Hollywood meets Chinese kitsch

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There was a problem at the train station in Luoyang and all they could afford me was a standing ticket. Standing, or at best, curling up on my backpack in the doorway between cars travelling an 11-hour night train sounded a little daunting but I didn't feel too worried. It was in fact easy to find a free soft seat and once aboard, the conductors weren't the least bothered to check tickets. I sat up the first few hours learning language and dialect differences with my neighbours, a computer programmer from Hong Kong and three young people from Guandong. I read through the young girl's girlie magazine and impressed her with my poor knowledge of Chinese script.
The train pulled into Pingyao shortly after 7 am. No chance I was going to miss it. My ever helpful neighbour woke me before each stop, "two more stops until Pingyao,..." A blanket of snow covered the coal dust yellow and muck brown-grey of the waking city. My guidebook mislead me to believing it was a 200m walk to the guest-house. But the 2km stroll into the Ming dynasty Walled City just after dusk in search of my guesthouse was a thrilling half hour. In one of the most touristy towns in China, there was as yet no sign of tourism. Then nearing the centre of town, the buildings took on shiny facades and the English signs appeared, "guesthouse, internet, food, tea, coffee, massage, tour info". I stayed on Nan Daijie, just south of the Bell Tower, beautiful when light at night, in a renovated court house, _________, perhaps the most popular guesthouse among western travellers. I paid 160rmb/night for a single in the off-season, three times the cost of a hostel dorm bed, but worth every penny. The rooms are very warm and the king size futon, spread on an elevated surface, stretches from one all to the other. The showers are modern and so are the plasma TVs. And four red lanterns hang from the ceiling to create a very romantic mood. Pity I was travelling alone. The lobby of the guesthouse is charming and spacious but the menu is overpriced and the food rather tasteless. Linger on a cold morning over coffee listening to Hollywood's idea of popular Chinese music and the twittering of a caged bird but leave the walled city for any decent meals. And no need to pay for their internet, there are many other popular cafes or hostels that offer free internet and it's always a wise idea to spread your business. (something you learn as a cat or dog owner).
There is a myriad number of museums located in the old houses within the walled city, few of them really worth a visit, as none of them except those listed in popular guide books, offer English captions. Worth exploring is the Confucian Temple, the old City Administration Quarters and the old financial building and definitely spend a morning strolling along the wall. Unfortunately, to enter most sights you will have to pay 120rmb for the almost-all-inclusive ticket (19 museums! but not the Bell Tower). One afternoon, I rented a bike and after a few false starts find the road headed 6km south to Shamen Si. Wow! If you enjoy old wooden sculptures displayed in their original setting, complete with must and coal dust, make the journey. I had the entire temple complex to myself. Rather than search out the caretaker to unlock the iron-bars and guide me around, I took advantage of the privacy to poke my head between the bars and snap pics in spite of the signs informing me to do otherwise. The scenes and figures are really amazing, especially the hall of larger than life Arahats, bald men devoted to meditation, that appear like a mystical hellish biker gang. (Buddha, if u r reading this, I apologize). On another afternoon trip out of town, I caught local bus to Taiyuan and hopped off along the highway by the entrance to the Qiao Family Grand Court house. The 80s kung-fu flick playing aboard the bus was more fun than the tourist attraction, again devoid of English captions. It was grand and some of it informative, giving a glimpse of a once powerful banking family's dwelling and possessions. But don't go expecting something elaborate like the set of Zhang Yimou's "Raise the Red Lantern."

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