We arrived in Pingyao last evening by hi-speed train from Xi’an. There is a display at the front of each train car that tells you how fast you are going at any given time. Much of the time we traveled at 240kph (150mph) but there were several stops. The first hi-speed train out of Hong Kong kept up a steady 300kph (186mph.) It did not seem like we were traveling that fast, very smooth.
Our hotel, inside the walled city is a lovey traditional home for this area. It surrounds a central courtyard and is decorated with Chinese writing, colorful paint and windows with wood dividers. Sookie and I are upstairs on the right.
We took an evening walk through town before dinner. Pingyao has 3000 years of written history. Until about 150 years ago, it was the banking capital of China, Shanghai took that over as a result of British influence.
There is a protected walled ancient city. Cars are not allowed inside (unless you live here,) and everyone has a pile of coal outside their door for their furnace or oven? There is a black layer of soot on everything and the air quality is not great, but it is an interesting bit of history.
This morning we had a calligraphy lesson. It was interesting and we had a fun time. The afternoon was spent browsing around town with my new roommate from England.
Tomorrow, we are going to get massages that were recommended by our fellow traveler, Kranti. He is a Lebanese man living in Canada who has totally embraced every experience we have had. He bought several Chinese garments today including a cap complete with braid down the back that he was happy to model for me.
