Pingyao Ancient City
Home China City Tours Datong Tours Beijing Datong Tours 4 Days Local Culture Tour of Beijing-Datong-Taiyuan-Pingyao

Tour Overview

This 4-day Shanxi tour is a real history-tracing journey in China with the 4 top historic cities included: Beijing, Datong, Taiyuan, and Pingyao. Covering all the worth-to-visit attractions in Shanxi Province: Yungang Grottoes, Hanging Temple, Jinci Temple, Pingyao Ancient Town, and Qiao Family Courtyard, it entitles you to deeply experience a fantastic expedition of local culture and cuisine in north China. Benefiting from the the professional commentary from expert guide, it’s not only an eyes-dazzling journey but also a spirit-exciting adventure!

Highlights of this tour:

*Visit one of the biggest Buddhism Grottoes in China, the Yungang Grottoes
*Step onto the Hanging Temple, and enjoy the thrilling but safe experience
*Ramble in Pingyao Ancient Town. Measure the history with your eyes, and see the daylight fade until the lanterns light up
*Visit Qiao Family Courtyard to explore the history of the Qiaojia family and the development of Shanxi merchants culture in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
*Visit the earliest imperial sacrifice garden existing today—Jinci Temple

Day-by-day Itinerary

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  1. In the morning, the Beijing local driver will pick you up from the downtown hotel and drive around 1 hour to Beijing West Train Station for your high-speed train to Datong. The train rides around 2.5 hours, you can have a nap on the train.

    When you arrive at Datong South Train Station, there will be the local English speaking tour guide and driver waiting for you at the exit gate by holding a welcome board with your name.

    Firstly, drive westwards to Yungang Grottoes. As the first batch of key cultural relics under state protection, also on the world heritage list, Yuagang Grottoes has a highly cultural and artistic meaning. It not only shows the traditional Chinese artistic style, but also incorporates the art characteristics of ancient India, the western regions and the Central Plain. Yungang Grottoes is the beginning of the "sinicization" of Chinese grotto art which mainly stores 45 grottoes and 51,000 stone statues.

    Later, continue your visit to Shanhua Temple which is a Buddhist temple with great fusion Han culture in Song Dynasty and ancient northern ethnic culture of Jin and Liao Dynasties. Although it’s lesser visited compared with other Datong attractions, the artistic level of relics there including sculptures, wall paintings and ancient architectures show a pretty high level.

    Last, pay a visit to The Nine-Dragon Wall, built in late Ming Dynasty, is composed of colored glaze. Nine dragons are different in shape and form, each of which is connected by water grass, white clouds and rocks. It presents the superb sculpture skills of ancient China.

    Accommodation: Overnight in Datong

    Shanxi Datong Yungang Grottoes
    Yungang Grottoes

  2. Today the first site will be Hanging Temple. Located between the cliffs of Mt. Hengshan, it is the only unique temple in China that integrates Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. The whole monastery is built in wooden framework structure. Though not very big, it astonishes people by the building design that relies on a mortise joint and embeds into the cliff without falling down. Owning a history over 1,500 years, Hanging Temple have earned compliment from many notable literati and poets in their works.

    Later, drive around 3.5 hours to Taiyuan. Coming to Taiyuan, Jinci Temple is the No.1 attraction that you should not miss. It is the earliest imperial sacrifice garden existing today, dating back to Western Zhou Dynasty, about 11th century B.C. Each Taiyuaner is proud for Jinci Temple where their origin could be traced and for the historical heritage including the grand architecture complex, high-level sculptures, wall paintings and inscriptions. Immerse yourself into the elegant temple to learn the local history and culture with professional commentary from expert guide.

