Pingyao, China

Pingyao is a lesser-known traveler destination, which is precisely the reason I chose to visit it. The city itself was once the most important financial hub in China - in its prime nearly 50% all Chinese firms had there transactions and business process go through Pingyao. At the time, the town was booming and had branches basically everywhere in China. Suffice to say, Pingyao and its reach in China was enormous. Well, as you no doubt have guessed, this did not last. Once things turned south for Pingyao it had no money for even the most basic infrastructural improvements. In fact, only in the last ten years (when tourism started picking up there) has the city had enough cash to make betterments. As a result of the financial downfall, Pingyao is among the best, if not the best, preserved example of imperial China that exist today.

Pingyao is filled with temples and "former residence of X," with X being some formally famous Chinese financial guru. Visit some of the places is interesting, but gets repetitive after a bit. The real charm of the town is just wandering around. I can describe Pingyao as this: you walk/ride (on a rented bike) on the main roads, which are filled with shops and overpriced restaurants and souvenir shops. You turn off the main road and you have a few restaurants. You turn off that and there is almost nothing. You turn off that and you have nothing. You turn off that and you have homes with, what I have to guess, is mothers teaching their kids math. It is really amazing. In Pingyao, the best thing you can do is get lost, which I have no trouble doing.

Pingyao is a great place in China that I have recommended and will continue to recommend to every traveler interested in listening. I went there on the advice of my guidebook. Sometimes guidebooks lead wrong, sometimes they are spot on. I guess I really did get lucky this time because my China experience would no doubt not be as it is without Pingyao.