Pingyao-The Ancient Financial Capital of China
This Spring we went to visit Pingyao in Shanxi province in China. It is a city which has been around since 800 BC and was an important Financial centre in China from the 16th to 19th Century.
The city is full of beautiful old buildings dating back from its former glory days. They are both grand in nature and also include lots of intricate details. Some are also clearly in need of some restoration which seems to be ongoing but also done very tastfully.
We stayed in a beautiful traditional home which was hidden away in the maze of old streets and just by the city wall. It had two ornate courtyards with lots of beautiful plants, flowers and traditional decor.
We loved the History, Culture, Food Architecture and people who wanted to take a photo with us every 5 minutes.
Here are some of the photos from our trip.
Early Morning on South street
50 mm, f8, 1/50th of a second, ISO 280
I am super happy with my composition here. I wanted to capture the lantern in the foreground, the tower in the background, and the detail and character of this street. As I was readying to take the shot the lady came out of the doorway and looked at me and I instantly thought “Perfect” and then pressed the shutter.
Pingyao City Wall
50 mm, f4, 1/400th of a second, ISO 64
Pingyao is also called the turtle city because of the shape of the city walls that kept the city safe for so many years. I really loved the inscriptions on the bricks and just how quiet it was up there. We ended up walking almost the entire wall as there was only one entrance and exit open at the time.
On the way to work
26 mm, f6.3, 1/320th of a second, ISO 125
Pingyao has a wide variety of beautiful doorways. Some are made of carved wood and some of cast iron. I took this on our first walking the city and as I was framing up the shot I heard a loud clank and thud and then the door opened and this man on his electric scooter came out and this is when I took the shots. I really like the colour combinations, texture and the moment in this photo.
Friendly Street Vendor
44 mm, f4, 1/125th of a second, ISO 64
Pingyao’s side streets have many simple street vendors. This man was selling some biscuits cake type snacks from a wooden bench. After I bought one he asked me to take his photo.
Night Life on South Street
70 mm, f8, 20 seconds, ISO 64
I was trying out some long exposures on sout street and then a small Police golf cart-type vehicle came down the street and swerved to avoid hitting the many pedestrians which made the colour streaks.
Street works
33.5 mm, f4, 1/400th of a second, ISO 400
A lot of our planned routes around the city were blocked by these huge roadworks where the whole street was been dug up. I loved the scale of the works and the way people are still carrying on their normal lives on these streets. In regards to this photo, I was drawn in by all the leading lines with all of the cables and pipes. I also really like the textures and details in this photo.
On the way home
120 mm, f8, 1/400th of a second, ISO 250
I took this photo just inside the city wall shortly after we had come down from the wall. I was trying to get a photo of the light hitting the wall when I heard an engine that seemed like it must be just a few minutes away from exploding I panned over to this tricycle and the three men looked right into the camera and two smiled so I thought that must be my cue to take the photo. I really like how they are looking right into the camera, the epic environment and how that contrasts with the tricycle.
Keeping score
85 mm, f2, 1/160th of a second, ISO 200
Another friendly street vendor that I walked past many times as they were on the way to our hotel. I bought one of their biscuit-style cakes on the first morning walk and she smiled and waved t us every time we walked past. I loved the way she had her whole setup right from the front step. She cooked them from the step and had a little stool to sit down on and kept score of what she had sold that day by using a piece of chalk on the back wall.
Nightlife on the other side of South Street
200mm, f8, 1 second, ISO 64
While I made a lot of effort to go to see the streets at the quietest moments by getting up in the early morning I also wanted to capture the night crowds on South Street. My tripod attracted a lot of attention from people behind and in front of me and I actually like the way I have people looking straight into the camera on this one.
A Morning stroll
50 mm, f2.8, 1/320th of a second, ISO 450
This was taken on another early morning walk. I loved this street when it was quiet and captured people enjoying their Morning walk. I really like the composition of this one and how it looks in Black and White.
Last-minute window shopping
50 mm, f1.8, 1/100th of a second, ISO 1250
This was taken just as everything was closing down and I love the smoke and light in this photo.
Fragile load
14 mm, f5.6, 1/500th of a second, ISO 250
This was taken as I noticed how his man was carrying the box up against his head with it looking like it was going to fall down any minute. He seemed to have little regard for the fact the contents were fragile and were supposed to be held in a specific direction. Anyway, I like the subject, leading lines and the dash of colour from the cherry blossoms against the streets.
Distracted Craftsman
73 mm, f4, 1/400th of a second, ISO 64
I was drawn to the beautiful door of this shop and the man working on what looked like a mini table saw which he never looked at while he was using it which as a Design teacher gave me a great deal of anxiety.
Morning Deliveries
85 mm, f2, 1/400th of a second, ISO 220
I can never get bored of the wide range of vehicles they use for work in China as well as all of the modifications they make to them. I love the way the vehicle contrasts with the beautiful street.
Front Door
50 mm, f2, 1/160th of a second, ISO 320
There are so many beautiful doorways in Pingyao and I took this one in the rain as it helped to really deepen the colours of the signs and darken the wooden textures. I spent a lot of time trying to line this one up and get it all straight.
