On the Streets of Pingyao, China

The old city of Pingyao is simply enchanting – well it certainly was when I visited there during 2001 and 2002!

Bursting with charm this age-old enclave’s intact ancient city wall is quite possibly the best in China and offers fantastic views across the old town. This is great for the contrast between the well-touristed and not-often-visited areas of town.

I have a few memories from Pingyao; one was being on the wall and watching as a farmer walked a small herd of sheep into the back streets of the old town, a fantastic photographic moment.

The other was the horse and donkey carts clip-clopping along the rustic streets. I was easily engulfed with horse cart-mania every time I heard one coming, and often the old guys driving or leading them were just as photogenic.

The traditional architecture is fantastic and as with most Chinese towns the best time to be out and about with a camera was from 6am onwards, as this is the best time to catch a real glimpse of local life and miss the tourists.

These images were all taken on black and white film. After going digital more than 10 years ago working with film gives a total different look and feel to images, one that I think works incredibly well with this subject matter.