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| ¡¡Pingyao |
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 Situated in the heart of Shanxi Province, right along the Fen River. Pingyao is an ancient town boosting over 2,700 years of history. The city's original layout, built during the Western Zhou Dynasty, is for the most part wholly preserved. Most of the city walls, streets, residence homes, and temples in the city remain undamaged and unchanged. Along with the historical significance of the city, Pingyao has a temperate climate. The spring varies between day and night with little rain and strong winds while the autumns are comfortable.
In fact, when Pingyao was inducted into UNESCO's World Heritage List on December 31st, 1997, the organization glorified the city as "an outstanding example of a Han Chinese city of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (14th-20th centuries) that has retained all its features to an exceptional degree and in doing so provides a remarkably complete picture of cultural, social, economic, and religious development during one of the most seminal periods of Chinese history."
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| ¡¡Special Reference |
| the Rishengchang Exchange Shop |
| The Rishengchang Exchange Shop was established in 1823 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and had about 35 branches in Pingyao City, Shanxi Province. 65 meters (71 yards) long and 20 meters (22 yards) wide, the compound is listed as a key cultural relic by the provincial government. The Rishengchang Exchange Shop had a tremendous influence on the Chinese economy during its 108 years of existence.
Generally speaking, the exchange shops traded in bills, making the shop one of the earliest forms of banking. Though the main currency during the Qing Dynasty was the silver coin, the exchange shops could alleviate the traders' problems of carrying large sums of money through cash deposits and transfer of funds from one businessman to the other.
The shop is within a compound with three courtyards. The five rooms facing the street serve as the gate of the shop, with the name sign hanging in the central position above the rooms. Near the first courtyard are the cashiers' offices, which are situated on either side of the passage.
In the second courtyard, the three halls were used for money and trade exchange. The third courtyard served as accommodation for the senior staff and due to its location away from the noise of the road also provided a resting place for important customers.
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| Chenghuang Temple |
Located in the southeast of Pingyao City, the Chenghuang Temple is one of the most well preserved temples in China. The temple covers a total area of 7,302 square meters (approx. 8,733 square yards), and is endowed with a long history and numerous key renovations.
The temple is adorned with elaborate woodcarvings, stone sculptures, and beautiful mural paintings. The roofs have a shiny blue and green glaze, adding to the magnificence and grandeur of the temple. While in the temple, you should definitely see the two murals, which are considered national art treasures in China
The temple encompasses the Hall of the City God, Theatre Hall, and Sleep Hall. According to legend, the Hall of City God was the court for the gods, so the atmosphere boosts a grandiose and serious aura. The most notable feature in the hall is the city god who sits upright in the shrine with judges and ghosts standing to his side.
The Sleep Hall is the dwelling where the city god's family members lived while the room downstairs was where the god conducted legal cases and received guests. The room upstairs was the city god's master chamber.The whole temple comprises of the Temple of the City God, Caishen (god in charge of fortune in Chinese legends) Temple, and Zaojun (god in charge of food) Temple.
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| the Ancient Ming and Qing Streets |
The Ancient Ming and Qing Streets were the noisiest centre of business at that time Situated on South Avenue. The streets are not very wide, with various kinds of shops orderly arranged along the road. These shops were all built with bricks and stones completely in the style of Ming and Qing architecture, which are all the prototypes of the ancient buildings and quite different from the imitation works now.
In the granite thresholds of each decent house, two lines of deep traits left by the running-over carriages can still be found, which provides evidence of the former bustle of business and also the pride held for them in the old days. However, many shops have been rebuilt to be used as museums or restaurants now.
Such as Yonglonghao Exchange Shop has been rebuilt as the national lacquer museum and Yunjincheng Chinese Medicine Shop as Pingyao Traditional Famous Food Restaurant. the Baichuantong Exchange Shop now displays furniture, calligraphy, household utensils and other articles of the previous housemasters. Entering the Ancient Ming and Qing Streets, you can feel the atmosphere of the flourishing businesses formerly established and appreciate the really ancient building designs.
