My next stop was the well-preserved Ming-Qing Dynasty town of Pingyao,
famous for its old city walls and private banking houses where paper
checking was invented. Getting there wasn't easy (or rather my
itinerary wasn't): After three all-night flights (New York-Beijing,
Beijing-Singapore, Singapore-Beijing), I spent all day on the train or
in train stations. So Pingyao was actually the first overnight stop of
my trip. |