We exit the train station in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province, after a three-hour high-speed train ride from Beijing, and we're greeted with hot towels and cold bowls of ginger tea on a wooden tray. Bags in the trunk, we sit in the new car for a 90-minute drive south to Jing's Residence, a boutique hotel in the ancient walled city of Pingyao.
We're pleasantly surprised when we reach the entrance, marked by a large, simple wooden door. Jing's Residence stands out in a town that's crowded with small old-style guest houses, most of which have overdone the Chinese special effects.
A Relais & Chateaux hotel, it's nestled among dusty curio shops and busy restaurants. A series of grey-brick pavilions are built around a set of four courtyards that remain loyal to the traditional architectural styles of northern China. The courtyards feature bamboo, running water, and brick-paved walkways that connect the rooms. Small tables and chairs are provided so guests can sip tea and soak up the historical atmosphere.
Jing's Residence is located in the former mansion of a wealthy Qing dynasty silk merchant. The complex played a role in the long, prosperous commerce of the town, which was home to China's first banks, until Shanghai eclipsed it in the mid-1800s. The west courtyard was once a shop involved in the wood products business. The restaurant area previously sold goods from Beijing, but later became a photographer's shop. And the lobby now stands on a site once used for cotton weaving.
The Indonesian general manager explains that an effort was made to use original materials, such as old beams, wood, bricks and stones in the renovation, because 'we wanted to preserve the local culture'.
Yang Jing, the owner, says she originally bought the run-down structure in 1998, intending to use it as a vacation house for herself. However, a decade later, she began to renovate the structure. She recruited Antonio Ochoa, an award-winning Venezuelan architect who has been working in China for almost two decades, to do the interior design.
'The idea was to keep the beauty of the old courtyard structure,' says Ochoa. 'It's important to identify what is old and what we added. By keeping the original language, you can harmonise with and do something that is not aggressive to the old architecture.'