Pingyao: A walk through historic China

Pingyao can offer some unique dining experiences, particularly in warmer months, with many restaurants providing outdoor seating that allows you to watch the constant flow of people. The city has its own specialties, with wheat forming the basis of many staple foods and used for different varieties of noodles and local snacks such as wantuo and kao laolao. Pingyao beef served in cold slices with soy sauce is a local specialty and once a favorite of late Empress Dowager Cixi.

My hotel stay in Pingyao proved particularly enjoyable, for like many in the older town it tried to recreate a Ming feel in both architectural style and historic luxury. My room featured a kang-style bed traditionally heated from underneath. The hotel occupied a great location close to the Confucius Temple. With an area of 8,361 square meters, it is one of the best preserved such temples in China. It was traditionally a school where scholars wishing to become government officials took the grueling imperial examination. Walking for breakfast, I would pass its courtyards where people engaged in morning exercise and tai chi.

I have long believed that it is important to go beyond the "comfort zones" offered by China's increasingly 21st-century cities. With more connectivity through high-speed rail, destinations such as Pingyao are increasingly seen as a must visit. I could see why Pingyao is increasingly popular. It is exciting to find a city where a walk simply feels like a journey back into a past era.