Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya
 
Not much of an exciting day for anyone but me today.
I had no plans except for the Chinese Theatre in the evening.
 
I have already walked most of the city and pretty much seen all the sites I want to see. There are more of course but none that interest me. So upon waking I needed a plan to get me out of bed and into the sun filled streets.
 
Shapes!
Chinese roof tops are filled with shapes!
By this I mean the ancient roof tops and not and I stress not the new buildings!
 
How best to start than with a freshly brewed coffee down stairs and a chat to any one who is taking shelter from the sunshine, all of which were Chinese tourists! Where best to start than the County Government Offices (Xianyashu). Thankfully my ticket got me through the gate without me having to remove my wallet.
 
It was beautiful and I would say it would have to be one of the highlights of Pingyao.
 
It houses the Tax Office, the prison, an opera stage, a beautiful Confucian Temple and the tallest building in Pingyao, the city tower. The buildings were so neat and tidy (almost too neat and tidy!) and the gardens were in perfect condition. Even though there were tour groups running here and there the place was very spacious so no one seemed to get in anyone's way.
 
The temple was full of colour and the staff was full of happy smiles.
I can't say I've ever been more relaxed visiting a set of government buildings before!
Well maybe when I was doing over time on a Saturday with a hangover in my past!
 
From the government buildings I then walked aimlessly around the streets for the next few hours and then found myself outside the 'Former Residence of Lei Lutai'. This guy was the founder of Rishengchang and I do believe Rishengchang is a draft bank.
 
I could be wrong!
I've been known to be wrong before you know!
I think it was a Thursday, some time in the year 1991!
 
Lei Lutai's residence is another highlight of Pingyao and like the government buildings it was another that offers the visitor a glimpse of what life was like way back when. After a coffee at some random hostel I found myself out front of the Newspaper Museum. I slowly walked from room to room and even though I couldn't read the newspapers looking at the pictures was enough for me and probably would be for most foreign visitors. I won't write much about it as what can you really write about a newspaper museum. It was divided into different rooms for different time periods and it began way back when and takes you through to the present. The Anti-Japanese Times Room was a bit of a surprise though.
 
Well worth a visit!
 
Around six I headed to the Theatre to book my seat for the evening and thankfully even though I purchased my City Ticket yesterday it worked for today. The only reason being is the fact that there is no theatre on Monday nights so it has to work on a Tuesday night. For anyone who is confused the City Ticket will only get you into the Theatre for free on the evening of the day you purchased the ticket.
 
The following day you have to pay around one hundred Yuan.
This is a real bugger for foreigners as this information is no where to be found.
It is only passed on from traveler to traveler in each guesthouse, café or bar.
 
Around eight I headed to the theatre and had to fight to take my newly purchased Mizone in with me. They won't allow anyone to take water in as you have to purchase a new tiny bottle of water from the theatre for almost triple the price of a normal bottle of water. Sorry to say I was having none of that and simply pretended not to understand a thing the guy was trying to tell me and walking through the front door.  
 
Kind of like when I go to a chicken shop here in China and tell them (along with pointing at pictures) that I want two burgers, no fries and no drink. So what happens, I get a meal deal for each burger and am asked to pay for each meal deal. Strangely this only happens at a place called DICO's and I met a Chinese girl who used to work in DICO's in Xi'an and sadly they were instructed to act dumb and do this as 99% of foreigners will simply pay for both meal deals.
 
My self included if I am in a happy mood and the girl is a beauty!
 
The theatre was totally awesome from the minute it started to the final goodbyes from the performers. It was also easy to understand. I entered the building only knowing that it was about ancient merchants and their family. I pretty much knew what was going on most of the time and after I left I was handed a flyer that gave the story in short and in English.
 
At first I laughed and thought, how bloody Chinese is that!
Give the foreigner the story in English after they have sat through it!
 
But then I felt happy that I had sat there for two hours and very much followed the entire thing from start to finish. There is no English throughout and it is broken into different sections during which a new stage setting and time setting is given. It is full of colour and the stage settings are simple yet brilliant!
 
If you find yourself in ancient Pingyao, spend an evening at the theatre!
 
Just prior to leaving for the theatre I met a young beauty named Jiang Ni. I was chatting to the hostel owners and she had just arrived and was paying for her nights stay. Her English was pretty cool so we decided to meet up after my theater adventure.
 
For several hours we sat happily chatting at the table out front of the hostel.
 
Around us romantic red lanterns swayed gently in the cool breezed that danced gracefully on the timeworn bluestones beneath our feet.   The night was simply beautiful! I found out she was actually from Tiayuan City and her parents and brother still live there. She on the other hand was moved to her grand parents in Changsha City (Hunan Province) when she was fourteen and spent her entire school life there and still lives there at present.
 
Why was she moved to Hunan Province?
 
I don't really know why but I guess it either has something to do with the fact that she is a female and that she has a 'real' brother. She is from a small town about an hour away from the city and sadly she has never seen any of Taiyuan city except for the train station.
 
Before calling it a night we made plans to meet up in the morning to ride around the city wall and to then travel to Taiyuan City together in the afternoon.
 
It is times such as these that I really do miss traveling like I do and to the places I travel. Most places I choose to visit either don't have hostels or the hostels are much more expensive than a small hotel. But the times I do choose to pay the extra are always rewarded with good times and meeting new friends.
 
Beers N Noodles toya.....shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was by Urge Overkill
The album was the one and only 'Saturation'
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A short rundown on the dance drama 'Wild Jujubes'
 
The story takes place in the years between the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China. The Yin Family, the most prosperous household in the central region of Shanxi Province, is declining with only two members left - a sick and widowed Mrs Yin and her son, the retarded young master.
 
The head rfarmhand of the Yin family is a snob who harbours an evil scheme to e4mbe4zzle the Yin Family's wealth. He deliberately schemes to set up his illegitimate daughter, Jujube as the child bride of the retarded young master.
 
But the beautiful and virtuous Jujube is deeply in love with the industrious and intelligent young farmhand and without her fathers approval, the pledge on a handful of jujubes that they will marry.
 
They bravely defy the old farmhand in an effort to change their destinies. But the old farmhand poisons the wild jujubes that symbolize their love, thus turning a beautiful romance into a tragic love story that will stir your heart strings for ages to come.
 
Taken from a pamphlet handed out by the Pingyao Yunjincheng Performance Center