Pingyao

So, I'm back home from a three-day jaunt around the Shanxi province, specifically in Pingyao. Aside from the horrendous traffic getting out of and into Beijing, the trip was a blast. Pingyao is a Chinese 古城 or "Ancient City." Unlike modern-day Beijing but like former Beijing, Pingyao is surrounded on all sides by city walls, although the likelihood of a modern-day siege is doubtful.

What was interesting to me wasn't just the culture surrounding the area, but a more expanded idea (on a personal scale) of just how big China is, and how diverse the regions and its people are from one another. And despite all the differences, how similar, at the end of the day, the Chinese people really are. Our tram driver had difficulty saying a complete sentence without adding a "fuck your mother" in between or at the end of the sentence. I can only imagine how he'd respond if you asked him what he thought of the weather: "The weather's good, and your mother's a fucking cunt. How about you?" This is common lingo amongst all drivers throughout China, giving all travelers that warm and fuzzy feeling that they're never too far from home.

Being in China has made me all sorts of camera-whorish, so here be pictures.

The old woman in this picture is a master paper cutter. While in her shop, she wouldn't let me take pictures of her at work, but I managed to snap this shot of her walking down an alley all bad-ass-like.

While in the magistrate's quarters, we caught this demonstration of how the law was laid out back in the day. The magistrate in the middle of the picture sat around and posed for pictures, but I spared him his dignity by opting not to take a picture of him--up close, at least.

If I want to make any kind of physical contact with her in a picture, I gotta pay 6,000 RMB extra.

And last, but definitely not least, is a picture displaying Zoe's adorable tendencies towards older men. She has a long-lasting adoration towards Clint Eastwood, but not "Dirty Harry" or "A Fistful Of Dollars" Eastwood, rather "Million Dollar Baby" Eastwood.

I'm about two years older than Zoe, so I guess that qualifies me as an older man, even though I look like I'm 16. Ah well.

Good times, and the 国庆节 holiday has just started for us. Looks like we're getting that puppy tomorrow. And in gaming-related nonsense, I beat God of War: Chains of Olympus on Zoe's PSP from start to end during the trip. I keeps it real.