"Son, we're going to China". This little sentence was destined to haunt me for 6 long weeks. Call me jaded and biased towards western culture, but China has never struck a chord with me.

Prior to this trip, the only places I've been to in China are Hong Kong and Shanghai. Both visits were short and uneventful, although Hong Kong redeemed itself by allowing me to buy local issues of Playboy. So how different could this trip be?

I mean what will we see? The Great Wall of China? A bunch of stones aligned by poor farmers ruled by a tyrannical emperor. Its historical temples? Relics of a bygone era where Religion was law.

So I guess you could say, no I was not excited to go to China. But I was pleased that we would actually be driving 12,000 kilometers, starting from the Port City of Tianjin to the Tibetan city of Lhasa. After a short detour to the Himalayan range, we would then make our way down south to the Yunnan province and finally crossing over to Laos, Thailand and then back down to Kuala Lumpur.

In short we would be traveling most of the silk road. We would see the same sights as ancient travelers did when they first journeyed on it some 3,000 years ago. Whilst ancient structures do little for me, I find the way people live their lives unbelievable interesting. No other country in the world has grown as fast as China has over the past 25 years and it would be interesting to see how the people really cope with it. So apprehensively I packed up what I assumed to be sufficient, and tossed its contents into the back of our chariot.

The chariot in this instance was a Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series. A little automotive porn for the men, its runs a 4.2 liter turbo diesel engine attached to a 5 speed automatic. On its feet are fat 18 inch tires and carries a fuel tank the size of Texas. Obviously its trimmed in leather and more importantly, has 3 cup holders within easy reach of the driver.

The car was shipped to Tianjin a month before us humans departed and would be waiting for us at the storage area till then.

Day 1 – Tianjin

My group (Car Number 3) left for LCCT in the early morning. Consisting of me, a self employed blogger, 2 pharmacists and a school teacher, I knew my chances of faking an illness was slim. Either way, an Old Town Kopitiam Nasi Lemak lightened things a little. The rest of the day was pretty much SOP Airport stuff. Local Immigration officers were nicer than Chinese ones and that's that.

Once landed, our first move was to get onto a bus which would take us to the port where our vehicles/chariots were stored. Let me just say, if you've never driven a car out of a container, it isn't the easiest thing to do. Especially when you're only way in is to climb through the boot. Which reminds me …

 

Tip #1. If you're going to be leaving your car idle for a month at some unknown port in a faraway country, do change your batteries. You don't want to hold everyone else up now do you *hint hint – Car Number 2.

After our vehicle checks, we made our way into the centre of town and our first encounter with locals. The Italian Styled Town is a government reconstruction effort and is a great place to go get cultured, Italian style. Establishments are open till late and while they may be a little more expensive than the local haunts, the Italian Styled Town does warrant stop by if you're curious.

Our tour leader then informed us we'll have to check in soon, eagerly looking forward to a good night sleep, we agreed.

Day 2 – Pingyau

We awoke to the bustling noise of the city. Our first objective, go to traffic school. We jumped in the car and turned a corner only be to greeted by hundreds of bicycles littering the streets, interwoven  in a sea of pedestrians and busses.  

 

 

One thing that stood out was the complete absence of motorcycles. Most cities have banned them citing 3 main reasons:

1.    Pollution – (laughable considering the amount of Jeeps and Hummers on the roads)

2.    Accidents / Injuries

3.    Crime

The effect is astounding. The lack of the two stroke engines lures you into a false sense of security up to the point where you want to take a corner and HONK!. There goes an electric scooter. Yes the two stroke has been replaced by these so called 'green' bikes. They are not ground breaking technological creations, just bicycles with motors, and you too can buy one off the shelves at your local Tesco.

They have minute batteries that last 10km at most, which is why they supplement the bikes with actual pedals. Worse still, because they have such crap batteries, riders don't use their lights.

Traffic School was basically a intro 101 into the world of Chinese driving. But if you too are considering a road trip, here's a list of tips we as a convoy have gathered.

#China Road Rules

*The Chinese do have a decent road system -  By that I mean the bigger you are, so too are you more correct.

*The horn is more a warning tool rather than an F-U tool, use it frequently.

*Speed limits are just suggestions.

*Watch out for electric scooters. They are silent and weave in and out of traffic like bats out of hell.

Traffic school over, we headed off for lunch at an ancient cultural street. It is just a pit stop before an epic 680 kilometre journey to Pingyau.

The city is actually split into two. You have the old city which is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and the new town which is just adjacent to the old.

Founded in the 14th century, it is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city. Of special interest are the imposing buildings associated with banking, for which Ping Yao was the major centre for the whole of China in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

 

The city is surrounded by walls built in the late 14th century and measures 6 km in length. Whilst it may look imposing from afar, it gives off a claustrophobic feel inside.

Whilst  you can stay in both parts, I would highly suggest at least staying in the old city for 1 night as it truly is an experience like none other. amenities wise it is pretty basic, but the whole makes you feel like you're in "Once upon a time in China". A few niggling factors that might affect your choices is the lack of electricity after 9.p.m, rationed water in some establishments and the occasional smell of a sewer that is overworked.

If possible, you should hire a local guide to show you around. The tour is mostly pre-set and will take about a day. Due to our late arrival, we had the rushed version of it beginning with what locals say is China's first bank.

Rishengchang dates back to the Qing Dynasty and for the most part, look exactly like the banks of today. The one major difference would be in the payroll department. Staff are hired from young but only receive a living allowance. They would only receive their full pay when they leave the bank forever. This was to protect the banks investments as it takes a long time to train people. In return the bank would pay you interest so when you do leave, you would be set for life.

That doesn't mean that you will not be fired. It is said that during the annual meetings with the chairman, you'll be seated according to how you performed. If you receive a fish head during your meal, you are performing poorly. If you're back faced the door, you're facing the sack.

Another area worth visiting is atop the defensive walls. There you will see just how far they spread and how they are used to protect the city in the event of an attack.

Pingyau should make it onto everyone's itinerary, and even though it is far away from other cities, is still a hotspot for backpackers around the world.

Also with the conservation efforts put in place, Pingyau will never be a Beijing or Shanghai. I think it's safe to say that most of the town's jobs are sustained by tourism. Sure it's nice to live in a historical city, but it does create an enclosed community. Kids grow up to become tour guides, chefs, hoteliers etc.

A lot of things here are done the old fashion way, and the pace of life is laid back to say the least. People born here would have a very hard time adjusting to a bustling city life.

Is the preservation of one historical city, worth hampering and perhaps even halting the future prospects of all who live there? Perhaps in the future the township will find a balance between preservation and progression, but until then Pingyau should be appreciated for what it is.