AT THE ANCIENT TOWN OF PING YAO
The ancient town of Ping Yao, two hours' drive from Taiyuan City in Shanxi Province, is one of three surviving entirely-walled towns in China. The population of Ping Yao is 40,000. It takes nearly an hour to cycle round the top of the wall, and more than two hours to walk it. The walls date from the Ming Dynasty, which ended in 1644. A visit to Ping Yao is a stunning experience, truly like travelling back in time by 500 or 600 years. Anyone who wishes to understand Chinese history should make a pilgrimage to this incredible place. Here is a selection of photos of the town, the walls, the inhabitants, and a Taoist temple. In the last photo, the girl standing beside the rickshaw is Miss Zhang Jing, my secretary in Beijing. She and I were cycled round the walls, but it was a bumpy experience!
