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2 Days Pingyao Highlights from only $130.00
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Tourism Pingyao

  

Pingyao Guide

Tourism Pingyao

 

Pingyao Travel Guide

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Pingyao

Pingyao is an ancient town in the middle of Shanxi Province, covers an area of 2.25 sq kilometers, 90 km southward from Taiyuan. Pingyao is one of the four best-preserved ancient cities in China. Pingyao is prosperous and well developed in both Ming and Qing dynasties as a financial and business center.

Pingyao was the assembly place of wealthy merchants who built the eye-catching courtyards one after the other, thus made the town the typical folk house in northern China. With more than 1700 years history, the Shanxi ancient town is the birthplace of the earliest bank in China, named Piaohao, means the firm for exchanging and transferring of money.

As an outstanding example of Chinese Han Nationality cities in the Ming and the Qing dynasties, Pingyao's ancient architecture fully reflects the historical flavor of those periods. The ancient town has 4 major streets, 8 lesser streets and 72 lanes form a cross shape. The shops, firms and residences were built symmetrically along a 750-meter-long street runs from north to south as the axis, and the Market Tower located in the center.

Pingyao Ancient Town
Pingyao Ancient Town

The most brilliant spot of Pingyao is its city wall which was originally built during 827-782 B.C. Designed as a military strong-hold, it is 3-6m wide across the top, 9-12m wide at the bottom, 10m in height and 6.4km in length. The body of the wall was first built of rammed clay, and then was enhanced by bricks and stones in the early Ming Dynasty. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the city wall was renovated 25 times to make the inner and outer city walls strongly fortified. The pattern of the whole town resembled Eight Diagrams (a combination of eight of the 64 Trigrams of the Book of Changes traditionally used in divination), which is similar to the pattern on a tortoise shell. It thus called tortoise city, symbolizing its longevity and solidity.

Along the central street there were over 220 banks, inns, pawn shops, Chinese herb shops, silk shops, tea stores, antique stores and restaurants at that glorious time. The most famous one was Rishengchang, the first private banking unit in China. The folk residences display the noted feature in Pingyao which are a combination of artistry and practicability.

There are many stunning temples inside and around Pingyao. Shuangling Temple (Double Tree Temple), 6km southwest from Pingyao is famous for its colorful sculpture. The Zhengguo Temple, 12km to the northeast features unique wooden structural architecture.

China tours inclusive of visiting Pingyao

 
 

Pingyao + China Tours

Train tour Beijing-Datong-Pingyao-Xian from $630.00
Train tour in the northern China, The combinations of Capital Beijing, traditional Datong, township Pingyao and ancient Xian is a perfect choice, This trip was rewarded as the Top Incentive and Cultural Program in 2011.
6 days Read Details
 
Beijing, Datong, Pingyao Train Tour from $687.00
Mutianyu Great Wall, Yungang Grottoes & Hanging Monastery in Datong, Pingyao ancient town, which is 14th-century Chinese style grey houses mixed with red lanterns, Shuanglin Temple, the Qiao's Grand Courtyard around Pingyao, you may enjoy different culture.
8 days Read Details
 
  More Pingyao + China Tours
 

Pingyao City Tour

   Pingyao City Tour 2 Days: From: $ 130.00
  More Pingyao day tour
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