Walking to the centre of the streets, you can see a tall pavilion building. Here almost all the businesses in this city were concentrated back then. This building, also called City Building, along with the City Wall, has become witnesses to the long history of this ancient city in the people's eyes. A well is hidden in the southeast of the building, the color of its water is said to be closest to gold. The spot had entered into the directory of Twelve Sceneries of Pingyao in the Qing Dynasty and this area is also listed as a key spot now under provincial cultural protection.
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| Qiao Family's compound |
The Qiao Compound is not only known for its grandeur but also for the exquisite craftsmanship, which is reflected in the brick carvings, woodcarvings, and murals. Viewed from above, the Compound strangely resembles the double Chinese character, "xi," which means happiness and luck. If you enter through the main gate, through an eighty-meter (about 262 feet) long path, you will find yourself in the main hall where at the western end is an ancestral temple of the family. The compound is divided into two sections: the Northern Yard and the Southern Yard. The Northern Yard is divided into three divisions; the Old Yard, the Northwest yard, and the Study Yard while the Southern Yard is divided into the Southeast Yard, the South Yard, and the New Yard.
Some other notable features of the compound are the fact that the roof of every house is connected and the roofs themselves boost 140-plus chimneys. Also, the Compound is grounded in the historical tale of the Qiao Family. The story originated with Qiao Guifa, who started out as an orphan and a servant during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Qiao Guifa rose to stardom with his startup of a business with his friend, Qin. The business revolved around selling fodder, bean sprout, and bean curd, and in a couple of years flourished as a successful venture. The The family fortunes began to decline due to the large amount of money offered to the Qing Army and the exploitation of the Japanese army. |
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| The Pingyao Ancient City |
Situated in Pingyao County, right in the middle of Shanxi Province, just 100 km away from Taiyuan, the Pingyao Ancient City is renowned as a hotbed of historical and cultural relics. The city has over 3000 battlements and 72 watchtowers according to the disciples of Confucius.
Though the city has been repaired numerous times, the city has been preserved to keep the original look of the Ming Dynasty. The city's layout is shaped like a quadrate and is surrounded by city walls 12 meters high and a moat 4 meters deep, 4 meters wide.
The city walls of Pingyao have two gates on each side, making the city look like an urn. The city has six "urns," so the city is said to look like a tortoise, with the four gates on the east and west being his legs while the south, inner, and outer gate are supposedly his head. Furthermore, the city walls, shops, temples, etc. authentically resemble the monuments of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
In all, the Pingyao Ancient City is one of the four best-preserved cities in China. In fact, the city was awarded the most outstanding heritage in the world by UNESCO on December 3 rd, 1997. The title is well deserved as the city has kept all the cultural and historical foundations of China.
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| Shuanglin Temple |
| Situated just 97 kilometers from Taiyuan, near northern Qiaotou Village, the Shuanlin Temple started construction in the early years of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534AD), and most of the buildings were renovated during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The temple boosts 2,050 colored statues from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, making it one of the reputed art exhibitions in China. |
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| Qiaojiabu Folk Culture Museum |
Known as the "First House of the Chinese Folk Residence," the Qiaojiabu Folklore Museum, Wang's Compound is located south of Shanxi Basin just under the foot of Mianshan Mountain, near the West China Folk Residence, the first volume of the "Collection of China Folk Residential Buildings".
Starting construction in the 1660s and completed in the 1800s, the residence covers a total area of 150,000 square meters and encompasses Gao's Gliff, the cluster in the Hongmen Blockhouse, Yi'an Garden, Danpu Garden, ancestral temples, etc.
The Wang's Compound boosts a harmonious and grand layout and is built on the scenic hillsides. The building's architecture is both inspired by South and North China, which combines to form a wonderful art style rooted in the land of China. |
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