Pingyao Ancient City Highlights
Explore Pingyao in a different way? This is your way! With our Pingyao Ancient City Mianshan Mountain tour, you unlock the mystery of all aspects – first bank of China, shopping streets in Ming and Qing Dynasties, real living of Wang’s Family who was the richest family in China in late Qing Dynasty, etc., also enjoy a side trip to Mianshan Mountain which is only about 1.5 hours’ driving from Pingyao. This is mountain provides mind-refreshing experience of both historical relics and pleasant natural landscape.
Highlights of this tour
Welcome to Pingyao! You will be greeted by local tour guide upon arriving at Pingyao Railway Station/Pingyao Gucheng Railway Station, then transfer to your hotel by a private and comfortable vehicle. (Staying in guesthouses of traditional ancient Chinese building in the Ancient City or modern hotels outside the Ancient City depends on your own interest.) The rest time after your hotel check-in is to explore Pingyao Ancient City, one of the best-preserved ancient cities in China.
Pingyao Ancient City is listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site because of its brilliant cultural magnificence. With a history over 2700 years, Pingyao Ancient City still keeps its intact charm: ancient city walls, elegant courtyards, scattered temples, all reflecting the urban planning style between 1368 and 1911 during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Your tour starts from the Ancient City Wall of Pingyao, where you can have a panorama view of the layout of this town. Then you will move on to the Rishengchang Former Bank, which shows you the original bank system in the past. Next, stroll on the traditional Ming and Qing Dynasties Street, a cobbled road with old buildings on either side. It’s much like tracing back to the former bustle bazaar in the old days. Later, visit the Temple of City God to appreciate the wonderful wood carvings, paintings and sculptures in the old temple.
After the ancient city exploration, you will return to your hotel. The rest time is free for you to relax.
Optional activity: Enjoy the excellent drama show of Another Glance at Pingyao (19:00~20:30) which presents local life, prosperity and recession of Pingyao during Qing dynasty vividly.
After breakfast, drive about 130km (1.5hrs) to Mianshan Mountain which is famous for astonishing scenery and cultural significance - Ancient temples perching on vertiginous and dizzying cliffs, tranquil valley with beautiful waterfalls, pendulous bronze bells hanging on cliffs… Mianshan is also the birthplace of Hanshi Festival (Cold Food Festival) on which fire is forbidden in households, and people could only eat what they had prepared previously, namely the cold food. Hanshi Festival is widely celebrated not only in China but also many Asian countries.
After arriving at Mianshan Mountain, you will go to visit Daluo Temple first. Reputed as “Potala Palace of Northern China”, Daluo Temple is 110 meters high with 13 storeys. There are many important Taoist texts preserved here, including a wooden-carved version of Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) by Laozi (Lao-tzu).
Next, go to enjoy a leisure walking in Shuitao Valley which is a natural oxygen bar with comfortable temperatures and fresh airs all year around. You can see dozens of waterfalls of different sizes and shapes, forming a colorful landscape painting scroll of waterfalls group. The calligraphy carvings on the cliff create a poetic and picturesque sense.
You will then explore the Buddhist Yunfeng Temple which is famous for housing the body statue of Tian Zhichao (571～641), the first Chinese who achieved Buddhahood. The temple was built in the belly of Baofu Rock which is 60 meters high, 50 meters deep and 180 meters long. If you are lucky, you may have chance to see how the praying-bells for good blessings being hanged on the cliffs of Baofu Rock, which is very awe-inspiring.
Later of the day, drive back to your hotel in Pingyao.
After breakfast, driving about 15 minutes to visit Shuanglin Temple, where you will be impressed by its large number of clay figures and wooden sculptures of various gods, goddesses and saints.
Later, move to Wang's Family Compound which is reputed as an art museum of traditional Chinese architecture and “Forbidden City in Folk”. It is a building complex of multi-generation endeavor of Jingsheng Wang family through the Ming and Qing dynasties for more than 300 years, including five lanes and 6 forts and 231 courtyards, 2,078 rooms and a street with a total area of 250,000 square meters. Within the courtyards are rooms, kitchens, schools, and prayer pavilions. The architectural layout of the Wang Family Compound inherits the courtyard style formed in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC~771 BC) – halls in front and bedroom at back which not only provides enough space for social activities, but also satisfies the requirements of the family privacy. Young and orderly, men and women, hosts and workers are accommodated in different areas, which fully reflects the majesty of the official family and the regularity of the patriarchal etiquette in ancient China.
After visiting, your local guide will escort you to Airport / Railway Station to catch your flight / train to next destination.
Situated in the northernmost of Shanxi Province, Datong is neck-and-neck with Pingyao in the competition of attracting tourists. It is only about 2 hours' bullet train ride from Beijing, 3 hours bullet train ride from Pingyao.
Generally only 2 days are needed for a classic Datong tour which covers Yungang Grottoes - one of Four Greatest Grottoes in China as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hanging Temple - world's oldest wooden temple, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda - oldest preserving wooden Buddhist pagoda in China, Nine Dragon Screen - the oldest and largest glazed screen in China, etc.
Xian, as the capital of 13 ancient China dynasties, is filled with amazing historic and cultural wonders.
With only 2 days, you can travel the best highlights of ancient capital Xian at an enjoyable pace. The Day 1 is a full day visit to the famous Terracotta Warriors, Ancient City Wall, Local Snack Street - Muslim Quarter. In the Day 2, you have a half day for visiting to the symbol of Xian - Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and having an educational learning in Shanxi History Museum. The rest time is free for departure.
Datong / Wutaishan / Taiyuan / Pingyao
Datong / Pingyao
Datong / Wutaishan / Pingyiao / Hukou Waterfall
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“WONDERFUL 25 DAYS IN CHINA - PRIVATE TOUR”
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