Wonderful Nostalgic Time in Ancient City
Pingyao might be the best place to trace back on the real living of ancient Chinese people. Benefit from our valuable Pingyao private tour and receive deep understanding of authentic Chinese folk culture and history in UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites – Pingyao Ancient City, Shuangling Temple and tick off surrounding highlighting sites – Wang Family’s Compound and Zhangbi Ancient Castle. You also enjoy flexible schedules of Pingyao arrival and departure.
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 of today is yours to get a rest or go outside for a leisure walking in the ancient town on your own.
Arrival Ideals: At present, travelers can get to Pingyao by high speed trains from Beijing (about 4hrs), Xian (about 3hrs), Taiyuan (40mins), Datong (about 3hrs), etc.
After breakfast, your guide will pick you up to start Pingyao Ancient City exploration. As 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 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 Pingyao Ancient City exploration, drive 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.
Return to your hotel after Shuanglin Temple visit.
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 1 hour to Zhangbi Ancient Castle, which is a series of tunnels dug to hide out in times of war in over 1380 years ago. You will be amazed by the fabulous feat of architecture and engineering in ancient time.
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 middle of Shanxi Province, Mount Wutai (or Wutaishan) is one of the World's Five Sacred Buddhist Sites, UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of Four Greatest Buddhist Mountains in China and China’s National Geography Park. It is only about 3 hours' driving from Datong and 3.5 hours' driving from Pingyao.
Generally you only need 1 or 2 days for Mount Wutai exploration. You can spend one day visiting the sacred temples in Taihuai Town, then departing to other destination. If you are Buddhist or hikers, you can spend 1 or 2 more day exploring the Five Terraces which are 5 beautiful peaks with both natural wonders and Buddhist magnificence.
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.
Datong / Wutaishan / Taiyuan / Pingyao
Datong / Pingyao
Datong / Wutaishan / Pingyiao / Hukou Waterfall
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