Pingyao

There was already a settlement in place at Pingyao by the reign of the Xuan King (r. c. 827 – c. 782 BC), when the Zhou raised earthen ramparts around the site.[4]

In the Spring and Autumn period, the county belonged to the kingdom of Jin. It was part of the kingdom of Zhao in the Warring States period. Under the Qin, it was known as Pingtao. During the Han Dynasty, it was known as the seat of Zhongdu County.

Pingyao served as the financial center of the region from the 16th century and of the entire Qing Empire during the late 19th century.[4] During those times, there were more than 20 financial institutions within the city,[5] comprising more than half of the total in the whole country. Rishengchang was the first and largest, controlling almost half of China's silver trade under the late Qing before going bankrupt in 1914 in the aftermath of the Xinhai Revolution.

Organized restorations have been undertaken periodically since the 15th century, the most recent phase beginning in 1979.[4] In 1986, China designated Pingyao as one of the Chinese Historical and Cultural Cities. In 2004, part of the southern walls collapsed; they have since been reconstructed. In 2015, Pingyao ancient city became a national 5A-class tourist attraction.

Pingyao is located on the east bank of the Fen River near the southwestern edge of the Taiyuan Basin. It is approximately 100 km (62 mi) south of central Taiyuan and 715 km (444 mi) southwest of Beijing, the national capital. Pingyao County is adjacent to Qi County, whose seat is also a protected historical and cultural city.

As of 2009, Pingyao had a population of 48,531 people living in 16,634 households. 12,132 residents held local hukous and 36,399 were from other parts of China.[8]

Pingyao Ancient City and its environs are organized as the town of "Gutao", the seat of Pingyao County. Gutao directly oversees 10 administrative villages:[9]

As of 2009, the town had a labour pool of 19,059 people. 3,811 farmers worked 9977 mu (613 ha or 1,510 acres) of arable land, producing 33.7m RMB of crops, livestock, and other goods. The local focus is on increased mechanization and working the available land intensively.[8] The area is well known for its beef[10] and also produces grain and cotton. The rest of the workforce is divided between industry and the service sector, particularly tourism. Industry produced 840m RMB and was focused on improving the energy efficiency of its practices.[8] A local specialty is lacquerware. The service sector, including tourism, produced less income than industry—790m RMB–but was growing rapidly and marked for special focus by local government.[8]

Tourism

Aerial panorama of the town

Increases in tourism have put pressure on Pingyao. During China's Golden Weeks, the number of visitors to the city has sometimes been as high as 2½ times its planned maximum capacity. During the single week around May Day in 2007, the town made about 94.5m RMB from visiting tourists.[11]

Since that high point in 2007, the government has reduced the number and length of China's "golden weeks", spreading domestic tourism more equitably throughout the year. The Global Heritage Fund has also worked with the Pingyao County People's Government to protect the town against overdevelopment and damage from its high volume of visitors. The stated goal for their Pingyao Cultural Heritage Development Program is improved preservation of local vernacular architecture and traditional arts through improved planning and increased conservation efforts.[12]

Local specialties include Pingyao beef (平遥牛肉, Píngyáo niúròu) and wantuo (平遥碗托, Píngyáo wǎntuō), a favourite of the Empress Dowager Cixi.[10] Other local products are Changshengyuan rice wine (长升源黄酒), bean flour minjian (豆面抿尖), and Jiupian (揪片).

The silver merchants of Pingyao in the early 20th century were the subject of the 2009 film Empire of Silver.

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  Market Tower, constructed in 14th century
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  Pingyao's Confucius Temple
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  A statue inside the Shuanglin Temple in Pingyao
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  A street in Pingyao
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  City walls of Pingyao
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  A door in a courtyard with red Chinese lanterns
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  Roof architecture

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pingyao.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Pingyao.

• Official website of Pingyao County Government (in Chinese)
• Pingyao preservation project summary at Global Heritage Fund
• Explore Pingyao with Google Earth on Global Heritage Network
• UN World Heritage - Pingyao
• Well illustrated guide to Pingyao