This grand courtyard was built in the reign of the Daoguang emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and was the private residence of a wealthy merchant of Shanxi.
Pingyao, a UNESCO World Heritage site, attracts tens of thousands of tourists every year who come to see its well-preserved old quarters, which boast a history spanning more than 2,700 years.
Having lived in my hometown Taiyuan, the provincial capital of Shanxi, for more than 20 years, I thought I knew Changzhi - a southeastern county within the same province.
