Media visiting China's old cities starting in Shanxi

There is a special tour of the old cities of China for a group of reporters from 20 media, including People's Daily, Xinhua, Chongqing Daily, people.cn, sxrb.com and sina.com that began in the ancient city of Pingyao, Shanxi province, on Nov 4.

The report, from sxrb.com, on Nov 8, explains that the group's 9-day tour will take them to Langzhong in Sichuan province, Huizhou in Anhui province and Anju in Chongqing, where they will gather some stories and capture the picturesque beauty of the old cities.

The participants said they were amazed at how Pingyao has maintained a balance between history and development, or, as Wu Gang, from Chongqing Daily, put it, "Even though Pingyao has been renovated many times, the repairs always keep the old town's original flavor so it gives us a real feeling of the past, today."

Pingyao seems to be always at the forefront of architectural protection, with Liu Jingpeng, head of its urban protection and administration, describing the effort by saying, "Pingyao people cherish their history and heritage as treasures".

A year ago, the abovementioned four towns formed an ancient town alliance to make a collective effort to develop their heritage and they have organized various activities to promote exchanges and cooperation amongst themselves.