Pingyao - Raise the Red Lantern
Shanxi Province, China
It is said that Pingyao, a small town in central Shanxi, was the nation’s key financial center over a hundred years ago. The merchants from Shanxi Province were undoubtedly the most powerful and affluent of all merchants during the Qing Dynasty, when Pingyao held China’s wealth in its hands. 
With its power and affluence long gone, Pingyao is no longer associated with the status it once held, but the town still retains traces of its former glory. This tour will retrace the memories of Shanxi’s prosperous past, by visiting luxurious mansions once inhabited by the powerful merchants, buildings which once housed shops and banks, and century-old structures adorned with rare and exquisite woodwork.
Highlights
- Experiencing the History and culture of China’s ancient financial capital
- Local family visit
- Ancient traditional architecture
- Biking in the old city quarter
Day 01 / Singapore - Taiyuan - Pingyao
On arrival we meet you at the provincial airport of Taiyuan in the evening and drive to Pingyao, a small town located 100km to the south. Pingyao was built in the Ming Dynasty, and is one of the few towns left in China with fully extant Ming Dynasty walls encircling the town. Most of the buildings in the town date from the Qing Dynasty, when Pingyao was at its prosperous heyday. Because of the remarkable state of preservation of the city, and its importance as the city in which banking in China originated in the 19th century, it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. A late dinner will be served upon arrival in Pingyao, and we check into our inn, which is a reconverted 19th century courtyard dwelling, refurbished entirely in keeping with the style of former days, and romantically illuminated in the evening.
Hotel accommodation: Yunjincheng Hotel (atmospheric boutique hotel)
Meal: D
Day 02 / Pingyao
Today we bike on the ancient city wall, which is marked with a watchtower every 50 meters(164 ft) and visit several of the ancient courtyards and a complex of old private houses exhibiting their collection of art and furniture, all converted into museums. In addition to appreciating the ancient architecture, we learn about how banking started in China over a century ago here in Pingyao. Of particular interest is the Qing Dynasty yamen, or county magistrate’s complex. We will visit a local artist and learn how to make red lantern. Our pace is leisurely, allowing us to absorb the atmosphere of the buildings and way of life we encounter.
Overnight in Yunjincheng Hotel
Meals: B L D
Day 03 / Pingyao - Jingsheng - Taiyuan
We start today’s journey by driving 7 km south of town to the 1,300-year-old Shuanglin Temple, which houses over 2,000 Buddhist terracotta sculptures. We will travel a few more kilometers to Zhenguo Temple, the only extant Buddhist complex dating back to the Five Dynasties Period.
After lunch, we will continue our drive to Jingsheng Village in Lingshi County. A world apart from old commercial centers at Qixian and Pingyao, Jingsheng, though once an affluent merchant town, holds a quaint and unique charm. Jingsheng is famous for its well-preserved Qing dynasty architecture and the heritage of wealthy bankers that inhabited the area. The main attraction of the village is the Wang Residence, the former living quarters of a prosperous local family. We spend two hours wandering around this enormous, but little known mansion, exploring its nooks and crannies. In the late afternoon we drive to Taiyuan and enjoy traditional Shanxi food for dinner.
Overnight in World Trade Centre hotel.
Meals: B L D
Day 04 / Taiyuan - Singapore
The morning is free until our transfer to airport for our departure flight to Singapore.
Meals: B L
Tour Cost
- S$1,988 Per Person (based on 02 persons sharing a room)
Tour Cost Includes
- Return airfare to Pinyao from Singapore on Air China
- All accommodation on a twin-sharing basis.
- All admissions and activity expenses as noted on itinerary.
- All meals, highlighting the local cuisine, drinking water, tea and coffee during meals as noted in the itinerary.
- Snacks and bottled water throughout the trip.
- Services of local guides and drivers
- All land transport on private car or van
- AEA evacuation plan
Tour Cost Excludes
- All airport and other taxes.
- China Visa.
- Travel insurance.
- Expenses of personal nature, e.g. mini bar, phone calls, laundry, soft/hard drinks, etc.
- Excursions not included in the itinerary.
- Gratuities for local guides, drivers and staff
Travelling with Sojourns
From big cities to remote villages, Sojourns makes sure that your time in China is safe and comfortable. In places like Beijing and Shanghai, it is easy to deliver the standards of service and luxury that international travelers expect. We stay in the best hotels and dine at some of China’s most exciting restaurants. But even when traveling off-the-beaten path, whether it’s trekking in western Sichuan or visiting quaint villages in Guizhou, Sojourns strives to deliver those same standards of comfort and luxury. We bring along fresh coffee and Chinese tea to compliment a simple, but hearty, Western breakfast. If staying with local families, we pack clean linens, so that you can enjoy this once in a lifetime experience without worrying about the hygienic conditions of your bed. For trekking tours, we hire a support staff to manage our campsite, prepare meals, and transport our gear. Their expertise and experience ensures the next level of comfort on the most rigorous of tours.
We know that traveling in China can be difficult. By looking after even the smallest of details, we believe that our trips can help you experience China differently.
Hotels: Instead of going for the standard choice of a large chain hotel, we often dig much deeper into the city and look for places with style and comfort. Our staff tests every lodge and inn before we recommend them for clients.
Meals: The Chinese tourism authority often designates restaurants for tourist groups. These places are often reliable, but in China, there is a new restaurant opening everyday. At Sojourns, we keep updating our lists, and choose the ones to which we would take our personal guests.
Drinking water, coffee and tea: We don’t recommend our clients to drink from taps anywhere in China. Instead, we provide bottled water and snacks throughout the journey. During meals, a cup of freshly brewed coffee or good Chinese tea often delivers the next level of comfort on a rigorous tour.
Vehicles: Dependent on the size of the group, we use 4WD jeeps or vans and buses in good condition. We normally use vans on paved roads for a large group of 10 people or more for a couple of reasons: not only do they allow plenty of room to move around in the vehicle, but they also allow opportunities to socialise or relax by yourself.
We use drivers who maintain good safety records for all our journeys.
Safety procedures and record: Most of our travelers are high-end premium customers, who desire to visit unique, off-the beaten path destinations in comfort and safety. So far, we have been blessed with no accidents and we work hard to keep this record. Sojourns ensures the safety of its customer in the following ways:
- Our product development staff is constantly on the road, monitoring conditions and assessing the effects of developments on the safety and comfort of our travelers. If we have any reason to believe that safety or service levels are being compromised, WildChina will not run the tour.
- Our leaders and support staff take the utmost care with every aspect of the trip from altitude-related concerns to ensuring proper, hygienic food preparation.
- Sojourns subscribes to the rescue service programme offered by the International SOS, which guarantees a 24 hour access to English-speaking doctors’ counseling service. In the extremely rare case of emergencies, SOS can mobilize military helicopters to evacuate clients to Hong Kong.
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