Pingyao Ancient City, located in Shanxi Province, is widely considered one of the best-preserved ancient cities in China. It’s a well-preserved example of a Ming and Qing Dynasty county town, featuring complete city walls, streets, shops, temples, and residential buildings. Pingyao is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

The first settlement around Pingyao began in the time of the Western Zhou dynasty 2800 years ago. It reached its peak during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing dynasty (1644-1912), becoming a major financial center in China. The city’s well-preserved ancient city walls, residences, government offices, and stores of the Ming and Qing dynasties and even a bank make it a prime example of a Han Chinese city from those periods.

Covering an area of 225 square kilometers, the ancient city is protected by high walls that are still largely intact. These walls span a circumference of over 6000 meters and rise to a height of 12 meters with 3-6 meters at the top for sentries. In addition, there are 3000 embankments and 72 watch towers on the walls which are said to symbolize the three thousand disciplines of Confucius and his seventy-two saints. The view from the top of the walls gives a bird’s eye perspective of the whole ancient city, laid out in the shape of the Chinese character “土” (land).

Four avenues, eight streets and seventy-two lanes interweave with one another within the city, reflecting the urban planning style that was popular during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Over 400 ancient buildings are located along these crisscrossed streets and lanes; many of the ancient houses are still occupied by modern-day residents. Their design features quadrangle courtyards made of black bricks and layered grey tiles in clear axes and bilateral symmetry. Most are decorated with wood and brick carvings and exquisite paintings done by skilled artisans between the 14th and 19th centuries.

Photo Gallery of Pinyao Ancient City