After experiencing severe temperatures up to 37 degrees in Beijing, it is a pleasure to be in Shanxi. It is cool here and temperatures are between 17 and 25 degrees.
I am working this week in the Shanxi province. One of the most ancient cradles of Chinese civilizations, today the province is backward and the signs are evident. The airport is not so chic, the roads aren’t as well tarred as the rest of China and the countryside is full of poor farmers and scruffy houses. Yet today it is the center of tourism and it is almost impossible to get a hotel in this province.
Shanxi being at the North end was always strategically important as a defense center. The ancient empires always paid importance to building up military resources here as it was susceptible to conquests from the Mongols in the north and nomadic tribes of the northern areas. It has also been attacked by Japan in more recent times; nonetheless, the coal mining activity here was initially developed by them. Today the best crystal ware and glass ware in Europe is manufactured here.
The capital city Taiyuan was visited by Marco Polo in the 13th century. He observes that the city was an economic center. He also speaks of the numerous armed conflicts in the city. There are 27 temples for the War Gods in the capital city of Taiyuan whom the ancient Chinese soldiers worshipped for success in warfare.
China’s best preserved Ming architecture is in Shanxi and today Pingyao the walled city is a UNESCO heritage site. It attracts tourists from the world over and is a backpacker’s delight. I am very close to this town and revel in the delights of this miraculously preserved city. The wall is intact and perhaps the oldest living wall in China. Signs of Shelling from an earlier Japanese attack are intact and one can see them clearly on the walls. The city has several hundreds of old houses, the oldest Bank in China and many temples, monasteries, pagodas and auditoriums.
Pingyao was on the silk route between Beijing and Xian. It emerged as the leading banking center and was at its height during the Qing regime. Rishencheng, the oldest bank in China is today a museum in Pingyao. Even two centuries back, the bank issued demand drafts accepted in Korea, Japan and Vietnam. The Government does not allow any petrol or diesel driven vehicles inside. Only battery run Golf carts are allowed inside.
There are two old Buddha temples outside the wall – Shuangling and Zhenghuo. These temples are closely connected to India with the idols of Buddha, the arhats, the dwarapalas etc Names like Yama, Duryodhana, Rahula astonish the Indian visitor. India conquered Asia through its cultural riches such as Buddhism. The temples have a serenity in spite of the cultural revolution which had thrown all temples and monasteries in a crisis. The figures of the Buddha have a majestic aura and the murals on the walls are colorful and remind visitors of the ancient connection between these two countries.
There is a famous movie maker in China called Zhang Yimou who is now world famous. He has always made visually striking movies and earlier he made period movies as symbols of the communist government as it was difficult for movie makers to make direct comments on the administration. One of his movies, Raise the Red Lantern was made near Pingyao. It is an old mansion of the Qing empire style. It is built in the courtyard style and has more than 600 rooms. It was built by a tea merchant. The ornate complex attracts tourists by the hundreds every day.
