After a bit of trouble with the trains (not knowing Beijing had no less than four main railway stations, I went to catch my bullet train to Pingyao from the wrong one and consequently missed it, luckily not only did I get a full refund but also the next train a few hours later on that same day – phew…) I arrived in smoggy Pingyao! This really felt like old China (this city dates back some 2,700 years) and staying in a quaint hotel in the middle of the city was surreal, I don’t think I saw even one westerner at this place! I took a walk along the City walls & checked out banking buildings from the past ~ Pingyao was the financial centre of China back in the day. On my leaving I also took a trip to Shuanglin Temple to see The thousand-armed Guanyin!
Pingyao Photos
This was my bullet train from Beijing to Pingyao - I actually missed my original booked one due to station confusion in Beijing, I didn't realise there was four main ones! fortunately I rebooked and got a full refund too!Stewardess selling popcorn on the bullet train out of BeijingView from the bullet train traveling from Beijing West to PingyaoguchengArrival at Pingyaogucheng station, bullet train doors just about to close...Off the bullet train and 'Welcome to Pingyao'My quaint accommodation for the next two days, Pingyao Yide HotelThe hotel dates back to 1736, as you can see by my awesome cosy room - bed upstairs!My cosy 300 year old room in the Pingyao Yide Hotel, Pingyao County, TaiyuanMy Chinese-style room - the whole top section was a bed and below was a shower room and small hallway, cosy!Like the moss on the roof of this old building and the monkey statues outside - saw this looking into the city from wallOne of the gates on the city wall, Pingyao County, TaiyuanThe smoggy city of Ancient Pingyao.Another shot of Pingyao from abovePingyao Ancient City panorama map that can be found on the actual wall itselfView of the city wall, Pingyao County, TaiyuanPingyao City Walls constructed around the year of 1370North Gate Tower on the city wallThe hustle and bustle outside the entrance to Pingyao County, TaiyuanJust outside the city walls lots and lots of construction going onLooking out from the city wall at the 'fly eaves' style of rooftops, traditional in Han cities of the Ming and Qing dynasties (from the 14th to 20th century)This one for me sums up the problem with smog in the city of Pingyao County, TaiyuanThe city wall was designed to look like a tortoise from above, considered a symbol of longevity, see each brick layed also has a title to itWoman and her son buying some foodStall offering meat offcuts in jelly and other delights - not for the squeamish, Pingyao County, TaiyuanColorful restaurant lit up at night in the ancient city of PingyaoOne of the beautifully lit up alleyways at night, Pingyao County, TaiyuanCourtyard of my hotel the Pingyao Yide Hotel, Pingyao County, TaiyuanThe door to my room at the Pingyao Yide Hotel - a great place to stay in PingyaoMagic seeds in the roof of my hotelRoof tile decoration at the awesome Pingyao Yide Hotel, my stay for the evening.Hotel washing room, Pingyao Yide Hotel, Pingyao County, TaiyuanView from the top of my hotelTwo weddings taking place the day I arrived - lots of noise and firecrackers!Colorful wedding litter vehicle in the streets of PingayoOne of the hotels where a wedding was taking placeWedding decorations in the ancient city of PingyaoThe ‘his & hers’ chairs of one of the weddings I was invited to come in and have a look at.Traditional Chinese wedding decorationsTraditional Chinese wedding tea ceremony decorationThis guy had a song or two, and was all part of the friendly wedding celebrations!Old shop on the corner of North Street, big Chinese flag & some locals on the three wheeled cartsSome unusual stone pillar animal headsNot sure if these were doorstoppers but what a cool design!Chairman Mao paintingsYou might have noticed in the photos it's very smoggy in Pingyao, plus theres a sort of sulphur/coal smell is in the air at all times - I like this photo of the coal just eating up the street, sum's it up for meBeautiful decorative arches to the entrance of this shrine, Pingyao County, TaiyuanLamp shades for sale, Pingyao County, TaiyuanStreet food seller, Pingyao County, TaiyuanThe famous Pingyao 'Moon Cakes' made with flour, soybean oil, sesame and sugarVarious memorabilia on sale in the streets of Pingyao County, TaiyuanThe Qing Dynasty tower and a photo opportunity seat - for a price!Some of the more exotic goods on sale in Pingyao.Looking towards of the North Gate, Pingyao County, TaiyuanOne of these souvenirs is sitting on my window seal, can you guess which one?Chairman Mao Zedong porcelain figure, as you can imagine there are a lot of these for sale in the cityAs cars are prohibited within the city walls, bikes & electric cars are the way to get aroundChina Fire Services badge I spotted up on a roofLooking down South StreetA woman takes a colourful photo opportunity, and is joined in colour by matching tourist hats…Inside the first courtyard at Pingyao with the government offices on either side - the largest and best-preserved existing ancient county government office in ChinaBig Chinese sign I found in a old jail museum, Pingyao County, TaiyuanThe prison of Pingyao Ancient Government Office, the only Qing prison remaining in ChinaInside the prison courtyard of the Pingyao Ancient Government OfficeA variation of the Ming Dynasty guardian lion with drum on it's backDetail of the