. Beijing and Shanghai are both built upon a fabric of American and European architects going all out on projects, experimenting and pushing the limits of construction to generate impressive structures which seemingly defy gravity. However, between the masses of contemporary architecture, pockets of China’s ancient architecture and culture emerge.
If you’re ever in Beijing and on your way to the Terracotta Army in Xi’an, the ancient city of Pingyao is located smack in the middle of your route. Although it thrives and focusses on tourism – due to its remote nature – Pingyao is famous for its well-preserved ancient character and its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dating back about 2,500 years, it is one of the best examples of Qing Dynasties city planning. Surrounded by its famous city wall, the city is densely packed with typical courtyard houses; so much so that from atop the wall, it’s hard to find the narrow pedestrian paths below you.
We arrived as part of a private tour bus. Because of the city’s contained size, the only vehicles allowed within the ancient city walls are tiny golf carts – so one scary part of arriving was briefly parting from our luggage. Without sidewalks, the streets are hustling and bustling with people – vendors spilling out onto the path, incense burning in Shuanglin Temple, all the while golf carts snaking around pedestrians, and street performers gathering huge crowds in the middle of intersections. (watch out for the bikes!)
Ancient Experiences – Pingyao County, China
Walking through, I felt as though I was thrown back 1,000 years into China’s culture, navigating the streets as my ancestors had and retracing their daily visits to city hall, theatres, and banks.
One of the perks in staying inside the old city was that every hotel was located in one of these ancient buildings. The rooms followed the theme of the rest of the city (apart from the modern bathroom and unusually comfortable bed) and faced a private courtyard inside.
Despite its density, Ping Yao was the only place in China that I truly felt such a contrast between the public and private spaces, and experienced the true glory of courtyard architecture. One moment you’re sneaking around the city, experiencing the nightlife as all the street performers come out, illuminated only by strings of lanterns across the paths, the next you’re back relaxing with friends in the surprisingly quiet and serene nature of a semi-private courtyard.
Don’t forget to try the famed Pingyao beef – in both Chinese AND American formats! It’s the only place in the world where you’ll have a beef patty that tastes sweet without sauce.
Do you look for places to visit on the World Heritage list such as the Pingyao ancient city?
For more articles about Asia, read:
– Discovering Hong Kong’s Culinary Universe
– Cheap Eats in China
I’m heading here next week! Very excited. Is there much to see in Pingyao outside of the city walls?
Enjoyable read, we spent a week in Pingyao at the end of September.
Wee addition is the Zhangbi village if you have time – it’s got a castle with underground tunnels.
Id highly recommend you go and get a guided tour – most hotels / hostels can arrange a driver to take you there.
WOW I just LOVE your photos. Definitely on my bucket list.
It is very amusing how Chinese people got to preserve these buildings so well! I look forward to visiting this place soon!
It really is! Preservation on this scale never really happens in the larger cities, aside from extremely important historical sites like the Forbidden City. The heritage site is actually situated in the middle of the more modern Pingyao, so my guess is that this level of preservation was mainly for tourism. Nonetheless, definitely a highlight of my trip that I would recommend!
I really love the roof lines and traditional tiling done on the buildings, I wish they would do more of that here in Taiwan.There are many examples here, of course, but it doesn’t seem to be as commonly used. Things are moving more towards ‘modernism’ and contemporary designs.
I hear you JR. I found that move towards modernism happening more and more – especially throughout Asia. They are tearing down hutongs etc to make room for modern buildings. A shame. In Toronto, I’ve noticed the trend to attach modern glass structures on top of historic looking buildings. It’s as if a giant space ship landed and squashed it underneath!
This looks amazing! Must put it on my “to see” list before I leave China, or at least, see it when I come back!
Excellent visit,
I would love to visit this place, It looks so well preserved and just the right scale to be able to walk around in. thanks for sharing.
This is such a great piece. Packed full of observations and info. Sounds like you had a fascinating trip. If I ever manage to visit myself I’ll heed your advice re the beef patties!