Stories in Pingyao Ancient City
First Arrive in Pingyao ~ Deshenglou Inn
It is said that when we first arrived in Pingyao, when we came out of Pingyao Railway Station, it was only 9 o'clock in the morning. Standing at the door and blinking, I couldn't find a car to go to the planned hotel, and finally met a young man who could walk to the ancient city of Pingyao, but not drive. I quickly thought about the current situation. I took Junjun and my luggage, and it was inconvenient to drag the luggage around. In the impression of ten years ago, the road to Pingyao seemed not easy. ... So I finally called the hotel owner, who sent someone to pick us up and go back to the hotel.
The young man who picked us up was very good at talking. He introduced Pingyao to me not long after the car drove, and told me which delicacies are the real Pingyao specialties, and what kind of beef should I buy...
When approaching the ancient city, the young man sent us directly to the alley next to the inn. It is very convenient to come out from the alley and just turn a corner. Moreover, you can see the night view of the ancient city from the inn. The inn is adjacent to the South Street, but there is less noise near the street in the inn. I have to say, it's quite satisfying.
But because we arrived too early-according to the front desk of the inn, many guests arrived at night, because most of them came by train-the room we booked had not been vacated, so we went to the hotel first. After checking in, I left my luggage at the front desk first, and took Junjun to visit the ancient city.
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Ticket information
Pingyao Ancient City adopts a pass system. After purchasing the Pingyao Ancient City Pass, you can visit 22 scenic spots. On the map, you can see that the scenic spots are mainly distributed at the junction of South Street and East and West Streets. You can find both the scenic spot map and the mobile phone map. Large scenic spots such as Confucian Temple, Town God's Temple, County Government, and Rishengchang bank can see small icons. In addition to the above, you can also visit ancient dwellings, Tibetan Newspaper Museum, Chenghuang Temple, Tianjixiang Museum and other scenic spots. If time permits, walking the streets and alleys of Pingyao Ancient City is also unique. The night view of Pingyao Ancient City is also very good. .
1. It is not mandatory to buy tickets to enter Pingyao Ancient City, and you can enter and exit at any time.
2. Tickets for Pingyao Ancient City refer to a pass composed of 22 small attractions in Pingyao Ancient City. After purchasing Pingyao Ancient City tickets, you can visit 22 small attractions. The validity period is three days, but the small attractions you have visited cannot be re-entered.
3. Tickets for Pingyao Ancient City are 125 yuan, with a half-price discount of 65 yuan per person.
5. Points to note: (1) Pingyao ancient city tickets are not for reimbursement. If reimbursement is required, ask the staff to issue an invoice when buying the ticket. (2) Pingyao ancient city tickets need to be kept well, there is a QR code on the ticket, and you need to scan the code to enter the scenic spot. (3) Tickets for Pingyao Ancient City are valid for three days, but you cannot re-enter the attractions you have already visited. (4) The Pingyao Ancient City Pass is the only ticket for Pingyao Ancient City, and there is no single-point ticket sales.
6. Where to buy:
Outside the city - Pingyao Ancient City Ecological Parking Lot, Outside the Lower West Gate of Pingyao Ancient City, Visitor Center outside the North Gate of Pingyao Ancient City.
In the city - next to the Confucian Temple scenic spot in the ancient city of Pingyao, next to the Rishengchang bank, next to the county government office, next to the Dananmen and other scenic spots can be purchased.
Must-see Attractions
city walls:
The panoramic view of the ancient city is super beautiful, with a circumference of more than 6,000 meters. It is not easy to walk around. You can walk for a short distance to see the scenery before going down. The circumference of Pingyao Ancient City Wall is about 6 kilometers, so the length of the four sides is about 1.5 kilometers, so you can roughly calculate the number of kilometers from where you are to your destination.
Rishengchang:
The earliest bank, covering an area of more than 1,600 square meters, is compact and has distinct functions. It is the first of its kind in China's national banking industry. It once controlled the economic lifeline of the entire Qing Dynasty in the 19th century. Its semicolons spread over more than 30 cities across the country, as far as Europe, America, Southeast Asia and other countries, and it is famous for "connecting the world".
Mingqing Street (South Street):
The most beautiful night scene in Pingyao, South Street is the central axis of the ancient city of Pingyao, starting from the junction of East and West Streets in the north, and reaching Dananmen (Yingxun Gate) in the south, with ancient market buildings running through the north and south. It is the most prosperous traditional commercial street. During the Qing Dynasty, South Street controlled more than 50% of the country's financial institutions. Known as China's "Wall Street".
County government:
Located in the center of Pingyao Ancient City, it has a history of more than 600 years. Pingyao County Government is one of the four well-preserved ancient government offices in China, and it is also the largest existing county government in the country. The entire building complex of the county government is orderly, patchwork, and reasonable in structure. It is an organic whole, and it is not an exaggeration to call it a small Forbidden City.
Travel route arrangement:
City Wall—South Gate Tower—Confucian Temple (4A)—Town God’s Temple (4A)—County Government Office (4A)—Ming and Qing Street (attraction gathering place)—Synergical Celebration (4A)—Rishengchang (4A)—Qingxu Temple
Among the many scenic spots, several AAAA scenic spots are must-sees. If you don’t have enough time, you can give priority to the above scenic spots. After all, the AAAA scenic spots are not in vain. The five AAAA scenic spots are the essence of the ancient city’s scenic spots.
