PINGYAO is a heaven for photographers, due to its magnificent ancient architecture. It is a small town 90 kilometres from Taiyuan, the capital of North China's Shanxi Province and it has also preserved its old houses and relics with great care.

　　If not for Zhang Yimou's acclaimed film, "Raise the Red Lantern," Pingyao might still an isolated town with a low profile. Thanks to the film, however, people have been attracted by the town's exquisite and glamorous construction and photographers throng there to take snaps of the ancient walls, gardens and houses.

　　When I was in Pingyao, a big festival was being held there - the 2003 Pingyao International Photographic Exhibition, supported by L'Oreal. It was the second time this event had been held and it attracted hundreds of photographers and fans from all corners of the country, all sharing the dream of capturing the most beautiful picture during the week-long festival.

　　Actually, Pingyao didn't disappoint them. Strolling in the town, you find almost every corner offers the opportunity for a good picture.

　　'Little Beijing'

　　The town is famous for its ancient houses. There are 3,797 historic buildings still in existence, most still in use.

　　The town has produced more than its share of rich businessmen, and they built houses with high walls and exquisite sculptures because most of them also doubled as private banks. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Pingyao had the nickname "Little Beijing".

　　The business of the eight biggest banks extended to 45 cities in China. Its outlets could even be found in New York and Los Angeles at that time. People can still see the counters there.

　　It is also true that most houses are decorated with lines of red lanterns under the eaves. With the background of black doors and pillars, these red lanterns add warmth and charm to the enveloped house.

　　The most famous house, actually, is not in Pingyao itself, but in Qixian County, 64 kilometres away. "Qiaojia Dayuan" (Qiao's Garden) and "Wangjia Dayuan" (Wang's Garden) are the two most famous.

　　Ancient walls

　　In Pingyao which was first built over 2,000 years ago, there is one relic that everyone visitor should be sure to see- the ancient town wall. It was first built in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and has been well preserved.

　　The wall forms a square, a total of 6,175 metres in length, protecting the town with a rampart about 10 metres high. The wall is paved by bricks and filled with earth, and during war time it served to shelter people in the town from disaster. (By Xu Xiaomin)