Pingyao

Trip Start May 23, 2005

Trip End Ongoing

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Flag of China Pingyao, China
Sunday, June 19, 2005

Pingyao is a quaint small town that has been discovered by tourists and is thereby trying to make the most out of it. Last century is the banking and financial centre of China and the first place to accept cheques. When the last Qing Emporer abdicated it fell away and was forgotten.

The great thing about Pingyao was that it was forgotten about it. It is probably one of the few places in China not been ripped asunder with modern development. It is great to see what Chinese cities were really like 50 to 100 years ago. Its city walls are intact and are about 1.5km each side. The houses all hark back hundreds of years with courtyards being prominent amongst the wealthier.

The downside is that Chinese tourists have discovered it and this will mean that modern development will be shortly arriving. The Chinese are herded from venue to venue by megaphone wearing tourist guides. Some of the older locals look all puzzled by it all.

This is a good place for a day trip.

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