The
ancient city is in Pingyao County, Shanxi Province. The city wall was
first built during the Zhou Dynasty (11th century - 256 B.C.) and was
expanded in 1370, the third 
year of the reign of Ming Emperor Hongwu.
Since 1997, it has been listed as a World Heritage Site. Now Pingyao city
is the only one in China completely reserved as it was hundreds of years
ago, no modern buildings, only narrow stone-plate street with many
Chinese-style shops on the two sides.
The
perimeter of this square city is 6.4km long and the city wall is the
earliest and largest intact city wall in China. It is 12m high with an
average width of 5m. The wall is rammed earth strengthened with a covering
of bricks. Outside the city wall there is a moat, 4m wide and 4m deep.
The
city has six gates, two each on the east and west and one each in the
south and north side. All the gates project outwards and have two doors
each. This has given the city the name "Turtle City" with the
two gates on the south and north representing the head and tail of the
turtle and four gates on the east and west as the four legs. The doors on
the south and north stand opposite each other, like the head of the turtle
extending out and two wells just beyond southern gate are like a turtle's
two eyes.
Located
on the trade route between Beijing and Xi'an, Pingyao developed into a merchant center where enterprising locals set up the
nation's earliest banks. These institutions were the first in China to use
checks, and business peaked in the 19th Century, when the city was the
undisputed financial center of the Qing government.
Several
old courtyards have been turned into museums, most notably the homes and
offices of Pingyao's old tongs, or banks. One of the most remarkable
aspects of a visit here is realizing that this remote place was immensely
important to China's financial history.
Rishengchang
and the Baichuan Tong, two of the most powerful banks in the old days, are
now small museums that have been restored tastefully. The same can
be said of the Yuanmiancheng Minfeng Hotel, where modern beds are replaced
with old kang, or traditional coal-heated brick bed. The hotel's
gray-brick courtyards and rooms haven't been over-restored (and there is
the additional if slightly strange convenience of having an upstairs
museum dedicated to an exhibit of drawings and photos that document the
history of "three-inch golden lilies," or bound feet). The
hotel, constructed about 500 years ago, actually is same old as others in
the city, and thus is not so distinguished on the old street.
Most
of Pingyao local people originated from a business family, because Shanxi
and thus Pingyao has a long tradition and history in business. Shanxi
Business People (Jin Shang) were quite famous in Ming and Qing
dynasties. "Before my grandfather, we were quite wealthy.
But everything changed after the revolution, and of course private
business wasn't allowed for many years. But then it changed and now
I'm doing business, just like my ancestors used to."
Despite such connections, that crucial four-decade gap was enough to shake
up families like Ms. Liu's, and, in turn, the entire town. Ms. Liu
had no idea where her original ancestral home was, just as she couldn't
tell me anything about the family that constructed the building that now
houses her shop. She was, however, careful to emphasize that
modernization had plenty of benefits.
"This
used to be a dirt road," she said, pointing at the cobbled street in
front of us. "This whole area used to be very backwards, and
many parts of it still are. For example, there are still big
problems with sewage, even though since 1992 we've been trying to shift to
a modern system."
She
was right, of course -- such considerations are impossible to ignore in a
place where half of the residents still have no running water, and where
65 per cent of the roads are unpaved. After two days in Pingyao,
I found that it was hard to say exactly where the city was going: in
five years it could be an over-touristed example of bad restoration, or it
could be a model for preservation in China. In either case, a visit
to the city provides a glimpse of both old China and the difficulties that
today's country faces as it tries to balance development and protection,
money and relics. In the end I left Pingyao
simply hoping for the best: that Ms. Liu enjoys good business, and
that Mr. Wang's snooker table pulls in some cash, and that somehow his old
carvings keep their place on the roof where they've hung since Qing days.
Or maybe it was the Ming.
This
has been the story in Pingyao, a small and
isolated city that is home to some of the best preserved traditional
architecture in all of China. For decades, Pingyao's relics were
essentially protected by default, because citizens lacked the funds
necessary to modernize their city. Today, as Chinese tourism rapidly
develops, Pingyao residents are recognizing
the unique value of their hometown, where the trick is to cash in on this
resource without destroying it.
The
Ancient Pingyao City Wall
First
built about 2,700 years ago, the ancient city wall was expanded in the
Ming 
Dynasty. It was the most well-preserved wall among the ancient
historical and cultural cities in China. It is square, 10 meters high, 5
meters wide, and 5.4 kilometers in circumference. There are 72 terraces
with battlements. A bird's-eye view of the city, the wall looks like a
turtle, hence the name 'Turtle City'.
The Architectural
Structures
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.
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), 6 km southwest from Pingyao is famous for its
colorful sculpture. The Zhengguo Temple, 12km to the northeast features
unique wooden structural architecture.
Chinese
Financial House
Museum – Ri Sheng Chang
Ri
Sheng Chang was established in the early Qing Dynasty. It was China's
forerunner for organizing Chinese early finance system, handling
remittance, money exchange, deposit, loan and other financial business.
There were 35 branches in China's big and medium-sized cities. Its
business covered Europe, America and Southeast Asia. The banking company
had established a complete and strict management system because at that
time the communication and transportation conditions are quite backward.
For example, when a new employee came into the company, the manager always
left several dollars in the yard to test the employee. If he returned the
money to the manager, he passed the first examination. Second pass is the
abacus, the main tool to calculate. Young people had to stand in the yard
to practice abacus for several weeks, even in winter. What is more, the
owner of the company did not involve in the daily business because he
employed a general manager, and gave him some shares to attract him work
harder and earned more money.
South
Street
(Ming-Qing Street)
With a length of 440 meters, the street used to be the commercial
center of Pingyao ancient city. The traditional and orderly-located shops
of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are still well preserved. The cross-street
Town House, is the highest building of the city (18.5 meters high). On its
top, you can take a whole view of the Ming–Qing Street. Walking along
the street, tourists can get the first-hand experience of ancient China.
Meanwhile, local people are also quite honest and
simple-minded.
Courtyard
Residences in Pingyao
The
courtyard residences in Pingyao are elegantly designed with local
features. Standing for a long history, the buildings are still perfectly 
preserved. There are two types of residences – commercial and civilian,
which are all well known for their typical representation of China's
traditional residences.
One example of these courtyards is Wangs Compound House. Wang's
family was originated from Shanxi Province, and after earning some money
from their business and farm, the family took three generations to build
its house, and now is called as Wangs' Compound House, which is at least
two centuries old.
Qiaojia Dayuan
(Qiaojiabu
Folklore MuseuM
