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THE ANCIENT CITY OF PINGYAO

16/5/2015

11 Comments

 
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West city walls at night


T plus 6 - Pingyao

First, a little background about this historic place (and UNESCO World Heritage site):

Pingyao was a city which flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties, about 700 years ago.  Unlike most other ancient cities in China (or indeed the world), most of Pingyao's architecture from this "golden age" is largely intact, including its fabulous 12m high wall which surrounds the entire city (6km circumference).  Pingyao was also China's principal financial centre during the late Qing dynasty, and its banks had branches all over the country!

Ok, here are the highlights.


Pingyao at night
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Outside the West Gate

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South Gate lit beautifully at night.  Like a postcard.

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Section of the wall on the South-end



Pingyao in the daytime

Ok, Pingyao can be nice in the day too, if you look past the hordes of (local) tourists and never-ending souvenir shops.  Finding a good spot to take photos can be tough as you're constantly being jostled around by the crowds while trying to avoid being run-over by locals on bikes and trikes.

 
Shops below the City Tower, centre of Pingyao
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View of the South Gate in the daytime

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Rooftops of Cheng Huang Temple

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Incredible colours in Cheng Huang Temple.  The chair was painted maybe 7 months ago.  The temple was done 700 years ago.  Zero restoration to its paintwork (except the words on the black vertical columns). 
How phenomenal is that?

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Again, zero restoration done on this 700 year old mural

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Man closing shop for the day at sunset

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One of Pingyao's many street arches

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Milimeter-perfect brick arches along the city wall

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Restored courtyard in the Rishengchang financial house building
(Pingyao's premier bank in the Qing dynasty)

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Elaborate column support structure for the roof of 700 year-old Qingxu Guan, one of China's best preserved Taoist temples.  Using an intricate network of horizontal beams for load-transfer, Chinese architects were able to create massive column-less rooms to house statues and ceremonial halls.

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Side street, restored to former glory

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Woman contemplating why business is slow

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Three locals perched on a moped, whizzing by the South Gate

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Neoh doing his best to take a selfie. 

He is wondering if the streets of Pingyao are curved, or
does his lens have too much barrel distortion.

Yes, he's a bit of a nerd.
11 Comments
MB
16/5/2015 06:27:51 am

Yr blog on City of Pingyao dtd 19/5/15 while here in KL today is 16/5/15! Why?

Reply
Neoh
16/5/2015 12:41:13 pm

Hi MB, yeah, it's a bug with Weebly, the blogging service I use to update this website. The date always comes out wrong and I have to manually correct it. Hopefully they'll fix it soon.

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SC
20/5/2015 06:43:23 am

Like the photos!

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Suef
18/6/2015 08:44:42 am

Why does Neoh refer to himself as a third person? 😜

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Neoh
18/6/2015 10:34:55 am

Greetings Suef!

Neoh only refers to himself in the third person in the introduction. He wishes he could write like this in all blog postings, but realises that it may make him sound a little pompous.

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Suef
18/6/2015 07:33:17 pm

Suef thinks it's fine and in fact is going to speak like this from now on. Suef also thinks Neoh's travel postings are inspiring and if Neoh ever finds himself in western Europe sometime in Sept to holler! Suef wishes Neoh happy and safe travels

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Neoh
19/6/2015 03:38:04 pm

Hahahaha!!! Where will Suef be in W.Europe in Sept? If Neoh finishes his odyssey early, he may consider a detour to reacquaint himself with modern amenities.

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Suef
22/6/2015 05:20:58 pm

Suef will be traveling around Italy, Greece and possibly Spain in September should Neoh consider adding a few urban tales to his adventure.

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Neoh
23/6/2015 09:16:19 am

Okie!! Neoh wonders if he'll have enough moolah to make it to W.Europe at this end of his silk road adventure, but he will try to stay within his USD66/day budget. Neoh will let Suef know when he is closer to Turkey!

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BENJAMIN link
18/8/2015 04:35:59 am

The scooter image can be seen a lot in China.

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Neoh
18/8/2015 01:15:32 pm

Hi Benjamin! Yeah, that's definitely true. I liked the historic backdrop for this pic though.

Reply



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