Pingyao Ancient City

Introducing the Ancient City of Pingyao
If you are interested in Chinese history and culture, the Ancient City of Pingyao is a great place to visit. This old city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, listed as “an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city.”As a matter fact, this ancient walled city is considered to be the best of its kind in China. Pingyao is a county-level city located in the center of China’s Shanxi Province. The city itself was first established around the 9th / 8th century BC, during the Western Zhou Dynasty, many of the city’s present structures were built from the 14th century AD onwards. Pingyao is famed for its importance in Chinese economic history and for its well-preserved Ming and Qing urban planning and architecture. The town is first recorded around 800 bc, during the Western Zhou Dynasty, many of the city’s present structures were built from the 14th century onwards. Pingyao served as the financial center of the region from the 16th century and of the entire Qing Empire during the late 19th century. During those times, there were more than 20 financial institutions within the city, comprising more than half of the total in China. Rishengchang was the first and largest, controlling almost half of China's silver trade under the late Qing before going bankrupt in 1914. Pingyao still retains its urban layout from the Ming and Qing dynasties. More than 300 sites in or near the city have ancient ruins. The city has over a hundred streets and lanes, lined with close to 4,000 17th–19th century shops and residences. The streets and storefronts still largely retain their historical appearance.

The Ancient City of Pingyao Fast Facts
• Chinese Name: Pingyao 平遥
• Best Time to Visit: All year round
• Recommended Visiting Hours: 1 day
• Things to Do: Walking Ming Qing Street & City Wall, visiting museums & temples
• Opening Hours: All day
• Entrance Fee: CNY150
• Address: Pingyao County, Shanxi Province

Visiting the Ancient City of Pingyao
Entry to the Ancient City of Pingyao is free. However, admission to any of the 30 specially-designated attractions inside the city requires a common ticket that can be purchased at one of the many ticket booths spread all over the old town. Tickets are CNY150, CNY65 for students with valid student ID, senior citizens over 60 get a free ticket (bring your passport to the ticket office). The tickets are valid for 3 days, during which every of the individual attractions/museums can be entered once, although staying in Pingyao for one night should be enough to see most of the sites as well as soak up the general atmosphere of the place. The specially-designated attractions in Pingyao can be divided into three categories: the City Wall, a handful of large public building complexes (such as temples), as well as a large number of private Ming/Qing dynasty courtyard residences which have been converted into small museums dedicated to the buildings' former owners or businesses.

What to expect at the Ancient City of Pingyao

Pingyao’s City Walls
Pingyao is considered the best ancient walled city in China, and is on many lists of the best walled cities in the world. The city walls of Pingyao were constructed in 1370 during the Ming Dynasty. They enclose an area of about 2.25 km2 (0.87 sq mi). The town is accessed by six barbican gates, one each on the north and south walls and two each on the east and west walls. The walls measure about 12 m (39 ft) high, with a perimeter of 6,163 m (20,220 ft). A 4 m wide and 4 m (13 ft) deep moat can be found just outside the walls. Aside from the four structured towers at the four corners, there are also 72 watchtowers and more than 3,000 battlements. It is often said that the city wall of Pingyao is shaped like a turtle--a traditional Chinese symbol of longevity--with the south gate and north gate representing the head and tail respectively. The east and west walls each have two additional gates, representing the turtle's feet. Therefore, Pingyao is also called the "Turtle City."

Ming-Qing Street
This street, named for the Ming and Qing Dynasties, has been the main commercial avenue in Pingyao for centuries. Hundreds of shops line this busy street, most of them built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Also called South Street, Ming-Qing Street houses many courtyard houses--one-story compounds with rooms built around a series of courtyards--and a number of the main tourist sites. Today, many traditional-style shops line the street and sell food, snacks, specialties, paintings, furniture, calligraphy, and souvenirs.

Temple of the City God
The City God Temple of Pingyao consists of several courtyards and halls, through a magnificent three-gate wood archway. The main hall of the Temple is still very much in its original state and is clearly still in regular use. In the Temple visitors will see a re-creation of heaven and hell, with every manner of torture shown in hell, from being cut to bits and being boiled to death, with happy families painted on the walls of heaven above. Unlike most City God temples, this one honors not just the City God but also the God of Wealth and the Kitchen God. The Temple of the City God was originally built in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1227) and has undergone two major renovations due to fire in 1544 and 1859.

The Confucian Temple
The Confucian Temple is in the southeastern corner of the Ancient City of Pingyao and is one of China's most time-honored temples of its kind. Work on it began in the early years of the reign of Taizong emperor (AD 627-649) of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). The main building, the Dacheng (Great Achievement) Hall, was built in 1163 during the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), and it still has its original look. The temple is a large structure typical of temples of its kind, with a central axis and Kuixing (literature god) tower. Kuixing tower is a small, but exquisite structure at the southeast corner of the wall. The Confucian Temple still houses a zhuangyuan's answer sheet in the top imperial examination for selecting talented government personnel, and it is the only surviving example today, with an inscription that reads, "highest of the first lot", left by the Wanli emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The temple is the best preserved temple compound, with the largest group of Confucian statues and the largest exhibit of China's imperial exam system.

