Everybody knows that China is a land with thousands of years of history, perhaps now it’s famous for its big cities and the modernity, but if you travel to China make sure that you visit also the other part, the part of the ancient China, if you include it in your China Tour you will not regret it.

One of the most ancient and famous places of China is the city of Pingyao, in the Shanxi province, and is one of the best preserved city in China, with more than 1700 years of history.

The city of Pingyao has not changed in centuries and that’s what make this City a fantastic place to visit, you can see what was the life thousands of years ago and also try its delicious local cuisine (don’t miss the Moonpies!).

Pingyao has a lot of ancient buildings that can be visited through the entire city, buildings that are what made the city the economic and financial center of china centuries ago.

The City is divided in two parts, the Wall and the City itself.

The Wall was built, some said, in the 700 B.C, but it was rebuilt and augmented in the 12th century to protect the city from the enemies; now is more than six meters tall and 4 meters wide and it has a well that is 4 meters deep.

Inside the city there are buildings that are worth visiting and you can get a pass to see them all in three days so you have no excuse!

The city has a kind of bizarre symmetry, there are two main streets that cross each other and, for example, if there is a Buddhist temple on the right there is Confucianism in the left, the same happens with the Taoist temple and the Governmental Office, which makes Pingyao a unique city.

There are lots of places to visit apart from the temples, there are the first bank buildings in China and you can see how the accountancy, the transportation of money, the keeping and the management were hundreds of years ago.

Pingyao has also lots of shops and other entertainment and as the entire city is ancient you won’t find a “western” hotel in the city, they all are traditional, and that makes a difference between Pingyao and other cities.

That doesn’t mean that there’s no bars or places to go at night, Pingyao is very touristic and it’s always full of people you’ll find that the city changes from daytime to nighttime and that it is a very active city, full of bars and activities to do during the nights that you will spend in the city.

Pingyao is the best destination in your China Tour if you want to see ancient lifestyle but you don’t want to go very far from Beijing (it’s just at 400 km) it’s worth spending a couple of days in the city and discover another image of China that you’ll never forget.

The top four famous Buddhist mountains are Mount Wutai in Shanxi, Mount Emei in Sichuan, Mount Jiuhua in Anhui and Mount Potuo in Zhejiang. Mount Wutai is not only a Buddhist attraction but also regarded as the best mountain as a summer resort. If you need a tour guild, please find one in with Guide ID Card in a travel agent. During the trip, don’t accept cards and gold ingots sent by strangers. Please choose commodity and service when there is a specific price. Be careful and don’t be fooled by strangers’ traps. There are some people trying to charge visitors a high price by peddling Buddhist things.

Best Time to Visit the Mount Wutai

The best time to visit the Mount Wutai is from June to August. Climb the Mount Wutai in summer, and you can see the beautiful flower seas. While in the ancient caves, there are landscapes of ice and snow which has been stored for hundreds of years. It rains a lot in the summer. Visitors had better bring rain gears, shirts with long sleeves and pants. If you go to the Mount Wutai in spring and autumn, you have to wear sweater, and thick or woolen pants. If you want to go to the peak and see sunrise, you must rent a cotton-padded overcoat. The weather is worse in winter. Travellers who go to the Mount Wutai in winter have worn more clothes to keep themselves warm and pay more attention to transportation.

Mount Wutai Best Routes

One day schedule:

After having breakfast, travelers can start the tour at eight o’clock. The route for the morning is Wuye Temple, Bodhisattva Ding, Xiantong Temple and then Tangyuan Temle. Wuye Temple is the best place to make a wish in the Mount Wutai. The route for the afternoon is Shuxiang Temple, Dailuo Peak. Shuxiang temple is a national protective historical relic. Royal families often got together there and had activities. Dailuo Peak is a small peak along the Qingshui River. There is a stone road of 1080 stairs to get to the peak. It was said after one walked through there 1080 stairs, all his worries would go away. In the evening, it is recommended to stay at the Taihuai County.

Mount Wutai Tickets

Ticket for an adult: 218 RMB/person including admission fee 168 RMB, environmental fee 50 RMB and insurance 5 RMB. Ticket for a child: 134 RMB.

Open time: from 6:30 to 18:30. It may change according to different seasons.

How to Get to the Mount Wutai

By Plane:

There are flights from Taiyuan to Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guilin, Nanjing, Shenyang, Xi An and other main cities in Wuxiu Airport. You can take the airport shuttle from No. 158 Yingze Street to go to the airport. You can take bus 201 or 901 to get to the Wusu Airport. There are also travel buses between Taiyuan and Mount Wutai at Taiyuan long-distance coach station.

There is a heliport at the Mount Wutai. You can take a helicopter to go to the Mount Wutai from Taiyuan.

By train：

The train station of the Mount Wutai is in Shahe Town, Fanzhi County. It is 51 kilometres away from Taihuai County. In the station, there are trains to get to Beijing, Taiyuan, Datong and other places.

Visitors from Beijing can get to the Mount Wutai stop by train and then go to the mountain. Other visitors can take a train to Taiyuan. It takes two hours to get to the Mount Wutai and the ticket price is 38 yuan.

By bus:

At the in season, there are long-distance buses to Mount Wutai in Beijing Liuliqiao bus station, Shijiazhuang bus station, Datong bus station.

There are also buses at the Taiyuan and Jinzhou couch station. It takes one hour from Taiyuan and Jinzhou.

By car:

Beijing to Mount Wutai:

Drive on the Jingshi Express, get out at Baoding. Go on driving through Shunping, Tangxian, Fuping and get to the Wutaishan Road.

Taiyuan to Mount Wutai:

Yuantai Express, get out at Jinzhou. Then go on driving through Dingxiang, Wutai County, Rucun Village, Qingshui River, south entrance of Wutai Mount and get to Taihuai County.

The Water Mirror Stage covers a big area and the eastern part of the stage is often used as the background screen in the plays while the western part, faced with the Shengmu Palace, serves as the proscenium. Under the stage eight large earthen jars functioned as loudspeakers. According to Chinese traditions, when people redeem a vow to a god or offer sacrifices to gods and their ancestors, they usually give various performances to entertain the god as well as themselves. And such a custom lasts for generations. Why? Because ancient common people in China were poor and had to work hard almost every day through the whole year, so they did not have much leisure time. When it came to the ritual ceremony, people all got excited and took this particular opportunity to relax and enjoy themselves. This kind of folk worship ceremony was entertaining and ceremonial at the same time. In the Song and Yuan Dynasty, plays were very popular. In order to meet the needs of the performances of ritual activities, people devided the stage into terrace, pavilion, proscenium and background screen and opened only one side of the stage. Not all people who stood around the stage could enjoy the show, but only those who sat in specific direction could do so. Therefore, stages with fixed watching direction came into being and gradually appeared in various temples or other sacrificial sites.