    Accommodation: Overnight in Taiyuan

    Hanging Temple
    Hanging Temple

  3. After breakfast, drive around 40 minutes to Pingyao and start your visit in Pingyao Ancient City. Bearing the history over 2700 years, sharing the title “Four Best Preserved Ancient Chinese Cities” together with Langzhong in Sichuan Province, Lijiang in Yunnan City and Shexian of Anhui Province, this ancient city is one of the only two ancient cities succeeding in applying World Cultural Heritage in China. Pingyao started to be built in Western Zhou Dynasty (827BC-782BC) and extended in 1370 AD, Ming Dynasty. Until today, the basic layout and landscape of Ming and Qing Dynasty is still visible in Pingyao.

    The city had ever governed China’s finance in Ming and Qing Dynasty with over 20 exchange shops (it’s like bank in ancient time) headquartered here, about the half of the whole country, gaining the title of “Ancient Chinese Wall Street”. Today, you can still find the basic look of its ever prosperity from the relics.

    Like the most city walls, Pingyao City Wall was built in early Ming Dynasty on the purpose of defense against the foreign invasion and get patched 26 times in later generations. The Wall is extremely admirable with its strong character in the lengthy past when you stroll on the wall top and behold the mottled bricks over there. Stretching round the city 6,000 meters in length and up 12 meters in height, the ancient City Wall divided the small city into 2 distinct worlds inside and outside its embrace: the inside was prosperous in trade with the streets lined with shops and people coming and going.

    Pingyao City Wall
    Pingyao City Wall

    Visit the relics of the famous Rishengchang Exchange Shop to trace the history of Chinese financial industry. Built in 1823 by the general manager Lei Lvtai with fund support from local rich merchant Li Dajin, Rishengchang had even dominated the economic artery of Qing Empire in 19th century.

    Setting your feet on the Ming-Qing Street, the one of busiest commercial street in China, you shall have a better idea in mind about how advanced the development in China was in that time. Today, the relics of those ancient shops still are well preserved and visible, including exchange shops, banks, drugstore, butcher, pawnshop… Local snack shops, souvenir shops and things like that inherits the ever prosperity of the street and dominates the major crowds here.

    Besides, joining in a Paper Cutting Class in the ancient city would be a big highlight today. Following the local expert and waving the scissors in hands, you will amazingly get a vivid “bird” or “fish”, through which the interesting Chinese culture could be caught a glimpse.

    Accommodation: Overnight in Pingyao

    Pingyao Ancient City
    Pingyao Ancient City

  4. Today you will head to Qiao Family Courtyard which could be said as a name card of travel to Shanxi Province, boasting its unparallel value of viewing, scientific and historical research. It’s a typical folk-art museum with strong characteristics of Shanxi merchants’ culture, reflecting the social and economic life in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Different from the tiny and elegant ancient town embraced by streams in southern China, Qiao Family impresses visitors strikingly with its square layout, tall and thick walls, grey bricks, and red lanterns as well as classic overhanging eaves, suddenly bringing you back to ancient northern China when you stepping into the yard.

    In the afternoon, you will be dropped off at the train station for departure. Your 4-day Shanxi tour to Datong, Taiyuan, and Pingyao ends here.

    Accommodation: N/A

    Qiao Family Courtyard in Pingyao
    Qiao Family Courtyard

Tour Price Per Person

The price varies depending on the activity, number of people, travel date, and selected hotel. Please contact us for a specific price.

 

Price Includes

  • 3 nights’ accommodation in centrally located hotels with daily breakfast
  • Beijing-Datong high-speed train (second class seat)
  • 4 Chinese style lunches
  • Entrance tickets as listed in itinerary
  • Excellent English-speaking tour guide
  • Private transfers in air-conditioned vehicle with licensed driver
  • Travel Agency Liability Insurance during the tour
  • Government taxes

Price Excludes

  • China Visas/flights
  • Accommodation in Beijing
  • Any dinner
  • Any optional activity/battery car/shuttle bus/boat cruise/bike rides etc. inside the attractions
  • Our package does not include travel insurance. Please purchase commercial travel insurance before your trip for any unforeseen circumstance
  • Any item beyond "Price Includes"
  • Gratuities to guide and driver (recommended if you are satisfied with their services)
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