The Qingxu Taoist Temple
The Qingxu Taoist Temple is the largest temple in Pingyao County. It is located on the north side of the East Street. The temple was built in 657 during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), and its original name was Taiping Temple. It was named Qingxu Taoist Temple in 1064 during the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279). It has been renamed several times since then, but got its name “Qingxu Taoist Temple” back in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). Over the years, many Taoist sculptures have disappeared, with only a few remaining. The temple was renovated into the Pingyao Museum in 1998. The relics in the museum display Taoist culture and the history of Pingyao County.

Pingyao County Government Office (Yamen)
While the Confucian Temple ruled the "yin" of the spiritual world, the yamen ruled the "yang" of the human world. These two sites were situated so as to balance each other, with both on the same street and placed equidistant from Qing-Ming Street (South Street), with the yamen to the west and the Temple of the City God to the East. Pingyao has been a county seat ever since the establishment of the prefecture-county system in the Qin dynasty, and the city has a well preserved yamen, or county government office, a large complex which houses the home and office of the magistrate sent to act as mayor, judge, and senior official. This yamen consists of an archway, ceremonial gate, various offices, a prison, a court, meeting rooms, a residential area, and a garden. This yamen compound was built in 1346, during the Yuan Dynasty, but only one building remains from the Yuan period, the rest having been built during the Ming Dynasty. There are altogether over 300 rooms in the complex.

Ming/Qing Dynasty Courtyard Museums
Most of the attractions, especially those clustered along South Street, are simply private Ming/Qing dynasty courtyard residences which have been converted into small museums dedicated to the buildings' former owners or businesses, such as a Martial Arts School Museum, Martial Arts Bodyguard Escort Company, or a museum dedicated to traditional furniture making.

Rishengchang Exchange House
Whilst the walls of Pingyao give the city the impression of a significant military post, this historical city was also important to the Imperial Chinese government for another reason. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Pingyao was a major economic powerhouse. Pingyao was the birthplace of the Jin Businessmen / Merchants. Shanxi merchants developed extensive trade routes throughout China and overseas, with Pingyao at the centre of this trade. In those days, traders paid for their goods with silver coins, it was unsafe for a merchant to carry large sums in silver from one city to another. In 1823 the first Piaohao (translated as "exchange house", "draft bank," or "remittance shop") was opened. Draft banks allowed bills, instead of gold and silver, to be used for business transactions. This meant that merchants going to other parts of the country to do business did not have to transport large quantities of gold or silver with them, which made it much more convenient. Rishengchang, or "Sunrise Prosperity," was the first draft bank to be set up, and hence is known also as the "Father of Chinese Banking". Subsequently, Pingyao became the center of China's banking industry, with over 50% of the country's Piaohao headquartered within Pingyao's ancient walls. This original head office of the Rishengchang Exchange Shop--consisting of a series of rooms built around several courtyards--was restored and converted to a museum in 1995. Rishengchang Exchange House had a total of 43 branches located in key Chinese cities as well as in Japan, Singapore, and Russia. Altogether some 22 Piaohao were headquartered in Pingyao, and they oversaw a network of 404 branches. Rishengchang survived for 108 years before collapsing in 1932.

First Armed Escort in North China
During the Ming & Qing Dynasties, China had what was called a "Biaoju", also Biaohang, or escort office, as a predecessor of today's security companies, mostly for transporting money to pay for goods, or guarding shops or courtyards, and money exchanges, or mail. The First Armed Escort in North China is found to the south of 22 East Street, and has a front, middle and back part, with a total area 1,000 square meters and six exhibition rooms and two other areas. It reflects the uniqueness of the armed escort system of the Qianlong emperor’s time during the Qing (1644-1911) dynasty, an early form of the insurance business that led to the development of trade during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties and played a major role in moving currency for people in business and trade. The First Armed Escort refers to three armed escorts – the “Tong Xinggong”, “Tai Fen”, and “Changlong” – which were established in Pingyao, Qi, and Wenshui counties by Wang Zhengqing, Dai Erlv and Zuo Erba, of the Daoguang period, whose virtue and fighting skills were well known. The armed escorts were used for the transport of currency or goods involved in flourishing business and trade deals. The armed escorts declined in use over time but their high point came at a time of chaos and social upheaval at the end of the Qing dynasty.

Market Tower
There is no exact record of when the Market Tower was built, with historical records only indicating that the first renovation of the tower was in 1688, or the 27th year of the Kangxi emperor, during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It has a triple-eave wood structure 18.5 meters tall, with green and yellow glazed tile on the roof and eaves. There is a spacious first floor with a north-south tunnel. Each corner of the building has a pillar with inscriptions on it. The tower was located at the town’s central crossroads and should have had openings to the east and the west, but instead, there were arches on the two walls to form a fake crossroads with the North-South Street crossing the first floor. The colored glazed tiles on the roof and eaves form the Chinese characters of happiness and longevity as an auspicious sign. The area around the tower was the most prosperous business area of Pingyao, with a morning, noon, and evening market every day, hence the current name. What was less known was that there was a well hidden beneath the first floor in which water blinked golden light, so its alias was Gold Well Tower.

How to get to the Ancient City of Pingyao
By plane: Pingyao has no airport. The closest major city and airport is Taiyuan, 90km (55 miles) away.
By high-speed train: By far the fastest way is using bullet trains which now serve Pingyao at a new station southwest of the city (Pingyao Gu Cheng). It takes about 4 hours from Beijing or 3 hours from Xi'an. Tickets are often booked out so plan well in advance if you want to travel during the day. Contact GoGrandChina if you want to purchase bullet train tickets to Pingyao.