A chance to travel back in time today

During his trip to Pingyao Ancient City in January 2022, President Xi Jinping called for more efforts to conserve the country's cultural heritage and protect "the valuable treasure left to us by our ancestors".

For urban planners like Li, the management of the ancient city is becoming more complicated and challenging since "it is a residential district, a preserved cultural heritage site and also a tourist attraction", he says.

"But ultimately, Pingyao is an ancient city where people reside. We shouldn't turn it into an uninhabited tourist spot; there should always be residents," Li says.