This image represents the dilemma of Pingao itself. It is one of the few cities left on earth enclosed by its original walls. It has been off the tourist track until now, but crowds are growing in this UNESCO World Heritage city. Will Pingyao gradually change itself into a historical theme park for the sake of tourism? Or will it carefully preserve its treasures in a less flashy way in order to ultimately offer a more accurate and more useful vision of its past to its visitors? I try to ask such questions with this image. I abstract one of the city’s famous towers as a silhouette. At first glance it seems to be just another pagoda-like building. Yet by abstracting it in this way, I call attention to the incongruous lights that bristle along the building’s edges. The lights, when illuminated, will create an entirely different Pingyao. A tourist’s city, rather than a cultural treasure. Yet in this image, they are not yet turned on, leaving us to wonder if perhaps there is a better way for Pingyao to offer its history to the world?