drum with a crane craving which is symbolically connected with the idea of immortality in ChinaYin Yang wheel and tortoise with dragon head - prosperous to touch the headAnother photo of that Yin Yang wheel/tortoise with dragon headA 'official litter' - a type of human-powered transport, most probably used by the court judgesAncient court room demonstration.Old Chinese cart from imperial times (the days horse-driven transportation!)Another 'official litter' vehicle, with very colorful silk curtains to screen the occupantsLooking out onto City God Temple StreetPingyao City street lifeDecorative Shrine inside the Pingyao Ancient Government OfficeWide angle view of the streets of Pingyao, Pingyao County, TaiyuanBeautifully carved 'Roof Charms' and 'Onigawara' (decorated roof tiles)Peeping through the tunnel of a bridge, Pingyao County, TaiyuanLooking down a back street alley in the ancient city of PingyaoChinese lanterns - invented in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD) as a form of lighting, can be seen on every corner of this Han cityPingyao local cooking up some nutsI saw two marriage celebrations while I was there, fire crackers everywhere, Pingyao County, TaiyuanEast street, interesting lantern designs above the first shopStreet vendors cooking up some spicy sausages - ni hao!Colourful teddy bears, Pingyao County, TaiyuanBike repairs shop in the ancient city of PingyaoOne of the many beautiful street entrances around the town.Red bunting to promote good luck, Pingyao County, TaiyuanMap of the Temple of the City God in Pingyao which was constructed during the Song dynasty (960-1279)Old and new, Chinese girl on a mobile in front of historic statues, Pingyao County, TaiyuanQingxu Taoist Temple in Pingyao, built during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907)Wishing pool at the Qingxu Taoist Temple.Chinese round coins in a empty temple fountain, Pingyao County, TaiyuanLooking into the courtyard of the Temple of the City God in PingyaoSculpture dedicated to the Kitchen God in the Temple of the City God, PingyaoSculpture dedicated to the Kitchen God in the Temple of the City God, PingyaoScary character within the Qingxu Taoist TempleThe Six Cao Hell sculptures in the Temple of the City God, Pingyao - a vivid depiction of what happens when wicked people die!Close up of a scary demon from the next photoScary Hell sculpture in the Temple of the City God, PingyaoThe terrifying depictions of hell at the Qingxu Taoist TempleScary Hell sculpture's in the Temple of the City God, PingyaoBeautiful ornate chair in the Temple of the City God, PingyaoI would imagine this to be a very, very old table in the Qingxu Taoist TempleEntrance courtyard to the Temple of the City God, PingyaoYin and Yang floor stone at Qingxu Taoist Temple.View through one of the electric cars of Pingyao County, TaiyuanThe city wall from outside, very much like a smaller version of the Xi'an city wallCity resident transports goods in a 3 wheeled electric powered cartFamily on an electric bike - nice to give me a smile for the camera!Arrival at Pingyaogucheng station, bullet train doors just about to close... Electric carts lined up outside the city walls and in use to preserve the ancient city and reduce smogBaby cat circling my feet, Pingyao County, TaiyuanCute dog having a nap on the streets of Pingyao County, TaiyuanUsed phone card boxes, Pingyao County, TaiyuanEveryday street life in Pingyao, North Gate Tower in the background.Teenager not looking impressed but his mother insisted I took a photo, Pingyao County, TaiyuanDragon mural on a wall, like the way the bamboo frame fits around it'Kaobaishu' or roasted sweet potato street vendor, a bike with a gas burner & fuel tank built in!Lot's of trinkets for sale to the passing tourists, the locals have to make a living somehow...It's all about the little 'normal' sized pair of shoes in this photoWooden gifts for sale, I like the porcelain statues in the windowLooking through the doors of a beautiful courtyard in the cityNewsagents Chinese style, staff break...Not your ordinary bicycle by a long way!The hotel's budgieCourtyard of the Yide Hotel, originally a traditional Chinese manor house dating from 1736The drying & washing hut above the hotel, nice wooden & glass design!Rooftops and courtyard of the Pingyao Yide Hotel, a great example of a Han Chinese city from the Ming and Qing Dynasties (14th-20th centuries)A roof charm statuette sits amongst the hotel rooftops, protecting the building from fire and other calamitiesLooking out at the roof tops from within the drying & washing hutThe best looking sink bowl ever!
Shuanglin Temple Photos
Map of the Shuanglin Temple, 30mins taxi ride from Pingyao County, TaiyuanEntrance to the Shuanglin Temple, just outside the ancient city of PingyaoEntrance sign to the Shuanglin Temple, about half hour taxi ride out from Pingyao City and originally founded in 571 A.D.Hall of the Devas, Shuanglin Temple, Pingyao County, TaiyuanTower in Shuanglin Temple, Pingyao County, TaiyuanThe thousand-armed Guanyin in the Shuanglin Temple - this is what I came to see, what a sculpture indeed!Red flags hanging on trees in Shuanglin Temple, Pingyao County, TaiyuanPolice helmets, Shuanglin Temple, Pingyao County, TaiyuanGilded sculpted image of Bodhisattva from Ming dynasty period , Arhat Hall, Shuanglin Temple, Pingyao County, TaiyuanThe Shuanglin Hall of Heavenly Kings, Shuanglin TempleAncient hall in the Shuanglin Temple, Pingyao County, Taiyuan
