晋中市

Why this place

Jinzhong is the prefecture around Pingyao, and Pingyao is the whole point: a walled Ming–Qing county town that was never demolished and modernised, so you can walk a complete city inside 6km of intact ramparts. Two hundred years ago this was where China's first draft banks were invented.

What to see

• Pingyao's city wall — 6.2km around, walkable on top, with 72 watchtowers
• Rishengchang, the first Chinese draft bank (piaohao), which opened in 1823
• The Ming–Qing street, temple and courtyard-house fabric of the old town
• Shuanglin Temple and Zhenguo Temple, both a short drive out, with painted sculpture and a Five Dynasties timber hall

What to eat

• Pingyao beef (pingyao niurou) — slow-braised, sold by the slice
• Kaolaolao — a local oat noodle eaten with vinegar and chilli

How to plan

Two nights in Pingyao itself. One day inside the walls, one day for the outlying temples.

Best time

April–May and September–October; Pingyao is cold in winter and busy in the summer holidays

Practical tips

• Stay inside the walls, but note cars cannot enter — pack light
• Pingyao is on the high-speed line from Beijing and Xi'an