Shanxi is a dreamy and charming place. There is a kind of tragedy here, and the legacy of Kuching people is still strong. The folk customs here are simple, the food is unique, and the natural landscape of the northwest is unique. Here is a list of the best travel routes to Shanxi.

I made a temporary decision to rush to Shanxi. Although I didn’t go to Shanghai, it didn’t matter where I went, the important thing was to go (it was still at the peak of work at that time, so I was inevitably told by my boss)! The following is a summary of what I saw, heard and felt during my trip to Taiyuan, Shanxi. Most of it was written on the spur of the moment on a bumpy ride. They were in a hurry, but it was the most real feeling at the moment. There may be some errors and omissions, but they will not affect the enjoyment of the entire tour.

1. When I got off the plane, I saw the tour guide. She's a girl, probably about my age. She is 1.7 meters tall (as expected, Beifeng people are taller), has good skin, and is very enthusiastic towards us. After picking us up in the car, she told us about her trip to Shanxi.

She said, "She said we were very lucky. It snowed for several days before, but now it has stopped and it will not have such a big impact on the journey. When you come to Shanxi, you must be jealous and adapt to the climate. Mainly noodles, more than 300 kinds of noodles, sliced ??noodles, etc. If you live in Shanxi for a year, you can taste different noodles every day. Rice, steamed buns, and noodles are the staple food in Shanxi. Wutai Mountain is mainly about religion. There are most poplar and willow trees. Taiyuan is divided into north, middle and south. Our hotel belongs to the middle. The north is cold, the history of Shanxi, and the Chinese civilization. These two towers are the landmark buildings and cities of Taiyuan. Sign. Built in the Ming Dynasty, the Wenfeng Twin Towers are hollow, 60 meters tall. Taiyuan District 6, Taiyuan Iron and Steel Enterprise, the steel frame structure of the Bird's Nest is the smallest round gel pen. TISCO's breakthrough technology used to be imported, but now TISCO is developing it. Throughout Shanxi and Jinyuan District, rice grows well due to the large temperature difference between day and night. The grapes are very sweet.”

Let’s eat first. The first meal in Shanxi is noodles! There are noodles, tofu, hot pot fish, etc. on the table. Can't remember clearly. There is a big table for eating. The most important thing is to get to know the group members. At our table, there are four uncles, one is a soldier (the military has a strong leverage and has saved a lot of money in heaven and earth, which shows his huge contribution back then), one is a history teacher, and two are brothers; There were two couples or lovers; there was also an aunt who came by herself and was in her 40s. It seems like I am the youngest in the group, haha.

The first noodle shop, I feel how much Shanxi people love eating noodles.

The tour guide suggested that we buy some fruits, because there are not many places where we can buy fruits. We were specifically told to buy apples and never strawberries as they were shipped from the south. After arriving at the hotel and settling down, I went out with my lonely aunt.

I didn’t see the snow in Taiyuan, but I was very happy to see many traces of snow on the road. Maybe northerners always have a hard time understanding why southerners like snow so much. Quite simply, because they have never been seen, they are very rare. It is not difficult to understand. We were still shining on the already dark snowdrift, and happily posted on WeChat that we finally saw snow. The winter in Shanxi does not feel as cold as Shunde. Maybe there's heating inside, maybe it's dry and cold, maybe we're only out for a while. It was already after nine o'clock when I went to buy apples in the evening, and many were closed. It’s really a nine-to-five life. Only the barbecue and hot pot restaurant is still open, so it’s quiet all the way. I also discovered something special. There are heavy curtains in front of every store in the north. I guess it was used to keep out wind and snow.

The lingering snowy shadow of an abandoned sofa on the street.

Apples are very cheap, only 5 yuan per pound (the good ones here cost 8 yuan), but the tour guide said that only the apples are fresh at this time, and the others are shipped here, and only cost 3 yuan. One pound. (Auntie also bought oranges, which felt cold, as if they had just been taken out of the refrigerator. I also asked him to send us some strawberries. He is indeed a businessman. In fact, strawberries are sweet.) Hotel where we stayed at night It's still pretty good (compared to the hotels behind it, it's simply excellent). Although it is not as luxurious as the Sheraton Qingdao, Shandong, it is not bad. The economy is very backward. I heard that the wages and housing prices are similar to those in Shunde.

2. After a short breakfast, I started the first day of the journey.

The first stop is the ski resort. I didn’t go skiing (this was artificial snow), but I rented snowshoes and had a try. According to the boss, there are series, hot springs, entertainment and ski resorts here. It won’t open until November. If there is not enough snow, the temperature difference is used to blow water into the sky, and it will freeze at minus five degrees. In summer, it turns into a meadow. I heard it has been rented for 50 years. I hope his business is booming. When skiing, it is easier to walk with your heels first. When entering the ski resort, be sure to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes and prepare an extra set of clothes. The sun was shining brightly on the ski resort. Wearing a thick down jacket and exercising hard, I soon became sweaty.

Auntie was so bored that she built a snowman and finally found equipment for the snowman.

Do you have the visual sense of Winter Sonata?

I had lunch in a similar family workshop. In fact, I like Shanxi food very much, maybe because I don’t resist vinegar, sour vinegar potato shreds, sour vinegar and so on. After dinner, I went out to stay and saw Cantonese people with the same accent. It was very interesting.

I heard that I came by car from Shenzhen, and then rented a car to go to Shanxi. Sounds cool!

The second stop, the Chang Family Manor. I am used to seeing the small bridges, running water and Suzhou gardens in the south, but I came to the north to see the largest private estate.