After seeing these photos, you can have a preliminary impression.
specialty
There are many shops in Pingyao, which is very similar to any ancient town with a specific literary and artistic atmosphere. However, many small vendors in Pingyao sell things at low prices, or they are not too outrageous, or they are relatively reliable. So you can go shopping from house to house, looking for accessories or specialty products that fall in love at first sight in small shops.
The accessories are similar in tourist attractions, the difference is the small shops selling special products, and the special products in different places are different, so the specialty shops are very interesting, such as the Niangjia Wine and Vinegar Shop on South Street, a specialty shop specializing in wine and vinegar. It mainly sells wine vinegar and exhibits wine and vinegar making utensils. Even if you don’t buy wine or vinegar, you can still gain a lot from just strolling around. There are very few private museums of this kind in the ancient city, and only two of them can be seen after walking around the ancient city. (The other is Pingyao Beef Museum)
In Shanxi, the same type of vinegar can be divided into various types according to the raw materials used and the production process, which can be described as dazzling, each with its own characteristics. There are several kinds of jujube vinegar, honey vinegar, apple cider vinegar, etc. that you can see in the store. Shanxi people are good at making vinegar because Shanxi people love to be jealous, and Shanxi people love to be jealous the most in the country. There is a saying among Shanxi folks that there is no taste without vinegar.
Therefore, if you want to understand the customs and culture of Pingyao, you may be able to find the answer in your mother's vinegar shop.
Food
It's a pity, those few restaurants I ate in those few days, my increasingly fragile memory, I can't remember a single restaurant name. Probably because I only remembered the beautiful scenery in front of me when I was eating. This store is just off South Street. For lunch on the second floor, we ordered bowl trays, beef, Kao Kao, and stir-fried shredded potatoes. Among them, the potato shreds were rounded by Junjun, and the rest...hehe. I like to eat the 栲栳栳 here the most. It tastes both delicious and thick of the soup, and also has the fragrance and softness of the noodles, and the soup is spicy and refreshing, which also ensures that the noodles are not easy to cool down. ! As for the bowl tray, when you arrive in Pingyao, how can you not eat the bowl tray, which is also a special product and a signature delicacy?
Some small Tips
1. The ancient city can be entered all day, but the opening hours of various scenic spots are usually 8:00-17:30, and the peak season will be extended. There are six gates in the ancient city, the north gate is close to Pingyao bus station, the west gate is close to Pingyao railway station, and the south gate and west gate are the places with the most tourists.
2. The ancient city is free to open, and you need to buy a 125 yuan joint ticket to visit the attractions. It is valid for three days and includes a total of 22 attractions, large and small. Note that there is only this kind of ticket, and you need to buy a joint ticket to visit only one point.
3. The scenic spots in the ancient city are relatively concentrated. If you hurry up, you can finish shopping in about half a day. It would be best to stay here for one night. It's really nice to enjoy life here and make people feel comfortable. The suggestion is to find a friend nearby, or rent a guide, or scan the QR code. It’s not interesting to just look at the building objects, but you still need to understand the stories behind them.
4. Pingyao's famous specialties include: Pingyao beef, yam powder, camellia oleifera, bowl holders, ancient city paper-cuts, lacquer ware, etc. There are also some well-known Shanxi specialties such as: red dates, Qinzhou yellow millet, Taigu cake and so on.
5. In winter, almost every household in the ancient city burns coal, and the air quality is not very good, so you must wear a mask!
6. It is worth seeing Pingyao again. You can watch the performances in advance and understand the background of some scenic spots in advance, which will help you understand the scenic spots in depth.
7. The ancient city is more suitable for taking pictures when there is no one in winter, and the ancient style travel is very good. The ancient city of Pingyao in winter is not as lively as in summer, it is a bit depressed, and there are not many tourists. The whole ancient city is quiet and quiet, and it is also suitable for leisurely strolling around the entire ancient city.
2020·Dream back to Pingyao
Later, I saw pictures sent by a friend who went on a trip in the WeChat circle of friends, including small objects and some food, which made me feel that traveling in Pingyao was like traveling through time! The ways of making money in tourist spots have all been assimilated, and it is hard to say which one is unique to the local area. The ancient city of Pingyao is different. Although the ancient city also has the characteristics of the scenic spots, it is more of the ancient city's own things. After all, the cultural heritage of more than 2,700 years cannot be easily covered up.
Once upon a time, the ancient city of Pingyao in 2700 also vaguely has the style and features of the old Ming and Qing Dynasties. Therefore, although the ancient city of Pingyao does not have the vibrant scenery of a small town in the south, its cultural heritage is undoubtedly profound, with a history of thousands of years. China has it, and we can understand it from various documents and objects. The ancient city of Pingyao is one of the best-preserved ancient cities in China's thousands of years of history, and it is a living history. We must be in awe of this!
Now, the beginning of 2020 is so restless. In any case, we must become still in time. One must live seriously. Each of us is moving in the direction we want. We have the most simple life, but also the most distant dream...
