Photo of Pingyao, Shanxi province. Akhil Parashar / For chinadaily.com.cn

While walking the streets, visitors will repeatedly catch themselves imagining that they have somehow been transported to 17th century. Many regular buildings in Pingyao are two or three centuries old. The town retains all of its Han features and is of great value for studying the development of social structures, economics, military defense, religious beliefs, traditional thinking, ethics and daily life.

On this trip, one of my first bright impressions came almost immediately upon my arrival with a group of other foreigners as we walked the town's main streets in the afternoon. The weather was bright and sunny. Atop the fortress wall that guards the town I could take in a grand view of this amazing community. Streets and lanes, shops, dwellings and temples could be seen clearly, almost glowing with their ancient and mysterious past.