It is said that there are 600,000 acres. I admire this person so much, I feel it is comparable to the Little Shenyang Building in Beijing. The snow scenery and gardens inside are really beautiful. Although it is spring, the garden is deserted, bare and occasionally covered with snow. There are locust trees and willow trees here, not as many lush trees as in the south. After visiting many courtyards, they all said that every family has its own sutras that are difficult to recite. All major families would do this to ward off evil spirits and make a fortune. There is a flag-raising goalpost at the door, and the top pick in high school is about to be promoted. It is more than 100 meters deep. Many families have been doing business for generations, including silk, tea, etc., as well as Shanxi merchants. The most impressive thing is the Chang family tree, which records more than 18 generations. I also visited the young lady's room, where the maid lived. This is for unmarried ladies. There is also a study room, which is ridiculously big. Many TV dramas have been staged here, such as Sword, Light, Sword and Shadow.

Changjia Farm

I like it very much. Very quiet and comfortable.

The third stop, Pingyao Ancient City. Pingyao is one of the four ancient cities with a history of more than 2,800 years.

It consists of two parts, one is the antique city wall of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the other is the new county seat. Stay in the ancient city at night, mainly in inns.

The courtyard has two floors, with an open space in the middle. The room is relatively small, but independent and sanitary, and very unique. I used to sleep on the kang, which was very warm, but easy to get angry (we were afraid of getting angry, so we all lived in a heated room on the second floor).

What I saw in the ancient city was similar to the Chang Family Manor. The earliest bank was born in Pingyao, a commercial port. The second is the Yamen, and the third is the ancient city. In the past, the city wall was made of rammed earth, but later it was built with bricks in the Ming Dynasty. What to eat and what not to eat?

Pingyao beef is not recommended. It's authentic and can be ordered in restaurants. Salad is the best. Vanilla is delicious, but I don’t know what to use. If you don’t eat barbecue or beef skewers, it will cause diarrhea.

What you can eat is noodles, knife-cut noodles, and handmade noodles. You can try other types of noodles, oatmeal and oil noodles. There are bowls, white noodles, buckwheat noodles, either cold or stir-fried, stir-fried with mung beans or bean sprouts. Buy three kinds of specialties, beef jerky, Changyam powder, lacquerware, wooden ones, beautiful appearance, natural

If you want to come to Shanxi, there is no other choice than the ancient city of Pingyao. Xiu posted some photos of his life in the ancient city of Pingyao on his blog. Xiuli's photography level is not that high, and he only takes pictures of Pingyao's customs and customs. Thank heaven and earth, I finally arrived in Pingyao. Before dark, the tour guide took us to the other side of the city wall.

As the sun sets, the old trees are quiet.

There is a moat outside the city wall, which reminds me of the battle between Cao Cao and Lu Bu in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". It was during that time that the moat swelled, forcing Lu Bu, the god of war, to surrender. Looking at the ancient relics here, after many years of vicissitudes, they still have many years of history, they just look at you quietly. The city wall is very high, and I always think of the tragic siege of the city by the Three Kingdoms. I have no idea. Is Pingyao a place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack?

These walls are very high.

Friendly stepping into a vat charred by burning coal

I think the design is exquisite. After the city wall is opened, there is still some way to go before the real city wall. When you thought you had won a big victory and put down your guard and entered the city, you didn't expect that there was a pit here. Because the scale is relatively small, not many people can come in. When you come in, close the gates on both sides and there will be a volley of arrows. It's really an invitation to you.

The ancient city at dusk

Pingyao is very cold at night. After walking outside for too long, it felt like every breath was torture to my stomach. A stomach chill came over me, but I was greedy for air. I have no choice but to wear a mask. There was music constantly coming from the bar, which reminded me of Da Bing's "Amitabha". Chengdu, Zhao Lei, sings very high in this ancient city, but it also has some vicissitudes. In fact, the living conditions in Pingyao are not good. The tour guide said that many people want to leave here. Many people do business here. I don’t know if traveling is a matter of time. The land is vast and sparsely populated, and sometimes I want to maintain it. Passing by a bookstore, many people's dream is to open a bookstore.

The courtyard where we stay at night.

Pingyao is particularly smelly at night, with all the lanterns lit. The heating is discharged from the pipes, and every store is warm. I met a patrolman on the road and was tricked into taking 10 photos. We went to the restaurant with the highest reviews recommended by the tour guide and ate copper hot pot, vinegar-soaked beef jerky, dumplings, etc. I had dinner with my lonely aunt and heard many other people's love stories from her mouth, as well as the reasons why she came to Shanxi. I lamented that my experience was really rare. The place where I stayed at night was deserted and depressing. Occasionally, a grandfather riding a tricycle passes by and falls silent. Every house has a strong smell of burning coal.

There is no hustle and bustle at night in Fenghuang Ancient City. If you are lucky enough to see an ancient city in the early morning and evening, you will be surprised at how different it is. Fenghuang Ancient City is still a servant in the morning, but at night it seems that its coat has been torn off, revealing its commercial nature. Pingyao is different. Even if there are bars and shops, the inherent history and vicissitudes of life cannot be concealed. How many would even break free and leave?

I have to say here that the accommodation was too cold, so we did not choose comfort. The heating is not central but raised to 30 with air conditioning in the summer. Oh my god, it was my first time to take a shower. My whole body was shaking and I had goosebumps.

Set a record for the shortest bath in history. In addition, you have to wear a down jacket when sleeping at night. What a profound experience.