The Old Town of Pingyao.[Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/China Daily]

Meanwhile, our group worked up an appetite and relocated to the local Chinese restaurant to savor a delicious lunch. The food was hearty, like home. Our time was tight, and we soon hopped on a bus and left the Wangmang mountains for a hotel where we would spend the last night before returning home.

We were to take in the Royal Residence of the Prime Minister, but because of time and a pleasant, drizzling rain, we would postpone the excursion until morning. We reached our night shelter, a modern 5-star hotel just a few meters away from the ancient palace complex — itself a 5-A national tourist attraction.

I could not believe that the feast of hospitality and our adventures in Shanxi province were coming to an end. We were invited to a nearby restaurant for a last meal, and when everything was finished, I headed for my room to write notes about the trip and prepare myself for tomorrow’s lengthy bus ride back to Taiyuan, and then the bullet train to Beijing.

Shanxi province warmly embraced us. I am thankful for the weather, for the delicious food, for the hospitable people. The landmarks were spectacular.

But what we saw is far from all that Shanxi can display for its visitors. Leaving the place, I was positively convinced that I will come back. Let’s leave it to yuanfen — fate — to decide when.