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Katherine and Asa John explore Shanxi Province by bike, starting in Taiyuan and continuing through villages and the Loess Plateau. They visit Jinci Temple, an abandoned village of cave houses, an inn and the fortress city of Pingyao. Along the way they try river snail noodles, cat-ear noodles, lamb soup, steamed bread and red-date vinegar. A birthday party blocks the road and residents invite them to join, while the travelers also visit a Dragon's Mouth cave and a LARP session. The source cuts off during its body, so this summary stays within the available details.
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Biking through Shanxi
Katherine and Asa John travel through Shanxi Province as part of a North China bike tour. Katherine calls Shanxi her favorite province on the route, noting that its dry climate helps preserve old buildings. They begin in Taiyuan with river snail noodles and visit Jinci Temple, described as a 1,500-year-old architectural site. They continue to Dento, where they explore abandoned cave houses carved into the Loess Plateau. The dry climate helps preserve wooden architecture, although Katherine says it aggravates her eczema. A local Chinese opera performance gives them a look at an art form whose audience today is mainly grandparents.
Food, fortresses and local hospitality
Their meals include lamb soup and steamed bread, and they try cat-ear noodles, named for the shape of the pasta rather than an animal ingredient. At an inn they receive red-date vinegar, which tastes more like molasses to them than vinegar or dates. The trip continues to Pingyao, whose ancient city wall remains intact; the travelers walk around the base. A local birthday celebration blocks the road, and residents invite them to join, offering scissor-cut noodles and jars of tangerines. They also attend a LARP session and enter the Dragon's Mouth cave on My Mountain without a ticket, noting graffiti inside. The source's body is cut off after identifying Pingyao as an old fortress city, so this account does not invent details beyond the stops and meals described.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: What were cat-ear noodles like?
- A: The travelers explain that no cats were harmed: cat ears are a noodle shape, and each bite has a different texture.
- Q: What surprised them about the birthday party?
- A: Residents blocked the road and invited the travelers to join. They were served bowls of scissor-cut noodles and jars of tangerines.
- Q: Do you need a ticket to enter Dragon’s Mouth cave?
- A: The travelers say they walked into Dragon’s Mouth on My Mountain without a ticket, and noticed graffiti inside.
- Q: Why are old buildings preserved in Shanxi?
- A: The source attributes their preservation to the very dry climate, which does not break down wooden structures quickly.
- Q: What was the vinegar from the temple like?
- A: The red-date vinegar tasted more like molasses than vinegar or dates. The source connects it with vinegar ice cream.
